Civilization of Cyclades

The Greek archeologist Christos Tsountas suggested at the end of the 19th century, after having brought closer various discoveries on many islands, that Cyclades would have been included in a cultural unit with: the cycladic civilization , going back to the Bronze Age. It is famous for its marble idols, found until the Portugal and with the mouth of the the Danube. In the same way, the cemetery of Aghios Kosmas in Attique revealed tombs of the cycladic type containing of the objects cycladic being able to indicate either the presence of a cycladic colony, or a strong proportion of the population of cycladic origin, in any case a cycladic influence some.

Three great periods traditionally are distinguished (equivalent to those which divide Helladique on the continent and the Minoan into Crete):

Cycladique Old I (CA I) (3200 - 2800) known as also Grotta-Pelos Culture;
Old Cycladique II (CA II) (2800 - 2300) known as also Kéros-Syros Culture, often regarded as the apogee of cycladic civilization;
Old Cycladique III (CA III) (2300 - 2000) known as also Phylakopi Culture.

Cycladic civilization

The study of the skeletons found in the burials, with cistus, watch an evolution since the Neolithic era. The osteoporosis moves back even if the dental and arthritic affections remain present. The life expectancy progressed: one notes the maximum ones of forty at forty-five years for the men, but only thirty years for the women. The sexual division of work remained the same one as that noted with the Old Neolithic era: with the women small house works and agricultural, with the men largest work and the “craft industry”. Wood was more abundant whereas today, allowing the construction of the frames and the ships, rather single fact in their history. The ceramics found in various sites cycladic (Phylakopi on Milos, Aghia Irini on Kéa and Akrotiri on Santorin) proves the existence of trade route energy of continental Greece in Crete while passing by Cyclades, mainly Cyclades of the west until Cycladique Récent. Vases produced on the continent or in Crete and imported in the islands were found at the time of excavations on these three sites.
It is known that there were specialized craftsmen: founders, blacksmiths, potters and sculptors, but it is impossible to say if they lived of their work. Commercial exchanges existed then between Troade and Cyclades.
These tools were used to work the marble, especially originating in Naxos and Paros, either for the famous cycladic idols, or for the marble vases. It does not seem that the marble was then exploited in mines, like nowadays: it would have been in great quantity with flower of ground. The habitats are little known: the dry stone-built houses disappeared. For the end of the period, one found rectangular houses, with one or two parts, with walls out of stones and clay. In the tombs, vases in pottery and marble, as well as marble statuettes, generally in the shape of “violin”, were found. The pottery was then made with the hand (the turn was hardly known). The cylindrical box ( pyxis ) was the principal shape of pottery.

Kéros-Syros culture

The Kéros-Syros period is often regarded as the apogee of cycladic civilization. It draws its name from Small Cyclade, deserted today, Kéros, in the south of Naxos and of the island of Syros. She also is best known, partly thanks to the abundance of the objects discovered in the tombs. The habitats larger, reaching the size of a current village cycladic, organized better, even planned and were built better. They were located at the seaside. The inhabitants of the islands drew part of their food from it, but they were also tradesmen who sailed. The littoral plains offered also drinking water and possibilities of agriculture. However, one knows some sites strengthened on heights (Kastri on Syros, Panormos on Naxos or the top of the “mount” Kynthos on Délos) but of the houses were built sometimes out of the ramparts. The metallurgy was very widespread. Pottery and sculpture were very developed and inspired the close cultures. On the other hand, objects found in the tombs different from the previous period. The famous cycladic idols were generally found in these tombs, but not exclusively. Moreover, only a small portion of the tombs contained marble idols. The funerary offerings were varied: cycladic statuettes, but also of the vases of marble, money or bronze jewels, toilet articles, tubes containing of the pigments. On Amorgos, at the end of the period, weapons made their appearance in the burials.

The cycladic gods Kéros-Syros are regarded as the “canonical” type whose conventions evolved/moved little in five centuries. There are however exceptions: the player of quadrant, the groups and some male figures. The canonical type were: a stylized and geometrical female figure, arms folded up on the belly, right under the left. Many assumptions were made as for their significance: headstock (but one did not find any in tombs of child), substitute of wife for nonmarried men, object of worship, mark social status,… No assumption still could be definitively isolated or validated.

Phylakopi culture

The culture draws its name from the oldest levels of the town of Phylakopi on Milos, one says sometimes also Phylakopi I. It constitutes the last phase of the cycladic culture (of Cycladique Ancien, contemporary of the periods of Old Bronze in general) but is already also very near and chronologically and culturally to what one knows of Average Bronze on the continent and in Crète.
The habitats gathered then in agglomerations relatively important and organized well, as on Milos, where Phylakopi was practically the only habitat, of almost urban type. The tombs with cistuses remained majority, even if one can note the appearance of tombs cut directly in the rock

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