Keros Syros culture
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The Keros-Syros culture is an early Bronze Age culture on the Greek archipelago of the Cyclades . It is used by archaeologists v in the time between the 2700th BC and 2300 BC Chr. And is considered in the chronology of the Cycladic culture as the main culture of period II of the early Cycladic period. Although named after the islands of Keros and Sýros , the best-preserved settlement finds of the era are on the neighboring islands of Kea and Ios .
The people of the time lived in a certain prosperity. The peak of the production of Cycladic idols falls in this epoch, idols are known only from the Keros-Syros culture , which deviate from the religiously interpreted basic form and take on forms that are closer to everyday life. This includes musicians in particular
Settlements of the Keros-Syros culture
While previous cultures of the Cyclades are only known from one or a few settlement sites, the Keros-Syros culture can be demonstrated for the first time on a large number of islands. From this find situation, a strong population growth is concluded. The homogeneity of the ceramics indicates an intensive exchange between the islands and with neighboring areas.
Settlements and buildings of the early Cycladic period II have so far been found in
- Agia Irini on Kea, 1 ha
- Skarkos on Ios, 1.1 ha
- Daskaleio Kavos on Keros and Daskalio , together 1 ha
- scattered house groups on Milos and
- only the cemetery, but not the associated settlement of Chalandriani on Syros.
The forms of the settlements adapted to the local conditions. While a village core was found in Agia Irini and Skarkos , the inhabitants of Milos settled in a very dispersed form with only one family in a few rooms. The former settlements are located in a limited area of a small peninsula or a rocky dome, which are characterized by their strategically attractive location, while the latter stretch over a flat coastal strip that has no outstanding features.
Every settlement, including the individual groups of buildings, has a cemetery in the immediate vicinity. From the number of graves it can be deduced that the village villages were inhabited for a long time, while the scattered settlements were mostly only used for a few generations before they were abandoned for unknown reasons.
Buildings
Following the Grotta Pelos culture at the beginning of the early Cycladic period, the Cycladic people developed their craft skills. The archaeological layers assigned to the Keros-Syros culture consist of much more accurately executed masonry than their predecessors.
The buildings consist of a few rectangular rooms; only in Skarkos are walls more than three meters high, which indicate that at least some houses had two floors.
The graves are almost identical to those of the previous Grotta Pelos culture. They are surrounded by low dry stone walls, mostly rectangular and in a few cases almost perfectly round. Multiple burials are less common than with their predecessors . In the largest so far found cemetery of Chalandriani , only ten of the almost 600 graves have two bodies.
Archaeological finds
The Keros-Syros culture differs significantly from its predecessor in the style of ceramics . For the first time, vessels made of light-fired clay , which were decorated in dark colors with geometric patterns. The exchange with the cultures of the mainland is reflected in the adoption of the technique of providing some dishes with a completely dark coating. In addition, vessels made of dark-fired clay remain in use.
In addition to the painting with geometric patterns, stamps were used for the first time to decorate the ceramics in this epoch. Their shapes range from triangles to concentric circles to spirals.
Typical shapes of the vessels are oblong-oval bowls ("sauce bowls"), round lidded bowls (" pyxis "), flat bowls reminiscent of frying pans, and jugs with spouts. A few flat “frying pans” are the only ceramics that have been painted with figurative representations on the outside. Sun motifs, ships, fish and female genitals have been preserved. A covering with skin as a drum or the function as a mirror filled with water are discussed as possible uses. The large number of bowls with hollow feet is striking. Since they do not fulfill any specific function, one must assume that this shape was popular for purely aesthetic reasons.
Bowls and vessels made of marble - with and without feet - were used more frequently than before . They are also considered luxury goods and indicate a certain level of prosperity, as it takes much more effort to carve a bowl out of stone than to shape it in clay. Some miniature bowls are cut from various greenish gem stones. Occasionally they take the form of buildings. It is not known whether they were used for purely decorative purposes.
Marble vessel with eyelet ribs and a broad body, Altes Museum: Antikensammlung Berlin
Bottom of the grip shell (NAMA 4974) with a representation of a ship and geometric patterns
Are also made of marble, the Cycladic idols of the era. They vary a lot in size. It ranges from a few centimeters, as in earlier cultures since the Neolithic, to almost life-size. The strongly stylized, but nevertheless expressive faces are characteristic. Typical figures are human figures with hands folded in front of their stomach. These occur predominantly in female form, exceptionally also as men. Two of these figures are the only ones to date on which traces of painting with blue and red pigments have been found. There are also depictions of warriors with daggers and seated figures, one with a chalice in hand. Some figures belong to groups, the function of two female figures, one of whom stands with her feet on the shoulders of the other, is a mystery.
Cycladic idol formerly “Spedos type”, Goulandris Museum Athens
Idol of the central "Spedostyp", 89 cm, Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe
Harp player 15.6 cm, place of discovery Santorini, Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe
Figure group height 19 cm, BadischesLandesmuseum Karlsruhe
For the first time, figurative actors of musicians appear. Standing flute players are kept simple . Figures of seated harpists represent the climax of artistic work .
Metal is widely used for the first time. In all settlements there are grave goods in the form of daggers and tools such as chisels, tweezers and fishing hooks. Also brooches were made of bronze and silver , as well as leg made. They often have heads adorned with animal figures. The ores came from the island of Sifnos and the Attic mainland.
Cultural relations
The Keros-Syros culture is clearly recognizable as the successor to Grotta-Pelos. Trade relations of the Cycladic inhabitants extend to the Greek mainland, to Crete , where Cycladic figures were exported, which strongly influenced the local artists, and to Asia Minor. Finds in the layers Troy I and Troy II prove an exchange as far as the north-west of Asia Minor.
The keros-syros culture is chronologically followed by the kastri culture of the 24th to the 21st century BC. During this time new ceramic techniques appear and the settlements get fortifications.
literature
- Werner Ekschmitt : The Cyclades. Bronze Age, Geometric and Archaic Age. Phillipp von Zabern, Mainz 1993, ISBN 3-8053-1533-3 .
Web links
- Dartmouth College website on the Early Cycladic Period
Individual evidence
- ↑ Mariya Ivanova: Fortified settlements in the Balkans, in the Aegean Sea and in Western Anatolia, approx. 5000-2000 BC. Chr. Waxmann Verlag, 2008, ISBN 978-3-8309-1937-7 , pp. 189 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
- ↑ Christos Doumas : The NV Goulandris collection of early cycladic art . New York, Praeger 1969, p. 19.