The first excavation took place in 1772 in Delos and was carried out by Pasch van Krienen, a Holland-Prussian officer of the Russian occupation army. The findings ended up in Saint Petersburg and Bucharest. Systematic excavations carried out by J. Lebègue, a member of the French School of Archaeology in Athens, and Panagiotis Stamatakis, an employee of the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs and Public Education, began in 1873. The French School of Archaeology in Athens continued the excavations under the supervision of an employee of the Ministry. The sanctuaries and part of the ancient city, the biggest part of which is still under an approximately 2m high protective layer of soil, were discovered during the first decades of the 20th century. The Greek Archaeological Service and the French School of Archaeology still carry out excavations, on a much smaller scale though, as the Archaeological Service is now primarily focused on the protection, maintenance, and showcasing of the monuments already discovered. However, the already excavated section is probably the largest archaeological site in the world and offers a clear and unique image of the sanctuary and the ancient city to the visitor.
Dilos Excavations
