and that's how they came to be called the "cyclades." at its peak, delos was the banking center of the aegean, crowded with merchants alongside the many temples. the ancients traveled here to the sanctuary to make sacrificial offerings to appease the gods. there were 3 temples dedicated to apollo, the great sun god, and one to artemis, the goddess of the hunt. the theater once held 5,500 people. you can roam the ruins of several private houses, including the house of trident, which contains a wonderful mosaic from the 2nd century b.c. the beautifully restored house of dionysus holds a mosaic of the god of wine riding a leopard. the houses drew their water from this nearby arched reservoir. the terrace of lions is one of the most photographed sites in greece. the 5 lions, silently roaring, ready to pounce, were carved of marble from naxos in about 600 b.c. the lions guarded the most sacred part of the island, the place where the sun god was born. this palm tree marks the traditional spot of apollo's birth. legend holds that leto, one of z