Echoes of sacred past unearthed on Despotiko

The recent excavation of the sanctuary at Despotiko, an uninhabited islet lying just 700 meters southwest of Antiparos (itself just southwest of Paros), some 28 nautical miles south of Delos, has yielded the water collection system, a small temple-shaped structure, pottery and a seated archaic statue depicting Cybele, among other artifacts.

Archaeologists are seeking to shed light on the nature, scale and function of this sacred island in antiquity, which is also dubbed the “other Delos.”

Yannos Kouragios, the director of excavations at the site, told Kathimerini that the findings corroborate the Parians’ dominance in the Aegean at the time. “Such a well-organized sanctuary confirms that Paros had the power and money to ensure its dominance in the Aegean in the 6th century BC,” he said.