Archaeological Museum of Delos
Marble treasures of a sacred isle, from crouching archaic lions to fragments of a colossal Apollo.
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About this audio guide
This guide to the Archaeological Museum of Delos, near Mykonos, opens with a question nobody can fully answer: how many marble lions once guarded this sacred island, since estimates run from nine to nineteen. It traces the row of crouching lions Naxian sculptors carved shortly before 600 BCE to face the Sacred Lake, and the losses that followed, including one lion the Venetians carried off in 1716 to stand outside their Arsenal, where it remains today. You'll hear how conservators in 1999 wrapped the fragile survivors in foil, plaster and silicone before deciding what to do with them. Look closely at the lions filling this room.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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