Page 65 - MYCONIAN COLLECTION MAGAZINE 2023

SA CRED ISLA ND

“IN THE FIRST CENTURY BC, there were
AN OPEN-AIR MUSEUM
The Pure of Delos, founded in 1931 and expanded in small island in the Cyclades. Most of them
approximately 30,000 inhabitants on this
In addition to the Archaeological Museum
were Athenians, but there were also people
1972, the island itself is rightly called
LAND OF DELOS numerous antiquities and the island alike are They lived peacefully, they wrote and spoke
an open-air museum. Originating from
from other parts of the Mediterranean.
different eras of the ancient world, the
Greek and they worshipped their gods”, the
protected, managed and preserved by the
Director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of
Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades.
Cyclades, Dr Dimitris Athanasoulis, begins.
Firmly grounded in today’s world, with
a scientific background and a vision for
contemporary archaeological sites and
museums, the archaeologist uses simple
words to impart his knowledge and share
his love of narratives of the past. “This
era is typical of Delos, as it is only here
and nowhere else in Greece that visitors
can grasp the meaning of the first instinct
for globalisation which materialised in
the Hellenistic kingdoms after the death
of Alexander the Great. That part of the
city, which is still in the process of being
excavated, is in excellent condition. So, we
could say that during that period, Delos
was a huge multicultural centre, similar to
the Mykonos of today. Visitors to Delos are
mainly tourists who choose Mykonos for
its attractions, and take the trip to Delos
because of its proximity”, Athanasoulis
makes clear from the beginning. “So, this
is a very interesting, paradoxical pair of
attractions for visitors.
Truly irreplaceable What is Mykonos today? A world-renowned
cosmopolitan island, one big party! To
use one of Foucault’s favourite terms, it is
and one of the most a heterotopia. Visitors to Mykonos escape
their daily life and find themselves in an
environment where ‘non-time’ prevails; a
important historical and time for unlimited entertainment. During
their stay, there is no sense of time, as they
mythological destinations find themselves in a timeless place. Delos,
however, is the exact opposite. As with
every museum or archaeological site, it is
in the Mediterranean, a time warp – for example, when you climb
up the Acropolis, you travel back to the 5th
century BC. The advantage to Delos is that
the island of Delos you experience the journey back in time
even as you travel there, reaching the island
by a small boat much like the inhabitants of
is history itself, an old. The boat trip is a prelude. So, this is the
first reason why it is worthwhile for revellers
experience of a lifetime. of ‘non-time’ Mykonos to visit Delos and
experience these extreme contrasts. It is a
voyage of a different kind, something worth
getting your head around – and whatever
your state of mind, you cannot avoid a sense
of altered states whilst on Delos! Although

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