Sifnos is an island with 6000 years of history
Here there was the oldest silver mine in the world (4000 BC) as well as gold mines which made Sifnos one of the richest places in ancient world. Half of the findings dated from the Bronze Age all over Greece were from Sifnos metals. The best time for Sifnos was around the 6th century BC. Back at that time there were 4 acropolis on the island, 3 cities and thousands of people working in the mines. Sifnians used to divide the annual golden production among them and send the ten per cent of it as a golden egg, to Delphi, to the honour of the god Apollon. They had also built a small temple there using white marble from Paros and lady-statues more than (Karyatides) 100 years before Athenians used such statues in Erehthio, Acropolis! Remains of that temple are still in Delphi under the name "thesaurus of Sifnians".
To protect their mines and Sifnos itself, Sifnians built 4 ancient acropolis and 76 ancient towers (this is how many we have found) more than in any other place in Greece and they used to send messages around the island, to other islands even to Peloponnesus in mainland when the weather was good, warning about enemies and other threats. These towers were two-floor, round stone buildings built between the 6th and the 3rd century BC.
Now every year the day before the Holy Spirit Day (50 days after Easter) many volunteers go to the remains of these towers and acropolises and they use red smoke trying to bring this ancient communication system "back to life" for a few minutes. Some of the towers are easy to visit while some others need a bit of walking and an exploring mood to be found.
Excavations have been done in one of the acropolises of Sifnos, at the top of "Saint Andrews hill" and now visitors can see the remains of houses, workshops, the temple, double walls around and try to imagine life back in 13th century BC when there where hundreds of people up there.
A new museum with findings of these excavations is now open, up the hill, very close to the acropolis.
