GYAROS

Gyaros is a small islet at the center of the Cyclades, nowadays uninhabited. The lack of archaeological research obliges one to rely basically on the available written sources. The island is known for his inhospitability. Thus according to Aristotle on Gyaros the rats eat iron even the iron ore! (XXXX). Later references to Roman times refer to Gyaros as an island inhabited by fishermen (Strabo 10.5.3, Plutarch) but also as a place of exile. An abandoned settlement in the bay of Panagia to the East may be the place of these fishermen. Archaeological proof of cult places are not absent but discrete. An inscription mentions the worship of Aphrodite Μυχία (hidden). It is also possible that Artemis and Perseus were worshipped on the island since they appear on bronze coins minted on Gyaros. A terracotta head of Zeus found on the island may also suggest a cult on the island. A clay figurine of a piglet has sometimes been interpreted as indicative for the presence of a Thesmophorion. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Vlachopoulos, A. (ed.), 2005. Αρχαιολογία. Νησιά του Αιγαίου, Αthina: 220-221.