During antiquity, Tinos was known as Ophiussa (ophis = snake in ancient greek) because the island was full of snakes. Another name attributed to Tinos was Hydroessa (hydor = water in ancient greek) due to plentiful water. According to mythology, Poseidon, the god of the sea, chased the snakes away from the island and since then became its protector. The sanctuary of Poseidon (and his wife Amphitrite) at Kionia was a very important site of worship in ancient Greece. Furthermore, Tinos was the only Cycladic island that had a sanctuary dedicated exclusively to Poseidon.
Before its
foundation, another sanctuary existed in the area. The famous temple of
Poseidon and Amphitrite was founded in the middle of 4th century BC.
This Doric temple-worth seeing according to Strabo- with local building
materials such as the tinian marble of different colours was the main building.
The excavations revealed the remains of the temple but also the drinking
fountain, the mosaics, the statues and the Andronicus solar-clock.
At the sanctuary, festivals were organized in honor of
Poseidon, the Poseidia or Poseidonia during January-February. Furthermore, the
sanctuary had a healing fame as Poseidon and Amphitrite were worshiped for
their curative powers. Women who couldn’t conceive went to the sanctuary to
pray and honor Amphitrite. At the temple, priests also performed operations on
the patients. Another interesting fact that shows the importance of the
location is that travelers used to pray to Poseidon in Tinos before they arrive
to the sacred island of Delos, the final destination of their pilgrimage.
