4500 Year-old Cyclades Sculpture Evidence of ???

All the artwork from the Cyclades culture was smashed long ago. No one knows why. But archeologists have been putting them back together.

This is a pic of a Cycladic sculpture dating back about 4500 years:

Isn't that head amazing?

What do you think?



[edit on 2-1-2007 by soficrow]

Wow, nice find, Soficrow! The style of the artwork is like nothing I've seen before, except that the pose is something I've seen alot of, it resembles Isis statues Iv'e seen. The head does look like it could be alien I guess, or at least Egyptian. Wonder why they broke the art work?

Not sure what to make of it.

It does seem to have a rather flat and elongated head which one could see an 'alien' resemblance in.

Keep in mind though: one can not assume alien relation from a statue alone.

Beautiful art though.

Thanks forestlady and spines.


Here are a few more search results.

* Note: Many of the destroyed Cycladic sculptures have only the heads broken off. ...Wonder why?

A treaure trove of images: The Museum of Cycladic Art. Note the fourth pic down on this page.

Compare the head to this male harp player with clearly sculptured human features

More images (mainly for historical/art value):
"MIKONOS" cycladic idols collection
[url=http://www.epalladioartworkshop.com/idols/SANTORINI/index.htm]"MIKONOS" - santorini cycladic idols collection
www.epalladioartworkshop.com...
www.epalladioartworkshop.com...


More info on the Cycladic culture.

www.epalladioartworkshop.com... - cycladic civilization 3200 BC - 2000BC

In the Early Bronze Age, which begins in c. 3200 BC, there appeared an important civilization on the Cycladic Islands in the central Aegean Sea, at the crossroads of the great civilizations of the East---Egyptian, Minoan, Persian, etc. One of the most distinguishing creations of this civilization was what are now called the Cycladic figures. These fascinating and enigmatic forms have great aesthetic power in their very simplicity. The majority of the figures depict female forms, the prototypes of which seem to originate in the Neolithic Period. Cycladic figures undergo significant changes in shape and form during the period from 3200 B.C. to 2000 B.C.

The first phase in the development of Cycladic figures is called the “Clay Grottas” civilization, extending from 3200 B.C. to 2800 B.C. ...The next phase of Cycladic Civilization is called the Kerou Sirou civilization period, which extends between 2800 B.C. to 2200 B.C. ...The development of Cycladic idols ends in this third phase, called Phylaci Civilization, and dating from 2200 B.C. to 2000 B.C. This period marks the gradual decline in production of Cycladic figures. After 2000 B.C., there are no more Cycladic forms.

***

www.huntfor.com... - Cycladic culture - Early Bronze Age (About 3000-2200 B.C.)

The Cycladic civilization of the Aegean Sea flourished at about the same time as the early Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations. That is considered the forerunner of the first truly European civilization - Greece.
...The sculpture produced there was very unique compared to the art being produced by the Egyptians and Mesopotamians. These sculptures, commonly called Cycladic idols, were often used as grave offerings. Characteristic of that sculpture is that all were made of Parian marble, with its geometric, two-dimensional nature, which has a strangely modern familiarity. The Cycladic artists made obvious attempts to represent the human form. Therefore, Cycladic sculpture can safely be called the first truly great sculpture in Greece.

Interesting article:

arthistory.suite101.com... - Art of the Cyclades: Female Idol Sculpture

The prehistoric Cycladic culture made distinctive and strange yet elegant statues of an almost extraterrestrial beauty.

The Cyclades is a group of thirty small Greek islands and numerous islets in the middle of the Aegean Sea. The Cycladic culture was once active here between 3200 and 2000 B.C.; what little we know about this society comes in large part from the art they left behind.

Great stuff. Makes me want to make art, take a few trips in space and time.






format problems


[edit on 2-1-2007 by soficrow]

Looks like a little clay statue depicting some kind of god or spirit...

Originally posted by DarkSide
Looks like a little clay statue depicting some kind of god or spirit...

That's the common analysis.

The head looks like an elongated bike helmet, imo. It could represent a stylized head tilted back, viewing the stars in awe - presumably in spiritual mode.

This type of head is fairly rare in the online pics - some have noses, some do not.

My first thought when I saw it was WOW! - That's a space helmet. Or maybe a communications helmet.