In southeastern Europe, at the center of the Aegean Sea, lies a group of island called the Cyclades.
They got this name during the Archaic period of Ancient Greece.
Cyclades is derived from the greek word kyklos or cycle in english, as they form a circle around the sacred island of Delos,
the place where the gods Apollo and Artemis were born.
It was on this group of islands that in the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age period, the Cycladic civilization was born.
The first traces of human activity in the region date to the 8th millenium B.C.
Sharp tools and weapons made of obsidian, a black volcanic rock were found in mainland Greece, the Aegean islands and Asia Minor.
The obsidian that was discovered originated from the island of Milos. It seems that people visited the island to extract the volcanic glass
although the island itself was not inhabited, as no permanent settlements of that period have been found.
The first permanent settlement in the Cyclades was founded in Saliagos, a tiny island between Paros and Antiparos.
During the Neolithic period, the sea level was at least 6 meters lower in the Aegean so Saliagos was probably connected to both Paros and Antiparos.
The settlement dates back to 5000 B.C. and was a center for the processing and distribution of obsidian.
The houses were made of stone and a wall was built around the settlement.
This is where the oldest marble figurine of the Aegean was found. It is known today as the fat lady of Saliagos, and its missing its head and left shoulder.
After Saliagos, many other islands were inhabited aswell, such as Andros, Naxos, Paros and Antiparos to name a few.
The people that arrived and established settlements on these islands were probably both from mainland Greece and Asia Minor.
What we know today as the Cycladic civilization began around 3200 B.C. , during the beginning of the Bronze Age.
It is devided into three periods. The first period starts from 3200 B.C. and ends around 2800 B.C.
By 3200 B.C. all the islands of the Cyclades were inhabited. The findings of this period are scarce compared to the two following ones.
The are traces of both fishing and agricultural small villages.
There is no indication that the society of the period was hierarchical and there is hardly any evidence of walls, meaning that the settlements were quite simple.
It seems that there were trade relations between the inhabitants of the Cyclades and the ones living on nearby shores.
During that period, we see the rise of marble crafting. Lamps, bowls and figurines were carved out of marble in a sophisticated way.
The marble human figurines would become the symbol of the Cycladic civilization and their most famous works of art.
The figurines were found both in houses and in graves. They were rather small in size at the time.
The most prominent type of this period is the so-called violin-shaped figurine which has abstract human characteristics.
Although gradually the figurines would become more and more human-like at the end of that period.
Archeologists have studied how these figurines were crafted.
The islanders would cut a piece of marble which they would later scrub with a pumice stone to make the surface smoother.
Then they would carve and cut the marble with obsidian tools or other sharp instruments to give the figurines their final shape.
Around 3500 B.C. as the Neolithic period was ending, metals were introduced to the islands and the Cycladians would slowly start
to be involved in metalworking, mainly copper at that time.
The second Cycladic period began around 2800 B.C. and ended in 2300 B.C.
This period is considered to be the peak of the Cycladic civilization.
The islanders slowly abandoned their villages and started gathering in larger settlements.
These small towns were sometimes built on the shoreline to control trade routes or were built further inland upon hills
for protection from the strong winds and to supervise farming lands.
Some of them were surrounded by walls while others were not.
The islanders expanded their trade network and enhanced it.
By that time they had become experts in metalwork and crafted many bronze tools and weapons which they traded with the Greek Mainland,
Crete, the Northeastern Aegean islands and Asia Minor.
Nearly all of the bronze weapons found in Crete dating from this period were made in the Cyclades.
They also produced bronze tools for themselves, advancing their agriculture, sailing and artwork.
Along with the metalwork, they also exported pottery and minerals.
With the larger settlements and the introduction of job specialization, we see the forming of a social hierarchy as it is natural
in such a stage of a culture.
This becomes more evident through the findings of tombs which more elaborate than others, suggesting that the buried individual had a high
position in his society.
During the second period there was also a great rise in artifacts,
the most famous of which was the new type of marble figurine that dominated the marble crafting repertoire of the time.
It depicts a human figure, most of the times female, with its arms crossed.
Thousands of these were found all over the Cyclades. Their size varied from 15cm to 1,5m.
Just like the other figurines, they were found in houses and graves.
As researchers discovered, most of these figurines were painted but their colours had wore off by the time they were excavated.
After they finished carving the figurine, the islanders would usually paint the details of the face such as the hair, the eyes and the mouth.
Some of them also had markings on their face or their body.
The colours varied, but the most prominent were red and blue.
Another very interesting find of the period is a specific type of clay vase known today as frying pan.
These clay vases got this name because they resemble frying pans but were not used as such as no trace of fire has been found.
What is interesting about these clay artifacts is the drawings and shapes carved on them.
Some depict ships and boats while others depict the sun or the stars.
There are many theories about their use.
Some archaeologists suggest that there were mirrors because if you fill one side of the clay vase with water, it reflects a clear image thanks to the
material of the object.
Others say that they were vessels for jewelry while there are some who suggest that they were instruments for the navigation of the sea.
The most important discovery of this period was made on the island of Keros.
There, archaeologists Colin Renfrew and Christos Doumas found thousands of broken marble figurines and vessels.
What is interesting is that none of these broken objects matched one another.
After some research, they found many of their missing parts on different islands in the Cyclades.
This suggests that these objects were deliberately broken on other islands and then parts of them were brought to the island of Keros.
Nearby the area where they found the broken figurines and objects is an island called Daskalio.
Since the sea level was lower in those times, this island was actually connected to Keros.
There they excavated a great settlement which seems to be the largest of its time in the Cyclades.
The houses which were made out of marble were connected through narrow roads and walls were built around the town.
A stairway entrance was built right in front of the settlement.
The construction of the settlement required good organizing and hard work.
Transferring large quantities of marble from other islands and building this settlement was an enormous feat as in those days the boats were
relatively small and without sails.
It seems that Keros was of great importance for the Cycladic culture and as archaeologists suggest, the settlement was primarily a religious center
among other things.
This would explain the mystery of the broken figurines and vessels which were shattered and brought to the settlement.
If it was indeed a religious center than this site would be considered the oldest known maritime sanctuary in the world as it was only
accessible by boat.
Another interesting fact about the settlement is that underneath the buildings there was a complex plumbing system of water conduits
one of the oldest in Europe.
Aside from a religious center it seems that Daskalio was also a great center of metalworking especially for bronze crafting.
The third and last period of the early Cycladic culture begins at 2300 B.C and ends in 2000 B.C.
During that time, many towns were abandoned, the few that remained were expanded and had heavily fortified walls built around them.
These would be considered as the first proto-urban settlements of the Cyclades.
The trade network started shrinking and overall activity was reduced in the Cyclades.
This also happened in many neighbouring regions, as there was a widespread phenomenon of instability and unrest all over the Aegean.
Archaeologists suggest a number of reasons for this unrest.
Firstly, the continuous production of bronze weapons made them accessible to more and more people who becoming more powerful
waged wars, mostly to acquire tin and copper, the necessary materials to make bronze weapons and tools.
Secondly, pirate attacks were becoming much more frequent.
Another problem was overpopulation due to better farming technologies and the fact that more and more people were piling up in the urban centers
which led to problems later on.
The cycladic production of marble figurines continued but slowly started to decline until it vanished by the end of the millenium.
Architecture in the Cyclades however was becoming more sophisticated and advanced.
Findings of different clay vases and other various objects along with new burial practices suggest the arrival of new inhabitants in the Cyclades
most probably from Asia Minor.
At the end of the third period, it seems that the tension de-escalated and the Cycladic settlements on the shores developed into important trade
city ports.
The end of the 3rd millenium B.C. marks the end of the early Cycladic culture.
The influence of the Minoans of Crete spread all around the Cyclades as is evident in the architecture, the artwork and the way of life of the
inhabitants.
Eventually the Minoans themselves established settlements on the Cyclades and in time the early Cycladic culture passed into history.
We have analyzed the timeline and the periods of the Cycladic culture but I would like to talk more about the everyday life of these people.
Surely, there are differences throughout the years as we are talking about a period of 1300 years
but there are many common traits of the islanders which seem to remain constant throughout this period.
First we must talk about the Cycladic islands.
Each island has its own microclimate but alltogether the Cyclades have mild, moderately rainy winters and warm dry summers.
Being in the middle of the Aegean sea, the winds are most of the times strong, so much so that the early settlements
were built in a certain way to be protected by them.
Each island is unique and offered different opportunities for the inhabitants.
Some large islands like Naxos provided wood for houses and boats because of its forests which were exceptionally large in ancient times.
Other islands like Milos provided volcanic materials used for tools and weapons like the obsidian.
The sources of food in the region were agriculture, fishing, livestock and hunting.
The most prominent of them was fishing, as only the biggest islands provided large fertile lands for agriculture.
Their sea diet consisted mainly of tuna and shellfish.
As for the agricultural products, they cultivated barley and wheat along with olives and grapes which were introduced during the second
early Cycladic period.
Their livestock consisted mostly of goats but sometimes they also had sheep or pigs.
While hunting was rare, those who lived further inland did occasionally hunt deer and wild boar.
Regarding the settlements, depending on the region the houses were made of stone or clay.
Most of them were one story high with two rooms
but there were also many two story buildings that used the lower floor for cooking and the upper one for sleeping.
It seems that the inhabitants of the Cyclades dressed quite elaborately for the time.
No clothes or depictions of clothes have survived but there are many findings of brooches.
There are also many findings of jewelry made from semiprecious stones and other materials.
Among these objects, hair tweezers and razors have also been found.
There is a theory which supports that the inhabitants of the Cyclades practiced tattooing or body painting.
This theory is supported by the tattoo-like marking found on certain marble figurines but it remains just a theory.
The islanders were hardened sea people, their boats had oars on both sides and probably required 25 men each.
It is evident that sails were not used at least until 2300 B.C.
This, along with the strong winds in the region, especially during the winter months made sea travel, very difficult.
The most known artifact of the Cycladians are the figurines and although we explained what they were made of,
how they were carved and how they changed shapes overtime, we dont know what purpose they served.
Many theories have been suggested.
Some historians believe that since the majority of the figurines had prominent female characteristics, they were representations of the
Mother Goddess, a deity that other neighbouring civilizations were worshipping at that time.
Others say that these figurines were reflections of the inhabitants of the Cyclades and that they were not religious objects.
Both of these theories could be true, as we find that these figurines were made in different shapes and appearances throughout the span of the
Cycladic culture.
Moreover, there could be different types of figurines on different islands during the same period.
Some of these seem to represent the people at a feast, like this figurine raising a cup, and these playing music.
While others that were found inside tombs or on the island of Keros seem to have more of a religious significance.
These two figurines also give us the only evidence of the musical instruments of the Cycladic people.
These instruments appear to be the double pipe and the harp, both of which were also used in ancient Greek and Roman times.
The tradition of marble carved figurines was one that held one for hundreds of years in the Cycladic culture
and is surely the most distinct characteristic of the islanders and what made their civilization famous around the world.