The Cyclades (; el, Κυκλάδες, ) are an
island group
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arch ...
in the
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi ( Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...
, southeast of mainland Greece and a former administrative
prefecture
A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...
of Greece. They are one of the
island groups which constitute the Aegean
archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arch ...
. The name refers to the islands ''around'' ("cyclic", κυκλάς) the sacred island of
Delos
The island of Delos (; el, Δήλος ; Attic: , Doric: ), near Mykonos, near the centre of the Cyclades archipelago, is one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. The excavations in the island ar ...
. The largest island of the Cyclades is
Naxos, however the most populated 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
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
Minoan civilization
The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age Aegean civilization on the island of Crete and other Aegean Islands, whose earliest beginnings were from 3500BC, with the complex urban civilization beginning around 2000BC, and then declining from 1450 ...
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 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 a sanctuary throughout antiquity and until the emergence of
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
.
Archaeology
The first archaeological excavations of the 1880s were followed by systematic work by the
British School at Athens
, image = Image-Bsa athens library.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, image_upright=
, alt=
, caption = The library of the BSA
, latin_name=
, motto=
, founder = The Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, called the foundation meeti ...
and by
Christos 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 by
Jean Arp
Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp (16 September 1886 – 7 June 1966), better known as Jean Arp in English, was a German-French sculptor, painter, and poet. He was known as a Dadaist and an abstract artist.
Early life
Arp was born in Straßburg (now Stras ...
or
Constantin Brâncuși
Constantin Brâncuși (; February 19, 1876 – March 16, 1957) was a Romanian sculptor, painter and photographer who made his career in France. Considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th-century and a pioneer of modernism, ...
. Sites were looted and a brisk trade in forgeries arose. The context for many of these
Cycladic figurines has been mostly destroyed and their meaning may never be completely understood.
Another intriguing and mysterious object is that of the Cycladic
frying pans. More accurate
archaeology
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsc ...
has revealed the broad outlines of a farming and seafaring culture that had emigrated from
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
c. 5000 BCE. Early Cycladic culture evolved in three phases, between c. 3300 – 2000 BCE, when it was increasingly swamped in the rising influence of Minoan Crete. The culture of mainland Greece contemporary with Cycladic culture is known as the
Helladic period.
In recent decades the Cyclades have become popular with European and other
tourists, and as a result there have been problems with
erosion
Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is d ...
,
pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, th ...
, and water shortages.
Geography
File:Syros ermoupolis 140707.jpg, Ermoupoli
Ermoupoli ( el, Ερμούπολη), also known by the formal older name Ermoupolis or Hermoupolis ( el, < "Town of "), is a to ...
, capital of the Cyclades. Syros
File:Ia Santorini-2009-1.JPG, Santorini
Santorini ( el, Σαντορίνη, ), officially Thira ( Greek: Θήρα ) and classical Greek Thera (English pronunciation ), is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from the Greek mainland. It is t ...
File:Mykonos City.jpg, Mykonos
Mykonos (, ; el, Μύκονος ) is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island has an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. There are 10,134 inhabitants according ...
File:City of Naxos.jpg, Naxos
File:Fole abhang.jpg, Folegandros
Folegandros (also Pholegandros; el, Φολέγανδρος) is a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea that, together with Sikinos, Ios, Anafi and Santorini, forms the southern part of the Cyclades. Its surface area is and it has 765 inhabitants ...
File:Chora Milos.jpg, Milos
File:Vraka Aegean Islands Greek Costume.JPG, Traditional ''vraka'' ( breeches) in the dress of the Aegean islands
The Cyclades includes about 220 islands, the major ones being
Amorgos,
Anafi,
Andros,
Antiparos
Antiparos ( ell, Αντίπαρος; grc, Ὠλίαρος, Oliaros; la, Oliarus; is a small island in the southern Aegean, at the heart of the Cyclades, which is less than one nautical mile (1.9 km) from Paros, the port to which it is conn ...
,
Delos
The island of Delos (; el, Δήλος ; Attic: , Doric: ), near Mykonos, near the centre of the Cyclades archipelago, is one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. The excavations in the island ar ...
,
Ios,
Kea,
Kimolos
Kimolos ( el, Κίμωλος; la, Cimolus) is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. It lies on the southwest of the island group of Cyclades, near the bigger island of Milos. Kimolos is the administrative center of the municipality of Kimolos, which ...
,
Kythnos
Kythnos ( el, Κύθνος), commonly called Thermia ( el, Θερμιά), is a Greek island and municipality in the Western Cyclades between Kea and Serifos. It is from the Athenian harbor of Piraeus. The municipality Kythnos is in area and h ...
,
Milos,
Mykonos
Mykonos (, ; el, Μύκονος ) is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island has an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. There are 10,134 inhabitants according ...
,
Naxos,
Paros,
Folegandros
Folegandros (also Pholegandros; el, Φολέγανδρος) is a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea that, together with Sikinos, Ios, Anafi and Santorini, forms the southern part of the Cyclades. Its surface area is and it has 765 inhabitants ...
,
Serifos,
Sifnos
Sifnos ( el, Σίφνος) is an island municipality in the Cyclades island group in Greece. The main town, near the center, known as Apollonia (pop. 869), is home of the island's folklore museum and library. The town's name is thought to com ...
,
Sikinos
Sikinos ( el, Σίκινος) is a Greek island and municipality in the Cyclades. It is located midway between the islands of Ios and Folegandros. Sikinos is part of the Thira regional unit.
It was known as Oenoe or Oinoe ( grc, Οἰνόη, ...
,
Syros,
Tinos, and
Thira or Santoríni. There are also many minor islands (the
Lesser Cyclades) including
Donousa,
Eschati
Eschati (Εσχάτη) is an uninhabited island, lying to southwest of Santorini, in the Cyclades island group in Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on th ...
,
Gyaros
Gyaros ( el, Γυάρος ), also locally known as Gioura ( el, Γιούρα), is an arid, unpopulated, and uninhabited Greek island in the northern Cyclades near the islands of Andros and Tinos, with an area of . It is a part of the municipality ...
,
Irakleia,
Koufonisia,
Makronisos
Makronisos ( el, Μακρόνησος, lit. ''Long Island''), or Makronisi, is an island in the Aegean sea, in Greece, notorious as the site of a political prison from the 1920s to the 1970s. It is located close to the coast of Attica, facing t ...
,
Rineia, and
Schoinousa. The name "Cyclades" refers to the islands forming a circle ("circular islands") around the sacred island of Delos. Most of the smaller islands are uninhabited.
Ermoupoli
Ermoupoli ( el, Ερμούπολη), also known by the formal older name Ermoupolis or Hermoupolis ( el, < "Town of "), is a to ...
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 two
volcanic islands
Geologically, a high island or volcanic island is an island of volcanic origin. The term can be used to distinguish such islands from low islands, which are formed from sedimentation or the uplifting of coral reefs (which have often formed ...
, 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
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented grapes. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different ...
,
fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...
,
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
,
olive oil
Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: ...
, and
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
. Lower temperatures are registered in higher elevations and these areas do not usually see wintry weather.
The Cyclades are bounded to the south by the
Sea of Crete
300px, Map of the Sea of Crete
The Sea of Crete (, ''Kritiko Pelagos''), or Cretan Sea, is a sea, part of the Aegean Sea, located in its southern extremity, with a total surface area of . The sea stretches to the north of the island of Crete, eas ...
.
Administration
The Cyclades Prefecture ( el, Νομός Κυκλάδων) was one of the
prefectures of Greece. As a part of the
2011 Kallikratis government reform, the prefecture was abolished, and its territory was divided into nine
regional units of the
South Aegean region:
*
Andros
*
Kea-Kythnos
Kea-Kythnos ( el, Περιφερειακή ενότητα Κέας-Κύθνου) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of South Aegean. The regional unit covers the islands of Kea, Kythnos, Makronisos and several smaller ...
*
Milos
*
Mykonos
Mykonos (, ; el, Μύκονος ) is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island has an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. There are 10,134 inhabitants according ...
*
Naxos
*
Paros
*
Thira
*
Syros
*
Tinos
Municipalities and communities
The prefecture was subdivided into the following municipalities and communities. These have been reorganised at the 2011 Kallikratis reform as well.
Provinces
* Province of
Amorgos: Amorgos
* Province of
Andros: Andros
* Province of
Kea: Ioulis
* Province of
Milos: Milos
* Province of
Naxos: Naxos
* Province of
Paros: Paroikia
* Province of
Syros: Ermoupoli
* Province of
Tinos: Tinos
* Province of
Thira: Thira
''Note:'' Provinces no longer hold any legal status in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
.
Cuisine
Local specialities of the Cyclades include:
* ''Brantáda'', cod fillet fish dish
* ''Fava Santorinis'' (made from ''
Lathyrus clymenum'')
* ''Fourtalia'' (
Andros), omelette
* ''
Kakavia (soup)
Kakavia ( el, κακαβιά) is a Greek fish soup.
Its name comes from the ''kakavi'', the tripod cooking pot used by ancient Ionian fishermen.''The Essential Mediterranean Cookbook'' (Murdoch Books, 2005), p. 36. Kakavia has been described a ...
''
* ''Matsata'', pasta
* ''Kalasouna'' (
Naxos)
* ''Kalogeros'' (
Naxos)
* ''
Tomatokeftedes''
* Various cheeses, such as
Kopanisti Mykonou, Manoura Sifnou, Armexia, Malaxia, Chloro, San Michali etc
* ''Loutza'', similar to the Cypriot ''
lountza
Cured pork tenderloin is found in various cuisines in Mediterranean Europe and South America.
It is typically salted or brined then dry-cured or smoked.
In different countries Spain
In Spanish cuisine, ''lomo embuchado'' is a dry-cured meat m ...
''
* ''
Strapatsada
Strapatsada (Greek: στραπατσάδα) is a popular dish in many regions of Greece, especially the Ionian Islands, due to the availability and low cost of its ingredients (fresh tomatoes, eggs and olive oil). It is often prepared "on the spo ...
'' (Koskosela)
* ''Sfougato'' (omelette)
* ''
Lazarakia'' (dessert)
* ''Melitinia'' (dessert)
* ''Melopita'' (dessert)
*
Santorini (wine)
See also
*
Aegean cat
Aegean cats ( el, γάτα του Αιγαίου ''gáta tou Aigaíou'') are a naturally occurring landrace of domestic cat originating from the Cycladic Islands of Greece and western Turkey. It is considered a natural cat, developing without ...
*
List of islands of Greece
*
Minoan eruption
The Minoan eruption was a catastrophic volcanic eruption that devastated the Aegean island of Thera (also called Santorini) circa 1600 BCE. It destroyed the Minoan settlement at Akrotiri, as well as communities and agricultural areas on ne ...
*
Mosaics of Delos
*
Nisiotika music
*
Santorini wine
Santorini is a Greek wine region located on the archipelago of Santorini in the southern Cyclades islands of Greece. Wine has been produced there since ancient times, but it was during the Middle Ages that the wine of Santorini became famous w ...
Notes
References
*
*
External links
Jeremy B. Rutter, "The Prehistoric Archaeology of the Aegean" especially Lessons 2 and 4: chronology, history, bibliography
CycladesThe Official website of the
Greek National Tourism Organisation
The Greek National Tourism Organisation ( el, Εθνικός Οργανισμός Τουρισμού, ''Ethnikos Organismos Tourismou''), often abbreviated as GNTO ( el, EOT) is the governmental Board for the promotion of tourism in Greece. It fun ...
{{coord, 37, 00, N, 25, 10, E, region:GR_type:isle, display=title
Aegean islands
Archipelagoes of Greece
Prefectures of Greece
Landforms of the South Aegean
Cyclades