Early Cycladic Sculpture in Context

The sculpture of the early bronze age Cyclades has been systematically studied since the time of Christos Tsountas at the end of the 19th century. But that study has been hampered by the circumstance that so many of the subsequent finds come from unauthorized excavations, where the archaeological context was irretrievably lost. Largely for that reason there are still many problems surrounding the chronology, the function and the meaning of Early Cycladic sculpture. This lavishly illustrated and comprehensive reassessment sets out to rectify that situation by publishing finds which have been recovered in controlled excavations in recent years, as well as earlier finds for which better documentation can now be provided. Using the material from recent excavation projects, and drawing on the papers presented at a symposium held in Athens in 2014, it is possible now to undertake a fresh overview of the entire body of sculpture from the Cycladic islands which has been found in secure archaeological contexts. Beginning with early examples from Neolithic settlement sites and extending into a consideration of material found in later contexts, the 35 chapters are divided into sections which examine sculpture from settlements, cemeteries and the sanctuary at Kavos, concluding with a discussion of material, techniques and aspects of manufacture.

Table of Contents

Contents
List of contributors
Abbreviations
List of figures
List of tables

Preface

1 Colin Renfrew
Early Cycladic sculpture: issues of provenance, terminology and classification
2 Marisa Marthari
Early Cycladic sculptures as archaeological objects

Origins: The Neolithic settlements
3 Colin Renfrew
The sculptures of Neolithic Saliagos
4 Adamantios Sampson & Vagia Mastrogiannopoulou
Figurines from the late Neolithic settlement of Ftelia, Mykonos
5 Christina Televantou
Figurines from Strofilas, Andros

The early phase
6 Christos Doumas
Figurines from Akrotiri, Naxos and Plastiras, Paros
7 Jörg Rambach
Schematic marble figurines from secure Early Cycladic I grave contexts on the islands of Ano Kouphonisi, Antiparos, Dhespotiko, Naxos, Paros and Siphnos
8 Dora Papangelopoulou
A schematic figurine of shell from Mersinia on Kythnos

The Early Cycladic II and III settlements
9 David Wilson
The Cycladic marble figurines from EB II Ayia Irini, Kea: evidence for ritual deposition in domestic contexts
10 Peggy Pantou
A Fragment of an Early Cycladic figurine from the prehistoric settlement at Plakalona on Seriphos
11 Zozi D. Papadopoulou
Sculptures from Akrotiraki, Siphnos and its cemetery
12 Marisa Marthari
Cycladic figurines in settlements: the case of the major EC II settlement at Skarkos on Ios
Yannis Maniatis
Appendix: non-invasive examination of marble figurines from Skarkos on Ios
13 Colin Renfrew
The figurines from the settlement at Dhaskalio
14 Olga Philaniotou
Figurines from Potamia on Epano Kouphonisi (Pandelis Tsavaris plot)

The Early Cycladic II cemeteries
15 Christos Doumas & Vassilis Lambrinoudakis
The cemetery at Aplomata on Naxos
Olga Philaniotou
Appendix: pottery from the cemetery of Aplomata, Naxos
16 Irini Legaki
Sculptures from Phionda, Naxos
17 Christos Doumas
Sculptures from Aghioi Anargyroi and Avdeli, Naxos
18 Olga Philaniotou
Sculptures from the cemetery of Tsikniades, Naxos
19 Giorgos Gavalas
Marble figurines from sites on Epano and Kato Kouphonisi
20 Marisa Marthari
Figurines in context at the Chalandriani cemetery on Syros
Yannis Maniatis
Appendix: non-invasive examination of marble objects from Chalandriani, Syros
21 Lena Papazoglou-Manioudaki
The Early Cycladic figurines from the excavations of Clon Stephanos on Syros and a note on his work on Naxos: towards context
Dimitris Tambakopoulos & Yannis Maniatis
Appendix: optical examination of 14 Cycladic figurines from Syros

The sanctuary (the special deposits) at Kavos, Keros
22 Photeini Zapheiropoulou
The complete canonical sculpture of Spedos variety from Dhaskalio Kavos on Keros
23 Peggy Sotirakopoulou, C