Phylakopi
Encyclopedia
Milos
Milos , is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of the Sea of Crete...
, is one of the most important Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
settlements in the Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
and especially in the Cyclades
Cyclades
The Cyclades is a Greek island group in the Aegean Sea, south-east of the mainland of Greece; and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The name refers to the islands around the sacred island of Delos...
. The importance of Phylakopi is in its almost continuous inhabitance throughout the Bronze Age (i.e. from the half of the 3rd millennium BC until the 12th century BC), and in plentiful architectural and artistic findings; Phylakopi is an important site for understanding the development of the prehistoric Cycladic culture.
Bronze age
The excavations of the British School at AthensBritish School at Athens
The British School at Athens is one of the 17 Foreign Archaeological Institutes in Athens, Greece.-General information:The School was founded in 1886 as the fourth such institution in Greece...
from 1896 to 1899 showed the continuity of life from the 3rd millennium BC to the late 2nd millennium BC, in three main phases. At the first phase (2300-2000 BC), the houses of the settlement were small, made of makeshift materials without squared rooms and without walls.
During the second phase (2000-1550 BC) the houses were made of stone with right angles, and in several instances they had a second floor. The walls are decorated with frescoes of flowers, birds and human performances. The relations with Minoan Crete were very close during this period. Perhaps Phylakopi was a Minoan settlement. Findings such as the fresco with flying fish (National Archaeological Museum of Athens
National Archaeological Museum of Athens
The National Archaeological Museum in Athens houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. It is considered one of the great museums in the world and contains the richest collection of artifacts from Greek...
, illustration) and the cylindrical vase stand with the representation of fishermen holding fishes indicate strong Cretan influence, or have been created by craftsmen of Crete. Plenty of Cretan vases have been found from the so-called "Kamares style" pottery. The city at that time was protected by strong walls.
In the third phase (1550-1100 BC) the city was at its largest and was protected by strong fortification.. The roads converged at right angles. The settlement in this phase lived under the strong influence of the Mycenaean civilization on the Greek mainland. A Mycenaean
Helladic period
Helladic is a modern archaeological term meant to identify a sequence of periods characterizing the culture of mainland ancient Greece during the Bronze Age. The term is commonly used in archaeology and art history...
palace was found at the northeast area of the town. The tombs are carved in the rock, consisting of one or two cells. Such tombs were found in Phylakopi, in Zephyria and in cape Spathi in the north-east of the island.
At the end of the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, the city of Phylakopi was abandoned.
Subsequent history
The new settlement at 1200 BC was DoricDoric
Doric may refer to:* Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians* Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture* Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode* Doric dialect...
, and is placed inside the large bay, northwest of the current port of Adamas
Adamas
Adamantas is the harbor town of Milos island. It has a population of 1,700 people.Highlights:* The French cemetery, used in the years of the Crimean war.* The 600-year-old church of the Holy Trinity.* The Milos Mining Museum.* The Maritime Museum....
, above the small village of Klima.
Today the sea has eroded a very large part of the city site.
See also
- History of the CycladesHistory of the CycladesThe Cyclades are Greek islands located in the southern part of the Aegean Sea. The archipelago contains some 2,200 islands, islets and rocks; just 33 islands are inhabited. For the ancients, they formed a circle around the sacred island of Delos, hence the name of the archipelago...
- Cycladic artCycladic artCycladic art encompasses the visual art of the ancient Cycladic civilization, which flourished in the islands of the Aegean Sea from 3300 - 2000 BCE. Along with the Minoans and Mycenaeans, the Cycladic people are counted among the three major Aegean cultures...
- Goulandris Museum of Cycladic ArtGoulandris Museum of Cycladic ArtThe Nicholas P. Goulandris Foundation - Museum of Cycladic Art is one of the great museums of Athens. It houses a magnificent collection of artifacts of Cycladic art....