The Early Cyclades
The Cyclades,a group of islands in the Aegean Sea to the east of mainland Greece,eventually played an important part in Greek civilization,though at first they were sparsely populated. Radiocarbon dates from excavations throughout the islands tell us that farmers had settled on Naxos as early as the fifth millennium B.C.E.Between 4000 and 3000 B.C.E.,farming communities flourished on Andros,relatively close to the mainland,as far out as Paros,and possibly on Mykonos,in the heart of the Cyclades.As far as one can tell,the early settlers avoided smaller islands,with their tiny patches of arable soil and often sparse water supplies.Milos was rich in obsidian,a volcanic glass used for tools and jewelry,and the island was certainly visited for fishing and fine-grained stone,but the first date for permanent occupation remains an open question.Throughout the Cyclades,the founding settlers seem to have preferred larger and medium-sized islands, even if they were far from the mainland.This speaks volumes about the seaworthiness of what by now must have been fairly large boats. Quite apart from anything else,such vessels would have had to transport sheep and goats across open water for as long as two days.
