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History
 One
of the most significant civilizations that ever flourished in Greece has its
roots in the Cycladic isles. Signs of the Cycladic civilization date back
to 3000 years BC. The famous Cycladic marble statues were sculptured during
the so-called Early Cycladic period, 3000-2000 BC, when people here lived in
houses, built boats and mined obsidian and exported it throughout the
Mediterranean. The Minoans occupied the islands in the Middle Cycladic
period, 2000-1500 BC, followed by the Mycenaeans around the 15th century, at
the beginning of the Late Cycladic period. Cyclades had become very
prosperous after the arrival of the Romans in 190 BC, but the inability of
the Byzantines to protect them from pirate raids signaled their decline.
When Constantinople fell to the Franks in 1204, the Cycladic isles passed to
the sovereignty of the Venetians, followed by the creation of the Duchy of
Naxos, along with smaller baronies and counties - protectorates of West
European states. During the long-lasting Western occupation, many islanders
accepted Catholicism and even today large Catholic communities enrich the
culture of these islands. Starting from 1453, Turkish occupation came sooner
or later to all the islands of the archipelago. The constant struggle
between western states and the Ottoman power for supremacy in the region
favored the roaming pirate fleets. In an effort to disorientate attackers,
the local architecture devised the labyrinthine town planning with narrow
streets, which is the main feature in most towns. The islands were revived
by the tourism boom that begun in 1970s, after the world "discovered" their
natural beauty, with their dazzling white buildings and bright-blue church
domes, unusual landscapes, mild and pleasant climate with long periods of
sunshine and strong winds to keep down the heat, sandy beaches, caves,
traditional customs and architecture. |
