Cycladic Culture

Cycladic Culture, unique and distinctive Greek civilization that flourished from about 3200 to 2000 bc in the Cyclades (Kikládhes), a small island group in the Aegean Sea. The Cycladic culture developed within the Aegean civilization in Greece. Archaeological evidence, deriving mainly from cemeteries, enables scholars to reconstruct some of the aspects of this important culture.

It appears that the inhabitants of these small and barren islands were living in well-fortified settlements. Their resources were based on a mixed economy of farming, herding, and fishing. Seafaring activities are suggested by the presence of Cycladic products in Crete (Kríti), Attica, the Pelopónnisos, and Asia Minor, while depictions of ships on the pottery and the discovery of ship models made of stone or lead illustrate shipbuilding skills. Technologically, the most significant development that took place during this period was the expansion of the metallurgical industry. Some Cycladic islands had supplies of copper, silver, and lead. Manufactures included a wide range of copper and bronze tools and silver jewelry.

The pottery is distinctively decorated with incised designs, either rectilinear or curvilinear (spirals and circles), which sometimes are filled with a white paste. The most common shape found in the tombs is a small, round flask, while the most peculiar is the so-called frying pan, usually decorated with elaborate spiral motifs and occasionally with depictions of ships. Characteristic vases of this period are the tankard, a tall, one-handled drinking vessel, and the beaked jug.

However, the most attractive products of the Cycladic culture were made of marble, which can be found in abundance on many islands. The early Cycladic sculptors used the local marble as the best medium for artistic expression. Marble was used for both sculptural bases and figurines. Marble bowls and elegant collared jars are usually found in graves as offerings to the dead.

Figures of different sizes and shapes are the most distinctive marble products. The early examples are very schematic, using a stylized pattern, becoming more naturalistic later. The figures are usually female and naked with their arms crossed over at the belly. The heads are egg-shaped and tilted back with only the nose indicated sculpturally. Variations include the seated or standing musicians, usually a harpist or a flute player, and the hunter-warrior. Analysis of the different stylistic features of the figurines has enabled specialists to identify a number of individual sculptors, who should be considered as the earliest artists of the Bronze Age in Europe.

The simplicity of the figures' forms has influenced modern artists, such as Pablo Ruiz y Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, and Constantin Brancusi, but has also attracted collectors, who over the years have encouraged secret or illegal excavations and have exported Cycladic art to private collections. Many figurines have been found in graves and were probably associated with funeral rites, but some of larger size likely came from settlements or shrines. The predominant female characteristics on the majority of the figures suggest that they represent a divinity related to the Mother Goddess, the Cycladic goddess thought to be a guardian of the dead.

Cycladic culture came to an end in about 2000 bc. After having dominated the Aegean for about 1200 years, the independent development of the small Cycladic islands was gradually replaced by the emerging influence of the Minoan culture, based in Crete.