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DELOS

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Originally appearing in Volume V07, Page 971 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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DELOS (mod. Mikra Dili, or Little Delos, to distinguish it from Megali Dili, or See also:

Great Delos), an See also:island in the See also:Aegean, the smallest but most famous of the See also:Cyclades, and, according to the See also:ancient be- lief, the spot See also:round which the See also:group arranged itself in a nearly circular See also:form. It is a rugged See also:mass of See also:granite, about 3 M. See also:long and 1 m. to z m. broad, about z m. E. of Megali Dili or Rheneia, and 2 M. W. of Myconus. Towards the centre it rises to its greatest height of 350 ft. in the steep and rocky See also:peak of See also:Mount Cynthus, which, though overtopped by several eminences in the neighbouring islands, is very conspicuous from the surrounding See also:sea. It is now completely destitute of trees, but it abounds with brushwood of lentisk and cistus, and here and there affords a patch of See also:corn-See also:land to the occasional sower from Myconus. I. See also:Archaeology.—Excavations have been made by the See also:French School at See also:Athens upon the island of Delos since 1877, chiefly by Th. Homolle. They have proceeded slowly but systematic-ally, and the method adopted, though scientific and economical, See also:left the site in some apparent confusion, but the debris have more recently been cleared away to a considerable extent. The See also:complete See also:plan of the sacred See also:precinct of See also:Apollo has been recovered, as well as those of a considerable portion of the commerical See also:quarter of Hellenistic and See also:Roman times, of the See also:theatre, of the temples of the See also:foreign gods, of the temples on the See also:top of Mount Cynthus, and of several very interesting private houses.

Numerous See also:

works of See also:sculpture of all periods have been found, and also a very extensive See also:series of See also:inscriptions, some of them throwing much See also:light upon the subject of See also:temple See also:administration in See also:Greece. The most convenient See also:place for landing is protected by an ancient971 See also:mole; it faces the channel between Delos and Rheneia, and is about opposite the most northerly of the two little islands now called `Peu,uari4pe. From this See also:side the sacred precinct of Apollo is approached by an See also:avenue flanked by porticoes, that upon the seaside bearing the name of See also:Philip V. of Macedon, who dedicated it about 200 B.C. This avenue must have formed the usual approach for sacred embassies and processions; but it is probable that the space to the See also:south was not convenient for marshalling them, since See also:Nicias, on the occasion of his famous See also:embassy, built a See also:bridge from the island of See also:Hecate (the Greater Rhevmatiari) to Delos, in See also:order that the imposing Athenian procession might not See also:miss its full effect. Facing the avenue were the See also:propylaea See also:Walker & ockerell that formed the See also:chief entrance of the precinct.of Apollo. They consisted of a See also:gate faced on the outside with a projecting See also:portico of four columns, on the inside with two columns in antis. Through this one entered a large open space, filled with votive offerings and containing a large See also:exedra. The sacred road continued its course to the See also:north-See also:east corner of this open space, with the precinct of See also:Artemis on its See also:west side, and, on its east side, a See also:terrace on which stood three temples. The southernmost of these was the temple of Apollo, but only its back was visible from this side. Though there is no See also:evidence to show to whom the other two were dedicated, the fact that they faced west seems to imply that they were either dedicated to heroes or See also:minor deities, or that they were treasuries. Beyond them a road branches to the right, sweeping round in a broad See also:curve to the space in front of the temple of Apollo. The See also:outer side of this curve is bounded by a See also:row of treasuries, similar to those found at See also:Delphi and See also:Olympia, and serving to See also:house the more costly offerings of various islands or cities.

The space to the east and south of the temple of Apollo could also be approached directly from the propylaea of entrance, by turning to the right through a passage-like See also:

building with a See also:porch at either end. Just to the north of this may be seen the basis of the See also:colossal statue of Apollo dedicated by the Naxians, with its well-known archaic inscription; two large fragments of the statue itself may still be seen a little farther to the north.

End of Article: DELOS

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