Native name: Ρήνεια | |
|---|---|
 A bay on Rineia | |
  Rineia | |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 37°24′32″N 25°13′44″E / 37.409°N 25.229°E |
| Archipelago | Cyclades |
| Area | 14 km2 (5.4 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 136 m (446 ft) |
| Administration | |
Greece | |
| Region | South Aegean |
| Regional unit | Mykonos |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 (2001) |
| Additional information | |
| Postal code | 846 00 |
| Area code(s) | 22890 |
| Vehicle registration | EM |
Rineia or Rhenea (Ρήνεια), anciently Rheneia (Ancient Greek: Ῥήνεια) or Rhenaia (Ῥηναῖα),[1] or Rhene (Ῥήνη),[2] is a Greek island in the Cyclades. It lies just west of the island of Delos and further southwest of the island of Mykonos, of which it and Delos are administratively a part. Its area is 14 km2 (5 sq mi). It had a small population until the 1980s, but is currently uninhabited.
In ancient times the island was subdued by the tyrant Polycrates of Samos and dedicated to the Delian Apollo. The southern half of the island was the necropolis of Delos.[1] In the sixth year of the Peloponnesian War (426 BCE), the Athenians purified Delos. They removed all the tombs from the island and prohibited any future burials on Delos on religious grounds; they declared it was unlawful henceforth for any living being to be born or die[citation needed] within it, and that every pregnant woman should be carried over to the island of Rheneia in order to deliver.[3][4]
