What Is The Delos Museum?

The Archaeological Museum of Delos is situated on the island of Delos, near Mykonos in the South Aegean, Greece. The site is well-known for its extensive collection of statues unearthed in the surrounding area. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990.

Although much of what has been excavated is exhibited in the museum, it does not contain all the items found at Delos. Much of it is on display in Athens at the National Archaeological Museum.

According to Greek mythology, Apollo was born on this tiny island in the Cyclades archipelago. The sanctuary attracted pilgrims from all over Greece and Delos became a thriving trading port. The island bears traces of the succeeding civilizations in the Aegean world, from the 3^rd millennium BC to the Paleo-Christian era.

The archaeological site is extensive and rich and conveys the image of a great cosmopolitan Mediterranean port.

History

The French School at Athens began excavations on Delos in 1872 and it is still ongoing today. The excavations have unearthed the Sanctuary and a good part of the cosmopolitan Hellenistic town.

The entire island is an archaeological site, which, along with the neighbouring islands of Rheneia, Greater and Lesser Rematiaris, constitutes an enormous archaeological site.

The Delos Museum was built in 1904 by the Archaeological Society at Athens on the site to accommodate the archaeological discoveries. Originally it consisted of five rooms but was enlarged in 1931 and again in 1972. During this same period, the exterior of the building also underwent great alterations.

Today the exhibition is arranged in nine rooms of which six contain the statues and reliefs found in Delos. Two rooms contain pottery ranging from the prehistoric to the late Hellenistic period, and the last room contains various objects of everyday life, found in the private houses.

The exhibition is not yet complete and an ongoing project as excavations progress.

Interest For Today

Today the Delos Museum includes the following collections:

• Funerary statues and grave stelae ranging from the 7^th to the 1^st century BC
• Pottery ranging from the 25^th to the 1^st century BC
• Clay figurines dating from the 2^nd to the 1^st centuries BC
• Jewellery and small objects dating from the 2^nd to 1^st centuries BC
• Mosaics of the 2^nd to 1^st centuries B.C.

Some of the most important exhibits of the museum are:

1. An Ivory plaque, representing a Mycenaean warrior in relief. The plaque was found under the Artemision, along with other ivory, gold and bronze objects and was probably used for the decoration of wooden furniture. It is dated to 1400-1200 BC.
2. Torso of a kouros that was found in the sanctuary of Apollo and was probably the product of a Parian workshop. It is dated to the middle of the 6^th century BC.
3. Marble statue of Boreas, which is a personification of the north wind, abducting the Athenian princess Oreithya. It is a good example of the Attic sculpture and dates to the end of the 5^th century BC.
4. Marble statues of Dioscourides and Kleopatra, who was an Athenian couple living on Delos. They were found inside their house, in the Theatre Quarter and, according to the inscription on the base, were constructed by Kleopatra in 138 BC.
5. A marble statue of Apollo follows the type of Apollo Lyceios, which is attributed to the great sculptor Praxiteles. The god is represented leaning on a tree and stepping on a heap of Gallic shields. It is probably a smaller copy of the statue dedicated to Delphi to commemorate a victory against the Galls who attacked the Delphic Sanctuary in 279/278 BC. The statue was found in a private house in the Theatre Quarter and dates from the 2^nd century BC.
6. Bronze mask of Dionysos. The bearded god is wearing a diadem and an ivy wreath. It was found south of the Market of the Competaliasts and was most likely a votive offering. It dates to the 2^nd century BC.
7. Corinthian “alabastron”, a small, perfumed-oil container. It is decorated with a representation of Potnia Theron also known as the Lady of the beasts, protectress of hunting, among two swans. It was found in the Heraion along with many other similar vases and is a characteristic example of the Corinthian pottery production during the end of the 7^th century BC.
8. Inscribed triangular base of a kouros statue decorated with the head of a ram on one corner and Gorgo’s heads on the other two. It was found in the Sanctuary of Apollo and dates from the second half of the 7^th century BC.
9. An Archaic statue of a young woman which was found in the Sanctuary of Apollo and is one of the oldest surviving specimens of large-scale sculpture. The young woman is standing, dressed in a tight peplos decorated in front with an incised vertical double Maeander. It is dated to ca. 580 BC.
10. Wall-painting from the exterior wall of a house in Skardana Quarter. It bears the representation of Heracles, two boxers and another man playing the flute or a trumpet. The inscription KALAMODRYA[C] probably refers to a famous boxer of the 1^st century BC.

Hours of Business

• 1 April – 31 October: Monday to Sunday from 08:00 – 20:00
• 1 November – 31 March: Tuesday to Sunday from 08:00 – 15:00

Tickets

• Full: €12, Reduced: €6
• Special ticket package: Full: €12, Reduced: €6

Visitors should take note that the ticket price to the archaeological site of Delos does not include the ferry ticket price from Myconos or any other island.

Free admission days

• 18 April (International Monuments Day)
• 18 May (International Museums Day)
• The last weekend of September annually (European Heritage Days)
• Every first Sunday from 1 November to 31 March

Contact information

• Address: 846 00 Delos, Τ.Κ. 84600, Mykonos (Prefecture of Kiklades)
• Coordinates: 37°24′3″N, 25°16′9″E
• Telephone number: +30 22890 22259
• Email: efakyk@culture.gr

How To Get There?

The small archaeological museum is located at the archaeological site of Delos and exhibits objects from the excavations there. It is only accessible by shuttle boat from Mykonos.