Page 52 - MYCONIAN COLLECTION MAG 2021
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disco
              discover|sacred islandver|sacred island


                                                                   “Delos is a unique case of an archaeological site. On other historical islands, like Crete’s Spinalonga, the staff goes home at night. On Delos, we stay”.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   – Dr Themistoklis Vakoulis






             “IN THE FIRST CENTURY BC, there were
             approximately 30,000 inhabitants on this small island in
             the Cyclades. Most of them were Athenians, but there
             were also people from other parts of the Mediterranean.
             They lived peacefully, they wrote and spoke Greek
             and they worshipped their gods”, the Director of the
             Ephorate of Antiquities of 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.
             What is Mykonos today? A world-renowned
             cosmopolitan island, one big party! To use one of
             Foucault’s favourite terms, it is a heterotopia. Visitors
             to Mykonos escape their daily life and find themselves
             in an environment where ‘non-time’ prevails; a time
             for unlimited entertainment. During their stay, there is
             no sense of time, as they find themselves in a timeless                                                                           Antony Gormley, SIGHT, at the archaeological site of Delos Island, 2019. Photograph © Oak Taylor Smith | Courtesy NEON; Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades and the artist.
             place. Delos, however, is the exact opposite. As with
             every museum or archaeological site, it is 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 you experience the journey back in
             time even as you travel there, reaching the island by a
             small boat much like the inhabitants of old. The boat
             trip is a prelude. So, this is the first reason why it is
             worthwhile for revellers 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 Delos has its challenges
             (as an enormous site which needs to be restored,
             excavated and requires new infrastructure, among
             other things), it remains a unique archaeological
             site which spans the entirety of an island. The fact
             that the antiquities are in good condition and that
             so many of them remain allows visitors to visualise
                                                                                                                                                                                                   AN OPEN-AIR MUSEUM
                                                                                                                                                                        In addition to the Archaeological Museum of Delos, founded in 1931 and expanded in 1972, the island itself is rightly called
                                                                                                                                                                    an open-air museum. Originating from different eras of the ancient world, the numerous antiquities and the island alike are protected,
                                                                                                                                                                                       managed and preserved by the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades.
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