Cyclades

The Cyclades (; Greek: Κυκλάδες, romanized: Kykládes, IPA: [ciˈkla.ðes]) is an archipelago in the Aegean Sea, southeast of the Greek mainland and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. The archipelago is one of Greece's island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. One of the group's constituent islands Delos is significant and was sacred to Ancient Greek religion, thus the islands surrounding (κyκλόω, kyklóō cognate to cycle) it take after it (Κυκλάδες νήσοι, Kykládes nísoi, 'surrounding islands').

The largest island of the Cyclades is Naxos; the most populated, however, is Syros.

History

The significant Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Cycladic culture is best known for its schematic, flat sculptures carved out of the islands' pure white marble centuries before the great Middle Bronze Age Minoan civilization arose in Crete to the south. These figures have been looted from burials to satisfy a thriving Cycladic antiquities market since the early 20th century.

A distinctive Neolithic culture amalgamating Anatolian and mainland Greek elements arose in the western Aegean before 4000 BCE, based on emmer and wild-type barley, sheep and goats, pigs, and tuna that were apparently speared from small boats (Rutter). Excavated sites include Chalandriani, Phylakopi, Skarkos, Saliagos and Kephala (on Kea) with signs of copper working. Each of the small Cycladic islands could support no more than a few thousand people, though Late Cycladic boat models show that fifty oarsmen could be assembled from the scattered communities (Rutter). When the highly organized palace-culture of Crete arose, the islands faded into insignificance, with the exception of Delos, which retained its archaic reputation as a sanctuary throughout antiquity and until the emergence of Christianity.