Toponyme

SYROS

Syros is a middle size island in the centre of the Cyclades whom relief shows various aspects, mountainous with rocky coasts in the north and deep bays and fertile plains in the south.
Archaeological surveys have indicated the presence of human from the Late and Final Neolithic at least at Chondra and Talanta.
Syros enjoyed a development in the Early Bronze Age and in particular in the EC II with the settlements of Chalandriani and of Kastri. The former was quiet larger but the latter had an impressive defending wall and had a particular skills in metalworking. Those settlements found together with their cemeteries illustrate one of the wealthiest period of Syros. On the contrary, only sporadic finds attest the continuity of life during the Early Cycladic III as well as the Middle and Late Bronze Age.
From historical times the main city on the island was located at the very same place than the modern capital Hermoupolis and unfortunately the continuous life on the site have destroy almost everything. Left only, some part of the city wall, seats of the theatre and the hypothetical location of the agora and prytaneion. The cemetery extended over the southwest foot of Katailymata hill.
Other ancient city existed on the island as some finds in the southern bay of Phoinikas may indicate. But it is more certain in the case of Galissas bay South West of the island where a settlement with a double acropolis and a harbour stood. Judging by the finds the occupation dates from the geometric period to the 4th century BC. Mariza Marthari has conducted excavations at the coastal settlement of Galissas in the mid 90's. There is not much information yet, though from an Early Archaic graffito, found earlier (in 1979) it seems that there may have been a sanctuary here dedicated either to Poseidon or, more likely, to Demeter. (M.-B. Savo, op. cit., 406-407, 416-417, 480; J. Mermoz, op. cit., 269-270) (indeed Poseidon seem to have been rarely worshipped in the Cyclades during the Archaic period).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bossert, E. M. 1967. Kastri auf Syros. Vorbericht über eine Untersuchung der prähistorischen Siedlung, AD, 22,1.1967: 53-76.
Frangkidis, A. 19752. Ιστορία της νήσου Σύρου, Athens.
Hekman, J. J. 1994. Chalandriani on Syros. A early bronze age cemetery in the Cyclades, AEph, 133.1994: 47-74.Knittlmayer, B. 2001. Wiedervereinigte Funde von der Kykladeninsel Syros. Grabbeigaben der frühen Bronzezeit in der Berliner Antikensammlung, Jahrbuch der Berliner Museen, 43: 37-52.

Mantzoulinou-Richards, E. 1988. A stele for a priestess of Isis on the island of Syros, The Ancient World, 17: 35-39.
Mantzoulinou-Richards, E. 1994. From Syros, 3. Forged Kabeirian ex-votos, Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 101: 136-138.
Martharē, M. 1998. Σύρος, Χαλανδριανή, Καστρί : από την έρευνα και την προστασία στην ανάδειξη του αρχαιολογικού χώρου, Αθήνα.
Oikonomides, A. N. 1988. Three archaic Greek inscriptions from the island of Syros, The Ancient World, 17: 31-34.

Syros, Siros

<h2>SYROS</h2>
Syros is a middle size island in the centre of the Cyclades whom relief shows various aspects, mountainous with rocky coasts in the north and deep bays and fertile plains in the south. Archaeological surveys have indicated the presence of human from the Late and Final Neolithic at least at Chondra and Talanta. Syros enjoyed a development in the Early Bronze Age and in particular in the EC II with the settlements of Chalandriani and of Kastri. The former was quiet larger but the latter had an impressive defending wall and had a particular skills in metalworking. Those settlements found together with their cemeteries illustrate one of the wealthiest period of Syros. On the contrary, only sporadic finds attest the continuity of life during the Early Cycladic III as well as the Middle and Late Bronze Age. From historical times the main city on the island was located at the very same place than the modern capital Hermoupolis and unfortunately the continuous life on the site have destroy almost everything. Left only, some part of the city wall, seats of the theatre and the hypothetical location of the agora and prytaneion. The cemetery extended over the southwest foot of Katailymata hill. Other ancient city existed on the island as some finds in the southern bay of Phoinikas may indicate. But it is more certain in the case of Galissas bay South West of the island where a settlement with a double acropolis and a harbour stood. Judging by the finds the occupation dates from the geometric period to the 4th century BC. Mariza Marthari has conducted excavations at the coastal settlement of Galissas in the mid 90's. There is not much information yet, though from an Early Archaic graffito, found earlier (in 1979) it seems that there may have been a sanctuary here dedicated either to Poseidon or, more likely, to Demeter. (M.-B. Savo, op. cit., 406-407, 416-417, 480; J. Mermoz, op. cit., 269-270) (indeed Poseidon seem to have been rarely worshipped in the Cyclades during the Archaic period).
 
<h2>BIBLIOGRAPHY </h2>
 
Bossert, E. M. 1967. Kastri auf Syros. Vorbericht über eine Untersuchung der prähistorischen Siedlung, AD, 22,1.1967: 53-76. Frangkidis, A. 19752. Ιστορία της νήσου Σύρου, Athens. Hekman, J. J. 1994. Chalandriani on Syros. A early bronze age cemetery in the Cyclades, AEph, 133.1994: 47-74.Knittlmayer, B. 2001. Wiedervereinigte Funde von der Kykladeninsel Syros. Grabbeigaben der frühen Bronzezeit in der Berliner Antikensammlung, Jahrbuch der Berliner Museen, 43: 37-52.
Mantzoulinou-Richards, E. 1988. A stele for a priestess of Isis on the island of Syros, The Ancient World, 17: 35-39. Mantzoulinou-Richards, E. 1994. From Syros, 3. Forged Kabeirian ex-votos, Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 101: 136-138. Martharē, M. 1998. Σύρος, Χαλανδριανή, Καστρί : από την έρευνα και την προστασία στην ανάδειξη του αρχαιολογικού χώρου, Αθήνα. Oikonomides, A. N. 1988. Three archaic Greek inscriptions from the island of Syros, The Ancient World, 17: 31-34.