#despotiko

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Antiparos

Church of Agios Georgios

View of Despotiko island

Photo by Massimo Fantini

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Despotiko

Photo by Christian Parusel

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Despotiko

Photo by Dionisis Margaris

[dogeye]

The milky way hovering above Despotiko island.

St. Giorgio, Antiparos - August 2019.

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Apollo’s other home on Despotiko

After 21 years of excavations on the uninhabited Aegean islet of Despotiko, some 28 nautical miles south of Delos, archaeologists say there is still much more to discover. Meanwhile, work continues to restore columns and other architectural structures on the site which is expected to open to visitors in about two years. “In almost every excavation season this rich sanctuary of Apollo confirms that it was much larger than the famous sanctuary of Delos,” archaeologist Yannos Kourayos.

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Despotiko, a small island in the Cyclades, has drawn the attention of archaeology enthusiasts in recent years, after excavations uncovered a religious site of major significance, dating from the Archaic Period. The site encompasses a large temple dedicated to the Greek god Apollo along with other ceremonial buildings, and is now considered to have been of equal, if not greater, importance to the famous sanctuary of Delos. The excavation project is headed by Yannos Kourayos, a Greek archaeologist with vast experience and rich knowledge of the area.

Yannos Kourayos obtained his first degree in archaeology from the University of Florence in 1976, and a second degree in maintenance of antiquities from the Academy "Lo Sprone" in 1982. Partaking, whilst still a student, in numerous excavations in Italy and Cyclades, he now has thirty-two years of work experience on the island of Paros alone. He has been an archaeologist for the islands of Paros and Despotiko at the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades from 1986 until now. From 2006 to 2010 he worked at the Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities in Voula and Vouliagmeni and he also holds the position of curator at the Archaeological Museum of Paros. He has also published four books on archaeology, among which is Paros - Antiparos - Despotiko, from Prehistory to Modern Times.

Kourayos began his excavation at Despotiko in the summer of 1997 but before him, the first exploration was led by archaeologist Christos Tsountas in the 19th century and another one was conducted by Nikos Zafeiropoulosin 1959. Kourayos discovered in 1997 an extensive archaic shrine devoted to Apollo, thitherto unknown from any written ancient source until then. These excavations in Mandra (Despotiko) have brought to light a vast religious complex devoted to Apollo which was completed in the Late Archaic Period. Religious activities are believed to have been taking place at the same site since the Geometric Period.

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Apollo's Other Home: Despotiko Island Steps Out of Delos' Shadow

When it comes to ancient sanctuary-islands in the Cyclades, there’s a “new sheriff in town” – Despotiko! We usually think first of Delos, with its sanctuary of the divine twins, Apollo and Artemis; but radiating outward from centrally-located Delos were at least 22 other island shrines also dedicated to Apollo, the foremost among which similarly attracted shiploads of reverent visitors, splendid votive objects and exquisitely crafted marble temples.

Despotiko, an uninhabited islet lying just 700 m southwest from Antiparos (itself just southwest of Paros), some 28 nautical miles south of Delos, is now yielding up its long-buried treasures, as archaeologists seek to shed light on the nature, scale and function of this “Other Delos.”

[ancientstuff]

Important finds in the sanctuary of Apollo on Despotiko

Important finds were made during this year’s excavations in the sanctuary of Apollo on the uninhabited island of Despotikon, west of Antiparos.

They found a large number of artefacts, as well as new architecture. Sounds like it was an excellent season.