Page 53 - MYCONIAN COLLECTION MAG 2021

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“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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