[THREAD] Paros might be best known for its marble, but the island boasts some great archaeological sites, too! Perched above the modern port, the Delion sanctuary of Apollo & Artemis is one of the most picturesque & under-appreciated!

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#greece #archaeology #travel

2/9 The Delion occupied a small rocky hill 2.5km north of the ancient polis of Paros, which offered amazing views of the Cyclades. Standing there at sunset today, you can still see Siros, Kithnos, Serifos, Sifnos, Mykonos, Naxos, & most importantly Delos! – bei Delion

3/9 The earliest cult activity dates to the 8th century, but the sanctuary received a facelift around 480, with the construction of a small marble Doric temple, a built altar, a dining room, and a peribolos wall, all squeezed into a tiny footprint on the hilltop! – bei Delion

4/9 The deep foundations of the temple are still visible, and the rest of the architecture is scattered around the site, some organized in piles by the excavators and others built into the modern field boundaries that ring the Kynthos hill! – bei Delion

5/9 Even though it’s small (5.8x9.3m), the prostyle temple was very carefully built and exhibits some very cool architectural features (clamp alert). It employs different stones for different elements, including absolutely immense schist blocks that were carefully cut and fitted. – bei Delion

6/9 Being that we’re on Paros, even though local geology is schist, the temple’s superstructure made use of the finest marble on the island (check out this triglyph!), and it was also decorated with marble gutters, lion headed spouts, and sphinx acroteria! – bei Delion

7/9 Incredibly, we even have the cult statue from the temple, now reconstructed and on display in the museum! A monumental depiction of the goddess Artemis in local marble, the statue stands on a high base and is very columnar and static. – bei Delion

8/9 The surface of the Delion is still littered with votive offerings, stretching into the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Some of the best examples can are on display in the museum, including this great aryballos in the form of a foot & this small 4th c. statuette of Artemis. – bei Delion

9/9 The Delion is so fully ruined that the excavators believe it was deliberately demolished. You can visit the museum or read Schuller’s 1991 “Der Artemistempel im Delion auf Paros” to learn more!

In the meantime, I strongly suggest an autumnal sunset visit to the sanctuary! – bei Delion