The Cyclades: Discovering the Greek Islands of the Aegean

265 Pages·2006·2.62 MB·English

by  John Freely

PRAISE FOR JOHN FREELY’S OTHER WORKS
The Western Shores ofTurkey: Discovering the Aegean and
Mediterranean Coasts
‘…Enchanting guide…a work ofgenuine scholarship,lightly worn and
charmingly conveyed.I fell in love with the book and stayed
enamoured until the final page.’Paul Bailey,The Sunday Times
‘…the record ofa journey undertaken by a man effortlessly able to
convey in depth the meaning ofwhat he sees.’Marlena Frank,
Scotsman,Edinburgh
Strolling Through Athens
‘…John Freely’s magnificent walking guide to the city.’Anthony Sattin,
Book ofthe Week,TheSunday Times
Strolling Through Istanbul
‘…a classic.The best travel guide to Istanbul.’The Times
Inside the Seraglio: Private Lives ofthe Sultans in Istanbul
‘Freely provides a fascinating,easy-to-follow overview,beautifully
researched and riveting in its detail.’Christopher Fowler,
Independent on Sunday
‘A richly coloured,highly entertaining book that I wished I’d had to hand
when I strolled around the Topkapi.’Lawrence James,The Times
Istanbul: The Imperial City
‘This is the handiest single volume to take with you as you explore this
most intriguing ofcities…’Robert Carver,Scotsman
‘Freely abounds in colourful details…’Philip Mansel,The Independent
‘This study uncovers nuggets ofinformation while having the charm of
The Thousand and One Nights.’Tabasim Hussain,Literary Review
‘Ifyou’re thinking ofpaying Istanbul a visit,don’t go without reading
this book from cover to cover at least twice.’Arminta Wallace,Irish
Times
The Lost Messiah: In Search ofSabbatei Sevi
‘Everything in this book is astonishing…’The Mail on Sunday
‘Freely reveals a superb eye for the telling detail…This is an intriguing
book.’Independent on Sunday
‘Freely’s brilliantly researched tale transports the reader through a host
ofwonderfully arcane locations.’The Independent
In memory of Ralph Bates,Vasilis Mylonas,
Sotiris Peristerakis and Yorgos Spiridakis

Published in 2006 by I.B.Tauris & Co.Ltd
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In the United States and Canada distributed by Palgrave Macmillan,
a division ofSt.Martin’s Press,175 Fifth Avenue,New York NY 10010
Copyright © John Freely 2006
The right ofJohn Freely to be identified as the author ofthis work has been asserted
by him in accordance with the Copyright,Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved.Except for briefquotations in a review,this book,or any part
thereof,may not be reproduced,stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,or
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ISBN 1 84511 160 5
EAN 978 1 84511 160 1
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Contents
Introduction 1
1 The Encircling Isles 6
2 Kea 22
3 Kythnos 34
4 Seriphos 42
5 Siphnos 49
6 Melos and Kimolos 61
7 Andros 80
8 Tinos 93
9 Mykonos and Delos 111
10 Syros 135
11 Paros and Antiparos 146
12 Naxos 167
13 Amorgos and the Lesser Cyclades 188
14 Ios 200
15 Sikinos and Folegandros 206
16 Santorini (Thera) and Anaphi 216
Appendices 241
Index 251
List ofMaps
The Cyclades 5
Kea 21
Kythnos
Seriphos
Siphnos
Melos and Kimolos
Andros 79
Tinos
Mykonos and Delos 109
Syros
Paros and Antiparos
Delos archaeological site 110
Naxos 165
Amorgos 166
The Lesser Cyclades
Ios 199
Sikinos
Folegandros
Santorini 215
Anaphi
Introduction
T
he Cyclades are the Greek islands of the central Aegean,
arrayed like the stars ofa spiral galaxy around their sacred
centre at Delos,the mythical birthplace ofApollo.These
are the quintessential Greek isles, renowned for the beauty of
their seascapes,their historical monuments,and a unique way of
life deeply rooted in the immemorial past ofthe Aegean.
I first saw the Cyclades in June of1962,when my wife Dolores
and I took our three young children to spend the summer on Naxos.
We have returned to Naxos nearly every year since then, most
recently in the spring of2005,drawn back by the siren song ofthe
Aegean isles. During those years I also explored all of the other
isles ofthe Cyclades,travelling on inter-island ferries as well as on
fishing boats and the old caiquesthat in times past were the only
means oftransporting people and goods around the archipelago,
leading me to the rediscovery ofwhat seemed to be a veritable lost
empire ofthe sea.
Cycladic civilisation is as old as that of mainland Greece but
with a greater continuity because ofthe remoteness ofthe islands,
which as stepping stones between Europe and Asia have been
involved in every act of the unending historical drama that has
been played out in the Aegean since the first settlers made their
homes on the islands more than eight thousand years ago.The tides
of history that have washed over the Cyclades have left not only
1
2 THE CYCLADES
monuments but also patterns of culture that span the whole
time-line of Greek civilisation, their roots extending back even
into the pre-Hellenic dawn ofhuman existence on the Aegean isles.
At several periods in their history the islands have been at the
centre of maritime empires whose power extended around the
eastern Mediterranean,while at other times they have been remote
and almost uninhabited outposts cut off from the centres of
civilisation, though preserving the essentials of their Cycladic
civilisation through the depth and tenacity oftheir cultural roots.
The Cyclades have always been a crossroads ofcivilisation,one
maritime route bringing people back and forth between Europe
and Asia Minor,another taking them between Crete and the Greek
mainland,carrying with them their way of life,their gods,their
ideas and their music.These maritime migrations are enshrined
in the ancient myths of the Cyclades,such as the wanderings of
Leto,mother ofthe divine twins Apollo and Artemis,described in
the Homeric Hymns. Herodotus writes of the great population
movement that brought the first Hellenes out through the islands to
Asia Minor at the end ofthe second millennium BC,giving rise to
the civilisation that produced the first philosophers ofnature and the
first epic and lyric poets ofthe Greek world.The poet Archilochus
of Samos,writing perhaps a century or so after Homer,sings of
unrequited love in a restless life spent at sea,as do the lyricists of
today’s nisiotika tragoudia,the ‘songs ofthe islands’,whose melodies
were brought out to the Cyclades by refugees from wars in Crete
and Asia Minor in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
The modern Greek poet Odysseus Elytis writes ofa moment when
‘a rowing-boat went by full of suffering, laden with songs and
lights that flicker like mountain-tops’.These are the song-lines of
the Aegean,echoes ofthe past that are still heard in the Cyclades,
evoking poignant memories that come from deep within the
Greek soul.
My book is a guide to the historic monuments and culture ofthe
Cyclades as well as to the way of life of the islanders,particularly
their religious festivals, the paneyeria, which mark the passing
INTRODUCTION 3
seasons of the Cycladic year in a calendar whose cycles were
established in the night of time and adapted by the successive
religions that took root in the archipelago, from paganism to
Christianity, celebrated in songs and dances with ancient
resonances and movements.
Life in the Cyclades has changed in many ways since we first
came to Naxos,particularly the development ofbeach resorts with
their tavernas,bars and discotheques,bringing crowds oftourists
to stretches ofpink-white sands where once I could walk for miles
without seeing anyone other than an occasional farmer on his
mule. My book reflects these changes, though it leaves to other
guidebooks a description ofthings touristic,concentrating instead
on the history,monuments and culture ofthe Cyclades,described
in the context of our own experiences with the friends we have
made on Naxos and the other islands,particularly those mentioned
in my dedication.
The first chapter is an introduction to the Cyclades,their people
and culture,past and present.This is followed by chapters on the
individual islands of the archipelago, all of which are different,
one from the other,as are the various villages on each ofthe isles,
many ofthem founded by refugees from either Asia Minor or Crete,
others dating from prehistoric times,such is the varied character
of the Cyclades.There is also an appendix with practical details
that might help in exploring the islands,each ofwhich is a world
ofits own,awaiting discovery.
Istanbul,2006