Skarkos prospered because it lay at the junction of key trading routes that linked the Cyclades with mainland Greece, Crete, and Asia Minor. Early Bronze Age sailors used paddled boats with limited range. They had to stop at harbors such as Skarkos to get supplies and totrade. The people of Skarkos imported beverages, perfumed oils, or other liquids in pottery containers. They exported finished products such as obsidian tools.
Skarkos was abandoned about 2300 BC, possibly after an earthquake. Centuries later, people dug some graves into the hill, but the site was never resetttled. That explains why the remains are so well preserved.
During 2003-2009, conservation work was carried out to preserve the site for the future and make it accessible to visitors. In 2008 the site received a European Union Prize for excellence in cultural heritage conservation.
We invite you to visit the archaeological site of Skarkos and experience the ancient remains for yourself. As you explore Skarkos, imagine the sights and sounds of a busy harbor town, full of sailors, traders, artisans, and farmers.
— Text by Prof. John W.I. Lee, University of California at Santa Barbara
Video of Skarkos
Location of Skarkos Hill
Photos of Skarkos
WEB SITES
Σκαρκος Ιου
http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/gh351.jsp?obj_id=18044
Προϊστορικός χώρος του Σκάρκου στην Ιο
http://www.kathimerini.gr/732726/opinion/epikairothta/arxeio-monimes-sthles/h-dr-mariza-mar8arh-omilhtria-sth-diale3h-ths-ellhnikhs-arxaiologikhs-epitrophs-megalhs-vretanias-me-8ema-ton-proistoriko-xwro-toy-skarkoy-sthn-io-sto-kings-college
Early Cycladic Art and Culture
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ecyc/hd_ecyc.htm
REFERENCES
Marthari, Marisa. 2005. “Middle Cycladic and early Late Cycladic cemeteries and their Minoan
elements: the case of the cemetery at Skarkos on Ios” in C. MacDonald, E. Hallager, and
W. Niemeier eds., The Minoans in the central, eastern, and northern Aegean—new
evidence, pp. 41-58. Athens.
Marthari, Marisa. 2008. “Aspects of pottery circulation in the Cyclades during the EB II Period:
fine and semi-fine imported ceramic wares at Skarkos, Ios” in N. Brodie, J. Doole, G.
Gavalas, and C. Renfrew eds., Horizon/Ὁρίζων: a colloquium on the prehistory of the
Cyclades, pp. 71-84. Cambridge, UK.
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