The establishment of a new center for the study of the Cycladic civilization was announced last week by the Greek culture ministry. Emerging in the central Aegean islands during the late Neolithic to early Bronze Age, this iconic culture is widely known for its schematic figurines of mostly female subjects, often carved in local marble.
The new center will operate under the auspices of the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens and will be based on Naxos, the largest island in the Cyclades group and an increasingly popular tourist destination in its own right.
The announcement gave 2026 as the completion date.
The new research center will focus on the study of the pre-Classical Cycladic culture and on the conservation of its artefacts. A digital database will also be created containing the particulars of every known Cycladic object. Currently, artifacts from the Cycladic period are on display in several museums located on different islands.
