The author Rick Riordan has created many stories and characters that bring mythological gods into the present day. Our kids first got hooked on The Kane Chronicles, which got them excited about Egyptian gods and seeing sights in Egypt, London and New York. Next, as a family, we listened to nearly 60 hours of audio on our long drives. This was to complete the five books in the Trials of Apollo series, which included Greek gods and some Roman versions as well. But the first and most famous of Mr. Riordan’s works is the series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. In the fifth book, Percy Jackson’s friends go to Delos on a quest. Since they went to Delos, today WE went to Delos. We also went to Mykonos, but that was just a bonus.
We had never heard of Delos until a couple of months ago but it is a UNESCO World Heritage site and universally recognized as one of the most important archeological sites in Greece.
Some highlights from the UNESCO website description:
Delos, even though a small rocky island in the centre of the Aegean Sea, was considered as “the most sacred of all islands” in ancient Greek culture. According to the legend, it was there that Apollo god of daylight, and his twin sister Artemis goddess of night light, were born.
The island was first settled in the third millennium BC. The Apollo sanctuary, established at least since the 9th century BC. After 167 BC, as a result of the declaration of Delos as a free port, all the commercial activity of the eastern Mediterranean was concentrated on the isle. Rich merchants, bankers, and ship-owners from all over the world settled there, attracting many builders, artists and craftsmen, who built for them luxurious houses, richly decorated with frescoes and mosaic floors. The small island became soon the greatest commercial centre of the whole world.
At its peak, Delos had about 30,000 residents, three times the population of Mykonos today. Starting around 88 BC the island was attacked and looted and gradually fell into decline. By the 7th century AD it was uninhabited.
We learned some interesting facts:
1. There are temples worshipping multiple types of gods/religions (Greek, Egyptian, Syrian and even a Synagogue) indicating the cosmopolitan attitude of the city.
2. The site is unaltered. Since the 7th century, no city or town has been built over the original city.
3. The entire island has been designated an archeological site. The only modern buildings are a museum and a few others to support the ongoing archeological work.
4. The island gets about 100,000 visitors a year. In comparison, the Parthenon in Athens gets 3 million.
5. There are at least 17 cats and likely many more who make their home on Delos. This may have been the most interesting thing for our kids the whole day.
We took a day trip excursion on a ferry straight to Delos. We were there for three hours tromping around the 1.3sq mile site in the hot sun. Mom and Dad thought it was really cool, the kids liked seeing cats in surprising places.
The highest point on the island is Mt Kynthos. At 367 ft it’s not breaking any records but for the 3 Adventurers who braved the climb, they got some pretty terrific views.
Finally we headed back to the boat to rehydrate and to reapply sunscreen before our next adventure.
Mykonos is the summer party spot of this island chain. It is another cruise ship destination similar to Santorini so we expected crowded, expensive and beautiful.
It was those things, but not as bad as it could have been. We were hot and tired from the morning so we had a meal at a pleasant taverna and walked up to see the 16th Century windmills.
We also sought out a lot of shade all day. There wasn’t much to be found, but CreeperPuppy even managed to find some in a corner at Delos.
It was a long day, but a good one exploring an ancient part of Greece and a modern party spot.
5 Adventures Together 