Despotiko, a small uninhabited islet off Antiparos in the Aegean, has yielded significant finds dating back to the 6th century BC. These shed new light on the size and organization of an Archaic sanctuary situated there. Archeologists first started excavating the site in 1997, under the supervision of Yiannos Kouragios. Recent work between May and July provided detailed insight into the organization of the sanctuary with traces of religious worship to the cult of the god Apollo that date as far back as the 8th and 9th century BC.

13 buildings have been unearthed over the years, but the latest excavations showed a “complex and ornate facade” of a building measuring 25 meters by 15 meters.

There are indications that the site of the sanctuary was extended and rebuilt several times during the Classical and Hellenistic periods.Amongst the new discoveries is a large building of four rooms on the west section. A large stone altar was found in one of the rooms as well as pottery fragments bearing inscriptions with the name of Apollo.

A long wall runs from the islet’s ancient port to the site of the sanctuary that experts surmise is a fortification.