Page 201 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Greek Islands

Sunset over the whitewashed houses of Ía on Santoríni

THE CYCLADES

The 56 islands that comprise this archipelago
formed the cradle of the Cycladic civilization from
around 3000 BC. Early Cycladic culture developed
in the Bronze Age during which the arts flourished,
with numerous distinctive marble figures
discovered from this era. The island group, like
many of those in the region, experienced one
ruling group after another, each marking the
territory with diverse architectural styles: the
Minoans from Crete colonized the islands during
the middle Cycladic era, then followed by the
Mycenaeans, the Romans and the Egyptians. The
Venetians, who ruled for over two hundred years
from 1204, left medieval kástra that still form the
centre of many towns. The Ottomans conquered
most of the Cyclades in the 16th century, although
Venetian-ruled Tínos didn’t fall until 1715. The far-
flung islands of the Cyclades were difficult to
govern, let alone protect against the large number
of pirate raids and incursions, and much of the
populace left. Although some islands, like Ándros,
became rich off the success of local shipping
families, the fortunes of the Cyclades as an island
group didn’t revive until the advent of mass
tourism in the 1960s. Tourism is the lifeblood of
most of the mainly rocky and arid islands today, as
they are considered the ultimate islands for sun,
sea and sand holidays.
201

200-201_EW_Greek_Islands.indd 201 27/11/2018 17:20