Delos

Delos , island, c.1 sq mi (2.6 sq km), SE Greece, in the Aegean Sea, smallest of the Cyclades . In Greek mythology, Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis on Delos; and the island was particularly sacred to Apollo. Delos was of great commercial and political importance in antiquity. The temple of Apollo there was the seat of the treasury of the Delian League until it was removed (454 BC) to Athens. In the 2d cent. BC Delos had a flourishing slave market which continued to thrive even after a slave rebellion c.130 BC In 88 BC the island was sacked by Mithradates VI of Pontus; it never recovered and Delos was abandoned toward the end of the 1st cent. BC It is virtually uninhabited, but attracts many tourists. Excavations conducted since the 1870s by the French School (Athens) have revealed remains of temples, commercial buildings, theaters, private houses, and numerous inscriptions.

Delos a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea, regarded as the centre of the Cyclades. In classical times it was considered to be sacred to Apollo, and according to legend was the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis.