Greek Dhílos Island, Greece. One of the smallest of the Cyclades, it was an ancient centre of religious, political, and commercial life in the Aegean. It was the legendary birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. The Delian League was established there in 478 BC, following the Persian Wars. Made a free port by Rome in 166 BC, Delos was a flourishing commercial post and slave market. Sacked in 88 BC during the Mithradatic Wars, it gradually declined and was abandoned. Its impressive ruins have been extensively excavated