Although close to Athens, Kythnos remains one of the lesser-known islands of the Cyclades. Its capital, today called Vryokastro, has a rich ancient history from the 12th century BC to the 7th century AD. Land and underwater fieldwork have brought to light four sanctuaries, each dedicated to different deities. One of these was unplundered, a unique finding that greatly advances our knowledge about the use of ancient Greek temples from the Archaic period to the Roman era.

This public lecture presents this exceptional discovery, as well as Vyrokastro’s other temples, its settlement on the acropolis, the Hellenistic ‘prytaneion’, a proto-Byzantine basilica church, and the city’s harbour installations, to celebrate what has been called ‘the best Greek island you have never heard of’.