Important archaeological findings were highlighted by this year’s excavation on the islet of Despotikos.

As his announcement informs Ministry of Foreign Affairsincluding came to light headless male torso of the strict rhythm that technically refers to the child of Kritius and can be dated instantly after 480 BC, a work of exceptional quality in Parian marble with a smooth and glossy skin. Also, parts of archaic quorums were found embedded as building material.

The systematic excavation at Mantraon the islet of Despotikos, where carried out since 2001 by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades under the direction of Yannos Kouraios, continued again this year for seven weeks from May 22 to July 14, 2023enriching the existing data on the topography of the site and its history from the Early Iron Age to Late Antiquity.

According to the same announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of 2020 one is being excavated complex water collection and management system at the foot of the hill south of the sanctuary. Among other things, two large tanks were explored, while the excavation works added another building to the topography of the site, consisting of four rooms, two each in a N-S direction. The pottery collected from the rooms dates to about the middle of the 6th century BC.

The most important finds of this year’s excavation season came from the continuation of the investigation of the large archaic structure that had been identified in 2019 not far from the port (conventionally Building OH). It is defined by two walls (T1 and T3). Most probably the construction had a fortification character – possibly a propylon with an enclosure.

THE T1 it has an E-W direction, a total length of 8.5m and a width of 0.60-0.70m. It is made of large slates and preserves three to four rows of buildings, with a total height of up to one meter. Strong collapse occupies its southern and eastern part. During the investigation of this collapse came to light a headless male torso of the austere rhythm that stylistically refers to the child of Kritius and can be dated immediately after 480 BC. It is a work of exceptional quality in Parian marble with a smooth and glossy skin.

THE T2 it has a total length of 26.30 m and a thickness of 0.66 m and must have been an addition to the archaic construction in a later period, perhaps during Late Antiquity, when extensive interventions were also made in the buildings of the core of the sanctuary, which until then had ceased to work. The investigation of T2 held many “surprises”, since in various parts of the wall parts of archaic quorums were found embedded in secondary use as building material.

As the announcement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs points out, the concentration of a large number of sculptures and bases in this area perhaps suggests that this was also their original location, which makes it reasonable to assume that the sculptures and columns would have been placed in a prominent position near the propylon, through which the entrance to the sanctuary and the temple of the god would have been made. These brilliant dedications to the god Apollo, after the sanctuary ceased to function, would be a useful and durable building material for the later buildings. After all, this kind of “recycling” is witnessed in other buildings of the sanctuary, in which dozens of fragments of statues have been found embedded in second-hand use, adds the announcement.

Finally, regarding the restoration, as early as 2022, after permission from the Central Archaeological Council, the restoration of Building D, which occupies the NE corner of the mosque, had begun and it had a religious character as evidenced by the marble altar that had been found in front of it and its carved buildings. It is a four-pillar prostyle building with a two-part floor plan, consisting of a vestibule and a nave, measuring 9.40 AD. 12.50 p.m.

This building was very damaged as the shepherd’s cheese factory was founded on it which keeps its mantra in place to this day. Building D dates to the third quarter of the 6th century. e.g. After completing the gneiss plinth and pilaster, the threshold and its pilasters were placed, the bases and parts of the spines were restored from ancient and new material, as well as the facade of the building from marble structures. Finally, the NW corner of the foundation was restored in order to place the masonry of marble structures worked with a thick needle.