Harbor and Marketplace at Delos During the Hellenistic period, the tiny island of Delos in the Aegean became a thriving trading center, with a paved marketplace filled with shops and stands, as well as temples paid for by merchants and ship captains. From Delos cargoes were shipped to virtually every part of the Mediterranean. Liquids such as wine and oil were generally shipped in amphoras (inset) made of baked clay. Amphoras were easy and cheap to make and surprisingly durable. (harbor: age fotostock/SuperStock; amphora: Alexis Rosenfeld/Photo Researchers, Inc.)