The Archaeological Sites

The Archaeological Sites

Naxos had important temples dedicated to Apollo, Demeter and Dionysos and several lesser sites sacred to other gods. The temple of Apollo is situated on the islet of Palatia which is connected to the main island by a narrow strip of land. The site was traditionally where Ariadne was abandoned by Theseus and then picked up by Dionysos. Nothing remains of the 6th century BCE Ionic temple today except its foundations and the entrance of the prodromos to the inner cella – the Portara (measuring 6m high and 3.5m wide). Once, however, measuring 59 by 28 metres, the temple would have rivalled any in Greece.

The temple of Demeter was built near the settlement of Ano Sagri in the Archaic period but the site may well have been the focus of worship to the traditional fertility gods Demeter and Kore as early as the 8th century BCE. From 530 BCE a new Ionic temple was built using marble. It is an early example of Classical architecture and one of the first temples to eliminate the second floor of the cella with the consequent increase in height of the inner columns to support the roof.

Dionysos was worshipped on the island from Mycenaean times and the surviving temple of Dionysos is situated near the village of Glinado. It is another example of early Classical temple architecture. The ruins today date from c. 550 BCE but there is evidence that this structure was built on top of three earlier temples, each built over the site of the other. The previous temples were also dedicated to Dionysos and were destroyed by floods from the nearby river Biblinis. The last temple was dismantled by Christians in the 2nd century CE and a church dedicated to St. George was built in its place. Another interesting feature of the site is a 6th century BCE well, one of the few surviving marble-lined examples.