Table of Contents
When was Cycladic architecture built?
The style of these smooth-edged traditional houses, derive from the exceptional design of the Cycladic art that flourished back in the 2000 B.C. The artisans of that era produced authentic sculptures solely from Parian marble, which were frequently used as grave offerings and are commonly called Cycladic idols.
What is Cycladic design?
Cycladic architecture is famous for simple whitewashed adobe with rounded corners and flat roofs. As with all good design, form follows function. The small window openings and flat roofs are to help protect the homes from the wind.
What was the Cycladic culture known for?
The significant Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Cycladic culture is best known for its schematic flat female idols carved out of the islands’ pure white marble centuries before the great Middle Bronze Age (“Minoan”) culture arose in Crete, to the south.
What are Cycladic houses?
Cycladic houses take their name from the Cyclades, a group of islands in Greece’s Aegean Sea. The pure white exterior — traditionally achieved with a lime whitewash — creates the distinctive look and helps reflect the hot summer sun. Plus, the lime acts as a natural disinfectant.
How are Cycladic houses built?
Houses in Cyclades islands have been built with plain constructive elements in order to cover the main daily needs, but they are considered wonderful works in terms of aesthetics. As piracy was a very important problem for the Aegean islands in the Medieval era, architecture had an evident defensive style.
What are the key characteristics of Cycladic art?
Broadly speaking, Cycladic art consists of small, stylised figures and vessels, either sculpted from marble or moulded from clay. The majority of these were produced during the Grotta-Pelos (Early Cycladic I) culture (c. 3200?-2700 BC) and the Keros-Syros (Early Cycladic II) culture (c. 2700-2400/2300 BC).
What are the characteristics of Cycladic art?
The Cycladic Sculptures all possess certain features -canonical [folded arms], proportional and simplistic. They appear in this gallery as pure in their whiteness. However, these sculptures were frequently painted. Pigments were used to add detail.
Why are they called the Cyclades?
In antiquity they were the centre of a Bronze Age culture, the Cycladic, noted for its white marble idols. The name Cyclades means “encircling islands,” and they are so named because they form a rough circle around the sacred island of Delos (Dílos), which was the legendary birthplace of Artemis and her brother Apollo.
What is Santorini architecture called?
Cycladic architecture
Santorini is among the top destinations in Greece but also in the world and is characterized by its Cycladic architecture: white painted villages that stand on the top of the high red-coloured cliffs. Santorini architecture is featured uniquely throughout its settlements.
Why are roofs rounded in Santorini?
In Santorini, like in the rest of the Cycladic islands, visitors will come across the characteristic whitewashed windmills. They are round buildings with joined roofs and wheels with sails that convert the energy of the wind into rotational energy.
What was the most important architectural form in ancient Greece?
The Parthenon
The Parthenon, the Temple to the Goddess Athena on the Acropolis in Athens, is referred to by many as the pinnacle of ancient Greek architecture.
What are Cycladic sculptures made of?
When was Cycladic art made?
In the third millennium B.C., a distinctive civilization, commonly called the Early Cycladic culture (ca. 3200–2300 B.C.), emerged with important settlement sites on Keros and at Halandriani on Syros.
What are some characteristics of art from the Cycladic islands?
Marble carving is the most characteristic product of Cycladic culture, and the abstract forms of its figurines have influenced several twentieth and twenty-first century artists, such as Constantin Brancusi, Amedeo Modigliani, Alberto Giacometti, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, and Ai Weiwei.
Why houses in Greece are white?
This might sound strange today, but the whitewash used to paint the houses contained limestone. Limestone is a powerful disinfectant, and not many others were in common use at the time. Greek citizens thus whitewashed their homes to help sanitize them and reduce the spread of cholera.
What are the three main styles of Greek architecture?
The classical orders—described by the labels Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian—do not merely serve as descriptors for the remains of ancient buildings, but as an index to the architectural and aesthetic development of Greek architecture itself.
Where to see Cycladic architecture in Greece?
You can see some samples of the Cycladic architecture in the following Cycladic villages: Chora of Amorgos, Chora of Anafi, Antiparos Chora, Chora of Folegandros, Chora of Ios, Chorio in Kimolos, Chora of Koufonisia, Chora of Mykonos, Naoussa in Paros, Oia in Santorini, Kastro in Sifnos and more villages.
What is Cycladic architecture?
Cycladic architecture. May 25, 2012. Cyclades are a complex of islands emerging from the deep blue Aegean sea, forming a circle around the sacred island of Delos. They are considered to be the pearl of the Greek islands, featuring idyllic landscapes that allure visitors from all over the world.
What are some examples of Venetian influence in Cycladic architecture?
One of the best examples of the Venetian influence in Cycladic architecture is the Kastro of Naxos island. Visitors strolling through the traditional Cycladic villages are often given the impression of a labyrinth.
What makes the architecture of the islands unique?
Each and every one of them has its own unique characteristics, determined by its history, topography and geology but they all seem to be bound together by their architecture. Cycladic architecture is famous for its uniqueness and charm, providing the islands with minimal aesthetics but with a daring style.