Harp player, example of Cycladic art, at the National Archeological Museum, Athens
The significant Late Neolithic and Early Bronze AgeCycladic culture is best known for its schematic, flat sculptures carved out of the islands' pure white marble centuries before the great MiddleBronze AgeMinoan 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 onemmer and wild-type barley, sheep and goats, pigs, and tuna that were apparently speared from small boats (Rutter). Excavated sites includeChalandriani,Phylakopi,Skarkos,Saliagos and Kephala (onKea) with signs of copperworking, 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), and 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 asanctuary throughout antiquity and until the emergence of Christianity.
The first archaeological excavations of the 1880s, undertaken by antiquaries such asTheodore Bent atAntiparos in early 1884,[1] were followed by systematic work by theBritish School at Athens and byChristos Tsountas, who investigated burial sites on several islands in 1898–1899 and coined the term "Cycladic civilization". Interest lagged, and then picked up in the mid-20th century, as collectors competed for the modern-looking figures that seemed so similar to sculpture byJean Arp orConstantin Brâncuși. Sites were looted and a brisk trade in forgeries arose. The context for many of theseCycladic figurines has been mostly destroyed and their meaning may never be completely understood.
In recent decades the Cyclades have become popular with European and other tourists, and as a result there have been problems witherosion, pollution, and water shortages.
Ermoupoli on Syros is the chief town and administrative center of the former prefecture.
The islands are peaks of a submerged mountainous terrain, with the exception of twovolcanic islands, Milos and Santorini. The climate is generally dry and mild, but with the exception of Naxos, the soil is not very fertile; agricultural produce includes wine, fruit, wheat,olive oil, and tobacco. Lower temperatures are registered in higher elevations and these areas do not usually see wintry weather.
The Cyclades are bounded to the south by theSea of Crete.[3]
^Saundry, Peter; Hogan, C. Michael; Baum, Steve (2011)."Sea of Crete". In Pidwirny, M.; Cleveland, C. J. (eds.).Encyclopedia of Earth. Washington DC: National Council for Science and Environment.
