Where two worlds collide

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LOVELY LIONS: Only a few of the 17 lions that once graced a terrace on Delos remain today. The others have been stolen or have fallen victim to years of harsh weather.

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LOOKING BACK: The size of the ancient city of Delos can be seen from the top of the hill overlooking the ruins. It stretched over a huge area and in its heyday was home to 30,000 people.

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They are just a few kilometres apart geographically but, as BRENDA WEBB discovers, the Greek islands of Mykonos and Delos are worlds apart.

One is a crowded and glamorous party island for the rich and famous the other an uninhabited sacred island, the mythical birthplace of Apollo and Artemis.

A short distance across the water from each other, the Cyclade islands of Mykonos and Delos could not be more different if they tried.

Mykonos is the holiday hot spot of the Aegean, with glitzy beach bars pumping out music day and night, designer boutiques that cater for the wealthy, and pricey restaurants and bars.

Oiled, tanned and toned bodies line the golden beaches, while sleek superyachts anchor in the turquoise waters.

An overhead buzz of helicopters and the roar of private jets lets you know that the global recession hasn't quite reached Mykonos' shores yet.

Wandering along its labyrinth of whitewashed streets is a relentless parade of beautiful people, some here to see and others to be seen. Plenty of posing goes on here.

In contrast, tranquil Delos is hauntingly quiet. The only times it gets vaguely busy is when day-tripper boats bring tourists across from Mykonos to visit the ancient site.

Ironically, several thousand years ago, Delos was as bustling as Mykonos is today, and it also attracted the rich and famous of its era.

In Hellenistic times, Delos was at the height of its power and was one of the political and religious centres of the ancient world.

Situated in the centre of the Cyclades, it was the Aegean's busiest city, a bustling port and a place wealthy bankers and merchants flocked to.

Delos also had a lucrative slave market, where up to 10,000 slaves were traded each day. Today, only ruins remain and the city has become one of the most important archeological sites in Greece.

With its crumbling amphitheatre, sacred lake, weather-beaten marble statues and well-preserved mosaics, Delos provides a wonderful glimpse into a past age and is the perfect excuse to escape the excesses of Mykonos for a few hours.

It is easily accessible by water taxi, ferry or private yacht, and day-tripper boats run regular excursions from Mykonos.

In ancient times Delos was home to 30,000 people and was a flourishing centre of commerce and shipping.

Many inhabitants were wealthy and built lavish multistoreyed homes and great temples to their gods.

In the crumbling residential quarter, one can see how the wealthy displayed their success, with magnificent marble statues and large courtyards decorated with intricate mosaics.

Delos was first inhabited in the third millennium BC and its population soon swelled as the value of its strategic position in the centre of the Aegean was realised. In 543BC, the island was "purified" by Athenian statesman Peristratos, and afterwards was not able to be defiled by birth or death. The dying and childbearing women were whisked off to nearby Rinia.

By 200BC, the first Romans had come to Delos, and while the Greeks remained, the power soon shifted to Rome, and by 80BC it began its slow decline.

In the first centuries AD, trade routes shifted, Delos was finished, and by the third century AD, there was only a small Christian settlement on the former thriving island.

In the following years, looters raided the island, stealing antiquities, while blocks were taken for buildings on nearby Mykonos.

The island became a pirate lair during the Ottoman period, and it was not until early this century that its value was realised and it became a significant archeological site, unearthing some magnificent pieces.

The museum at Delos contains an absorbing collection, including mosaics, marble statues, tools, jewellery and cooking implements.

Naxians from the nearby island of Naxos donated many of the marble statues, shrines and temples on Delos.

One 10-metre statue of Apollo that never quite made it to Delos still lies in a marble quarry at Apollonas, in the north of Naxos.

Delos is an astonishing place to spend a few hours wandering through the ruins and imagining it as a thriving city in past times.

For a taste of a modern, pulsating Greek island, Mykonos is just across the water, and it is where many people head after a day exploring Delos.

- The Marlborough Express