Cyclades

 

(sī'klədēz) , Gr. Kikládhes [Gr.,=circular], island group (1991 pop. 94,005), c.1,000 sq mi (2,590 sq km), SE Greece, a part of the Greek archipelago, in the Aegean Sea stretching SE from Attica. The name was originally used to indicate those islands forming a rough circle around Delos. The Cyclades include about 220 islands of which Tínos, Ándros, Mílos, Náxos, Kéa, Páros, Serifos, Ios, Kithnos, and Thíra are important. Ermoupolis, on Síros, is the chief town and administrative center of the group. Largely mountainous, with a dry and mild climate, the islands produce wine, fruit, wheat, olive oil, and tobacco. Iron, manganese, and sulfur are mined, and marble is quarried. Unplanned development and crowds of summer tourists have caused pollution and water shortages. The islands are noted for the Bronze Age artworks found there (see Cycladic art). In 1829 the Cyclades passed from the Ottoman Empire to Greece.

Cyclades Prefecture Νομός Κυκλάδων
Periphery	South Aegean
Capital	Ermoupoli
Population	119,549 (2005)Ranked 29th
Area	2,572 km² Ranked 23rdh
Population density	46.5/km²Ranked 34th
Number of municipalities	20
Number of communities	11
Postal codes	84x xx
Area codes	228x0
Licence plate code	ΕΜ
ISO 3166-2 code	GR-82

The Cyclades (Greek Κυκλάδες) are a Greek island group in the Aegean Sea, south-east of the mainland of Greece; and an administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The name refers to the islands around (κυκλάς) the sacred island of Delos.

The Cyclades comprise about 220 islands, the major ones being Amorgos, Anafi, Ándros, Antiparos, Delos, Ios, Kéa, Kimolos, Kythnos, Mílos, Mykonos, Náxos, Páros, Folegandros, Serifos, Sifnos, Sikinos, Síros, Tínos, and Santorini. Most of the smaller islands are uninhabited.

Ermoupolis, on Síros, is the chief town and administrative center of the prefecture.

The islands are peaks of a submerged mountainous terrain, with the exception of two volcanic islands, Milos and Santorini (Thera). 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. Cooler temperatures are in higher elevations and mainly do not receive wintry weather. In transportation, the Cyclades is the only prefecture in Greece that is not linked with a state-maintained highway or a highway number. All of the roads in the island complex are secondary or provincial.

History

Main articles: Cycladic civilization and Cycladic art

The significant Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Cycladic culture is best known for its schematic flat female idols carved out of the islands' pure white marble centuries before the great Middle Bronze Age ("Minoan") culture 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 wheat and wild-type barley, sheep and goats, pigs, and tuna that were apparently speared from small boats (Rutter). Excavated sites include Saliagos and Kephala (on Keos) 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), 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 through the period of Classical Greek civilization.

Archaeology

The first archaeological excavations of the 1880s were followed by systematic work by the British School at Athens and by Christos Tsountas, who investigated burial sites on several islands in 1898 - 1899 and coined the term "Cycladic civilization". Interest lagged, 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 or Constantin Brancusi. 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 has revealed the broad outlines of a farming and seafaring culture that had immigrated from Asia Minor ca 5000 BCE. Early Cycladic culture evolved in three phases, between ca 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 termed Helladic.

In recent decades the Cyclades islands have become extremely popular with European and other tourists, and as a result there have been problems with erosion, pollution, and water shortages.

Area codes

22810 - Syros, including Kythnos, Serifos and Syros islands

22820 - Andros

22830 - Tinos

22840 - Paros and Sifnos islands

22850 - Amorgos and Naxos islands

22860 - Folegandros, Ios, Santorini and Sikinos islands

22870 - Kimolos and Milos

22880 - Kea Island

22890 - Mykonos

Municipalities and communities

Municipality	YPES code	Seat (if different)	Postal code	Area code
Amorgos	3101		840 08	22850-2
Andros	3103		845 00	22820-2
Ano Syros	3105		841 00	22810-8
Drymalia	3107	Chalkeio Naxou	843 02	22850
Ermoupoli	3109		841 00	22810-2
Exomvourgo	3108	Kampos	842 00	22850-5
Ios	3112		840 01	22860-9
Kea	3113	Ioulis	840 02	22880-2
Korthio	3115	Ormos Korthiou	845 02	22820-6
Kythnos	3117		840 06	22810-3
Milos	3118		848 00	22870-2
Mykonos	3119		846 00	22890-2
Naxos	3120		843 00	22850-2
Paros	3123		844 00	22840-2
Poseidonia	3124		841 00	22810-4
Santorini	3111		847 00	22860-2
Serifos	3125		840 02	22810-5
Sifnos	3127		840 03	22840-3
Tinos	3129		842 00	22830-2
Ydrousa	3130	Gavrio	845 01	22820-7
Community	YPES code	Seat (if different)	Postal code	Area code
Anafi	3102		840 09	22860-6
Antiparos	3104		840 07	22840-6
Donousa	3106		843 00	22850-5
Folegandros	3131		840 11	22860
Irakleia	3110		843 00	22870-7
Kimolos	3114		840 04	22870-5
Koufonisi	3116		843 00	22870-7
Oia	3121		847 02	22860-7
Panormos	3122		842 01	22830-3
Schoinoussa	3128		843 00	22870-7
Sikinos	3126		840 10	22860-5

See also: List of settlements in the Cyclades prefecture

See also

• National Archaeological Museum of Athens

Further reading

• J. A. MacGillivray and R. L. N. Barber, editors, The Prehistoric Cyclades (Edinburgh) 1984.
• R. L. N. Barber, The Cyclades in the Bronze Age (Iowa City) 1987.

External links

• Cyclades travel guide from Wikitravel
• Jeremy B. Rutter, "The Prehistoric Archaeology of the Aegean" : especially Lessons 2 and 4: chronology, history, bibliography

Articles on the Aegean Sea
General
Countries	Greece •  Turkey
Other	Aegean civilization • Aegean Islands • Aegean dispute
Aegean islands
The Cyclades	Amorgos • Anafi • Andros • Antiparos • Delos • Folegandros • Ios • Kea • Kimolos • Koufonisi • Kythnos • Milos • Mykonos • Naxos • Paros • Santorini • Serifos • Sifnos • Sikinos • Syros • Tinos
The Dodecanese	Agathonisi • Arkoi • Armathia • Alimia • Astakida • Astypalia • Chamili • Gaidaros • Gyali • Halki • Kalolimnos • Kalymnos • Kandelioussa • Karpathos • Kasos • Kastellorizo • Kos • Leros • Lipsi • Nisyros • Patmos • Pacheia • Platy • Pserimos • Rho • Rhodes • Saria • Strongili • Symi • Syrna • Telendos • Tilos • Zafora
The North Aegean	Chios • Chryse • Cynda • Icaria • Imbros • Lemnos • Lesbos • Psara •Samos • Samothrace • Tenedos • Thasos
The Saronic	Aegina • Angistri • Dokos • Hydra • Poros • Salamis • Spetses
The Sporades	Adelfoi Islets • Agios Georgios Skopelou • Alonissos • Argos Skiathou • Dasia • Erinia • Gioura • Grammeza • Kyra Panagia • Lekhoussa • Peristera • Piperi • Psathoura • Repio • Rineia Skyrou • Sarakino • Skandili • Skantzoura • Skiathos • Skopelos • Skyropoula • Skyros • Tsougria • Valaxa
Other	Crete • Dia • Euboea • Gavdos

Coordinates: 37°00′N, 25°10′E

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