DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4593#0377
346 THE ISLES AND SHRINES OF GREECE
tal works of art. There are twenty-five islands of the
Aigean belonging to Greece, some of them barren
and uninhabited, others fruitful and populous. Geo-
graphically the centre of the group is Syros or Syra,
with its spacious harbor round which is built pros-
perous Hcrmopolis. While other islands are living
on their antiquity, Syra is one of the most active and
thriving ports in Greece.
But on this island trip we were not looking for the
largest jewels on the chain. We were seeking the
real gem of the Cyclades. It is an island so small
that on a Baedeker map it is only large enough to be
visible. It has no commerce and literally no popula-
tion. Few make pilgrimages to this island to-day;
but what throngs came here once to worship ! And
what money, time, labor and skill were needed to
rear the temples, halls and treasure-houses, and to
chisel the statues which glorified Delos, the holy
island of Greece! The entire island was a shrine
hallowed as the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis.
Here the worship of Apollo was observed with great
fervor, — not as a local cult, but as the chief shrine
of thousands of Ionian worshippers. Nowhere save at
Olympia have I been so impressed with the number of
buildings devoted to the service of the gods. Here
was the great temple of Apollo, the famous Horn
Altar to the same god, the Hall of the Bulls, the
temple of Leto, the temple of Artemis, and one
devoted to the worship of Egyptian divinities. An
imposing colonnade surrounded the agora, and among
the host of statues was the great one dedicated to
Apollo, whose colossal base still stands bearing a
legible inscription: " From the same stone am I and
tal works of art. There are twenty-five islands of the
Aigean belonging to Greece, some of them barren
and uninhabited, others fruitful and populous. Geo-
graphically the centre of the group is Syros or Syra,
with its spacious harbor round which is built pros-
perous Hcrmopolis. While other islands are living
on their antiquity, Syra is one of the most active and
thriving ports in Greece.
But on this island trip we were not looking for the
largest jewels on the chain. We were seeking the
real gem of the Cyclades. It is an island so small
that on a Baedeker map it is only large enough to be
visible. It has no commerce and literally no popula-
tion. Few make pilgrimages to this island to-day;
but what throngs came here once to worship ! And
what money, time, labor and skill were needed to
rear the temples, halls and treasure-houses, and to
chisel the statues which glorified Delos, the holy
island of Greece! The entire island was a shrine
hallowed as the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis.
Here the worship of Apollo was observed with great
fervor, — not as a local cult, but as the chief shrine
of thousands of Ionian worshippers. Nowhere save at
Olympia have I been so impressed with the number of
buildings devoted to the service of the gods. Here
was the great temple of Apollo, the famous Horn
Altar to the same god, the Hall of the Bulls, the
temple of Leto, the temple of Artemis, and one
devoted to the worship of Egyptian divinities. An
imposing colonnade surrounded the agora, and among
the host of statues was the great one dedicated to
Apollo, whose colossal base still stands bearing a
legible inscription: " From the same stone am I and