Page 59 - MYCONIAN COLLECTION 2022

discover|sacred island

WORKING LIFE AT AN ANCIENT SANCTUARY the ancient city in a comparable way to Pompeii. This is not possible
“Delos is a different, magical place; a place that’s unlike any other. in any other ancient city in Greece. There are many Roman cities
Even today, Delos is unique”, antiquities curator in the Middle East, Syria or Africa which are in good condition,
Dr Themistoklis Vakoulis says. He has been living on Delos year- but on Delos you experience a scenery unchanged since antiquity,
round since 2015 in his capacity at the Ephorate. “The Ephorate which we could say represents time itself! Even people who believe
of Antiquities of Cyclades does for Delos what local authorities do themselves to be indifferent to the past leave Delos having gained
everywhere else. We organise transport to and from Mykonos, staff something from their visit”.
accommodation on the island, infrastructure, equipment.
Besides supporting the employees, the Ephorate also manages STAGES IN HISTORY
the archaeological site, welcoming visitors annually, preserving “It is worth stopping at the Sanctuary of Apollo first, as it is the
and restoring the monuments. The monuments are our top priority, reason the city was called into existence as one of the largest Hellenic
and everything else follows. But how much work can a small island sanctuaries in the Mediterranean. Imbued with the meaning of ‘sanctity’,
– a rocky islet – really take? How many cranes, how many ships this sacred place already existed in Homer’s era and reached its peak
can come? And how can this work be scheduled around keeping during the Archaic period (7th-6th century BC) and the Classical
Delos open to the public? We can’t just bring period (5th-4th century BC). Citizens from the outer reaches of the
30 million euro and start spending – the island would crash. Greek world travelled to the island to worship the God of Light.
We need to prioritise and categorise its needs. Life here is hard. From the mid-6th century BC up to the 4th century BC, Athens
The employees spend so many hours together that we have to be imposed itself politically and culturally on the sacred island. During
pro-active about their wellbeing, promote good relationships, that period, the Sanctuary was the centre of the Athenian Republic,
provide activities… Delos is testing – if you don’t take here, if you a symbol for the birth of western civilisation, and headquarters of
don’t integrate, the island will reject you”. the Athenian Empire (also known as the Delian League). When the
League ceased to exist, this great Hellenistic model city developed,
encompassing all aspects of the Greek World. The Hellenistic city,
remains of which visitors can see today, developed after 167 BC,
when the Romans gave Delos back to the Athenians and declared it

058 MYCONIAN COLLECTION