Located on Melos’s rugged north coast, Phylakopi was occupied from the Early Bronze Age (2300 BCE) until the collapse of the Bronze Age 1200 years later.
Throughout, it was an important site of trade, connecting mainland Greece with Crete & the rest of the Cyclades!
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Phylakopi was an important center of trade for two main reasons: the island’s strategic location & its abundant natural resources.
Perhaps the most important was Melian obsidian, a volcanic glass that was used to make sharp tools throughout the Bronze Age Aegean & beyond!
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Since 1896, archaeologists from @BSAthens have been excavating at Phylakopi, uncovering a complex city plan inhabited by a fascinating multicultural community.
Over its history, the archaeological record follows local Cycladic traditions, Minoans from Crete, & Mycenaeans!
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The artifacts from these excavations are on display at the Archaeological Museum in nearby Plaka, which had a grand reopening just 10 days ago!
Let’s explore some highlights to learn more about life at Phylakopi throughout the Bronze Age!
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Excavations revealed 2 buildings of particular importance at Phylakopi:
A large building acted as the administrative center of the city during the Minoan period, when it was decorated with a beautiful flying fish fresco. It was later rebuilt as a Mycenaean-style Megaron!
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A temple was found in the south, where archaeologists have excavated an incredible collection of artifacts pointing to the religious life of the Bronze Age from the Aegean—like these bovine figurines— and some other objects from much further afield!
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This small bronze figurine is one of a pair of ‘smiting gods’ found at the site, a rare sight for the Bronze Age Aegean!
Figurines like this hail from Anatolia & the Levant, where they may represent the local gods Baal or Rashef.
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Another incredible find from the temple at Phylakopi is this tiny gold mask, a miniature version of the famous funerary masks from Mycenae like the ‘Mask of Agamemnon.’
It‘a thought that it was meant to cover the face of a small cult figurine, perhaps made from wood!
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The most important find from the sanctuary is this 45cm statuette, known as the ‘Lady of Phylakopi!’
Vividly decorated & very well preserved, she would have held her arms above her head, perhaps representing a goddess or a worshipping priestess.
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Many questions remain about the inhabitants at Phylakopi, especially whether we should consider them Minoan & Mycenaean, or simply influenced by these cultures.
To answer these questions, we have to explore the material left behind by ordinary inhabitants of the city!
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Our work on the Small Cycladic Islands Project is helping answer these questions, exploring life on other nearby islands during prehistory & beyond.
Keep following along for more updates about the amazing #archaeology being recorded during #SCIP2022!
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After 189 years, one thing is for certain: this statue is still BIG!
But who does this enormous sculpture depict, when was it made, where was it meant to go, & why was it abandoned in the quarry?
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The Colossus of Apollonas is the largest marble sculpture from the ancient Greek world, measuring over 11.5 meters tall!
Carved out of a single block of stone, it was abandoned and left in the quarry atop this hill on the north coast of Naxos, in the Greek Cyclades.
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It's not the only abandoned colossal sculpture from Naxos, & two enormous statues are found at Melanes. Long-haired & nude, this type was popular throughout Archaic Greece.
Unlike these statues, though, the Colossus of Apollonas is clothed, bearded, & twice as tall!
2/ The painting was hiding in plain sight until 1983, when an archaeologist from Chios spotted a faint signature on a badly damaged icon!
Christ & the Virgin were covered in worked silver & years of smoke, varnish, scented oils, & plenty of repainting had left it barely legible!
3/ That archaeologist, Giorgos Mastoropoulos, had been on Syros to catalogue religious heirlooms brought to the island by refugees during the Greek War of Independance.
After announcing his discovery, the painting underwent conservation & began making worldwide news!
The Greek island of Sifnos is famous for its silver mines & beautiful beaches, but it's also home to one of the most important Mycenaean settlements in the Cyclades!
Let's visit Agios Andreas, the most interesting site you've never heard of!
2/ Founded in the 12th c. BCE, Agios Andreas is a large, heavily fortified settlement with a dense urban plan.
Perched on a hilltop high above Apollonia–the modern capital of Sifnos–it offers spectacular views of the entire east side of the island, & the neighboring islands!
3/ With its conspicuous fortificion walls, the site was first spotted in 1841 by J. A. Buchon, & Christos Tsountas conducted a brief excavation in 1898.
The site would remain relatively unknown until 1970, when Barbara Philippaki began a decade-long excavation at Ag. Andreas.
2/ We met up with Alexandros Mazarakis Ainian & his team from @uth_gr who have been excavating the ancient city of Kythnos since 2002.
Combining survey, excavation, & underwater archaeology, they’re doing some of the most interesting work on the Greek islands today!
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3/ The ancient city flourished from the 10th century BCE all the way until the 7th century CE, making it an incredibly long-lived site with fascinating archaeology.
Just offshore, the little island of Vryokastraki even has evidence for Early Cycladic & Mycenaean settlement!
2/ The history of Kythnos begins on this little promontory, over 10,000 years ago!
Excavations here at Maroulas have revealed one of the only Mesolithic settlements in the Aegean, some of the earliest human activity in the whole region!
3/ The dwellings, burials, ancient garbage found at Maroulas tell us that the earliest inhabitants of the island lived well on the island, eating plenty of fresh fish!
Taking a walk around the site today reveals plenty of obsidian & quartz for tool production.
2/ Today, we’re boating out of Panagia Kanala on Kythnos to visit the island of Piperi, 9km to the southeast.
From afar, the Piperi seems like a steep rock sticking out of the sea, w/ little vegetation, water, or evidence of human activity. I’m sure we’ll find something, though!
3/ Every day on #SCIP2021 begins with a ride like this! We throw all of our equipment in dry bags and hop on a RIB for what must be the best commute in the world!
We have wonderful boating weather this morning, but it might get hot out there when we’re surveying!