SIPHANTO, Sipheno, or Siphno (ancient Greek Σίϕvoς ), an island of the Greek Archipelago, in the nomarchy of the Cyclades, 30 miles south-west of Syra. It has an area of 28 square miles, and the population in 1879 was 5762. A ridge of limestone hills—whose principal summits, Mount Elias and St Simeon, are crowned by old Byzantine churches—runs through the island; for about 2 miles along the western slope stretches a series of villages, each white-washed house with its own garden and orchard. Apollonia, one of the five (so called because built on the site of a temple to Apollo), is the modern capital; formerly this rank belonged to Kastro (also called Seraglio), an “old-world Italian town” with mediaeval castle and fortifications, and an old town-hall bearing date 1365. Inscriptions found on the spot show that Kastro stands on the site of the ancient city of Siphnos; and Mr Bent identifies the other ancient town of Minoa (see Stephanos) with the place on the coast where a Hellenic white marble tower is distinguished as the Pharos or lighthouse and another as the tower of St John. Churches and convents of Byzantine architecture are scattered about the island. One building of this class is especially interesting—the school of the Holy Tomb or school of Siphnos, founded by Greek refugees from Byzantium at the time of the iconoclastic persecutions, and afterwards a great centre of intellectual culture for the Hellenic world. The endowments of the school are now made over to the gymnasium of Syra. In ancient times Siphnos was famous for its gold and silver mines, the site of which is still easily recognized by the excavations and refuse-heaps. A French company has started mining operations at Kamara. As in antiquity so now the potters of the island are known ...