Our cruise reviews - A ship review of the Crown Odyssey

Our Cruise Ships - Delos and Mykonos

Delos - pictures from ancient greece

Ancient greece - A collection of pictures Delos that we took while on our cruise ship vacation aboard the cruise ship Crown Odyssey.

Delos was, according to mythology, the birth-place of Apollo. The island of Delos was a sacred place with splendid buildings and sanctuaries and as such, it was never forgotten; many references are preserved by travelers who visited the island in the last centuries. Numerous pieces of sculpture were transferred to Museums of Greece and abroad, while marbles from the ancient buildings were used as building material by the inhabitants of the nearby islands.

According to the legends, Zeus impregnated their mother, Leto. Leto was chased by Hera, Zeus' sister and wife to the ends of the world for having an affair with her husband. Leto eventually ended up on an island that kept moving around the Aegean thus avoiding Hera's vengeance.

When the time of birth came, Delos planted town in the center of the Aegean with a circle of islands around it (hence Cyclades). Leto was in labor for 9 days. Hera, the goddess of motherhood refused to help in the birthing process, as retribution for sleeping with Leto sleeping with Zeus. So Leto suffered until Artemis was born on the ninth day.

Artemis (Roman Diana) was quite an accomplished infant since she then proceeded to help Leto give birth to her twin, Apollo. Apollo was an even more accomplished infant, stealing Hermes' sheep, going to Delphi to establish his oracle and then storming Mt. Olympus demanding he and Artemis be made into gods all on his first day of life.

Today Delos is essentially a large archeological site with no inhabitants except members of The French School of Archeology, who have been excavating the island for over 100 years. Over night stays on the island are forbidden. The ruins take up almost a square mile. Highlights can be encompassed in about 3 1/2 hours.

The island itself is relatively small—six kilometers long and 1,500 meters wide, but it is monumental in Greek history and mythology. Delos is not only the geological center of the Cyclades, but was once the commercial, religious, and commercial center

The Museum is full of statues, artifacts and other exhibits from the excavations, mainly from the archaic and classical period. Most exhibits are very impressive and it is definitely worth visiting.

The visit to the museum can also be seen as a break from the typical walk around the ancient ruins scattered on the island. It can get very hot out there. Take lots of water with you and wear comfortable shoes.
.

Click on the image to enlarge! Use your browsers back button to return.

A stone staircase.	This is a cistern (where water is stored)	Another view of the cistern. I think the guide said that this is one of the earliest uses of arches in building construction.
The cistern again.	Thats me with the legendary "Lions of Delos".	Another lion shot.
		Phallic symbols were big on Delos in more ways than one.


Our tour group gathers around our guide.
Another cistern.
	Kathy at the Delos ruins.	House of Dyonysos
Our ship from the island of Delos.		Statue in museum.
Item in museum.	Statue in museum.	Our tender leaving for the cruise ship Crown Odyssey.
Greek buns!	I sitting here in the theater...	If you look close you can see the lizard on the wall...I took the picture cause my son was really into lizards at the time.
House of Dyonysos	House of Dyonysos close up of mosaic on floor.

sitemap