This second volume on Early Cycladic (and Cycladicising) sculptures found in the Aegean, examines finds from mainland Greece, along with the rarer items from the north and east Aegean, with the exception of those discovered in the Cyclades (covered in the preceding volume), and of those found in Crete. The significance of these finds is that these are the principal testimonies of the influence of the Early Bronze Age Cycladic cultures in the wider Aegean. This influence is shown both by the export of sculptures produced in the Cyclades (and made of Cycladic marble), and of their imitations, produced elsewhere in the Aegean, usually of local marble. They hold the key, therefore, to the cultural interactions developing at this time, the so-called ‘international spirit’ manifest particularly during the Aegean Early Bronze II period. This was the time when the foundations of early Aegean civilization were being laid, and the material documented is thus of considerable significance. The volume is divided into sections wherein contributions examine finds and their archaeological, social, and economic contexts from specific regions. It concludes with an overview of the significance and role of these objects in Early Bronze Age societies of the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean region. This will be the first time that this material has been systematically gathered together. Highly illustrated, it follows and builds on the successful preceding volume, Early Cycladic Sculpture in Context (Oxbow 2016).

This second volume on Early Cycladic (and Cycladicising) sculptures examines finds from mainland Greece, along with the rarer items from the north and east Aegean

"At the dawn of European history, in the third millennium BC, the small Greek islands in the southern Aegean known as the Cyclades were home to a remarkable and distinctive culture. Among its most characteristic products were vessels and sculpted figures fashioned from the local marble, and today these Cycladic figurines are admired around the world. This concise introduction to Cycladic art puts the figurines and other objects into the context provided by current knowledge of early life in the islands."--Jacket.

The exhibition Silent Witnesses is a succinct presentation in the third millennium AD of the picture we have of the Cycladic islanders in the third millennium BC. Cycladic works of art speak to the modern audience both through their silence, as objects of unique conception and beauty, and as testimonies of a brilliant and significant culture that flourished in the Cyclades at the dawn of Western Civilization. Silent Witnesses is divided into three thematic sections: Simple Beauty, In His Own Image, and Silent Witnesses. In Simple Beauty, the exhibition presents streamlined, elegant objects with quotidian uses but whose beauty places them in the realm of sculpture. These artifacts were made from readily available materials on the islands, such as wood, marble, bone and stone. The section In His Own Image examines the variety of sculptures based on the human form, revealing the anthropocentric aspects of Aegean culture of this time. The final section, Silent Witnesses, presents the contents of graves that were systematically excavated by archaeologists. Having been collected as objects d'art, they are presented here as artifacts for serious historical and scientific examination. This final section emphasizes the need to educate the public about these pieces whose heritage was nearly lost. This volume explores the artistic tradition that existed in the so-called prehistoric period in the Cyclades. It includes illustrations and descriptions of the 59 objects in the exhibition such as clay and stone vases and of course numerous examples of the renowned Cycladic marble figurines.

Discusses the culture of the Cyclades and the work of 16 artists who lived between ca. 3000 and 2200 B.C.

This book presents highlights of the ancient Cycladic antiquities spanning more than three thousand years (5300–2200 BCE) from the Leonard N. Stern Collection. The featured works, on display at The Met through a special collaboration with the Hellenic Republic, include mesmerizing figurative sculptures as well as marble and terracotta vessels and metalwork. Seán Hemingway, John A. and Carole O. Moran Curator in Charge of the Department of Greek and Roman Art at The Met, writes eloquently about the subtleties of Cycladic craftsmanship during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. Beautiful photography of the collection attests to the power of the seminal tradition of stone carving in Cycladic civilization.