PAROS

The historical and archaeological importance of Paros is equivalent to its size and central location in the Cyclades. Even if Paros is a little smaller than Naxos, its immediate neighbor, they are sharing lot of in common. Its coastal geography provides many shelters and its inland is large enough to offer cultivated and pasture fields. Moreover Paros is famous for its marble, probably one of the delicate and wanted in the Antiquity .
The occupation on the island begins in Early Cycladic. From then many cemetery were found throughout the territory ( Dryos, Avyssos, Galana Gremna, Kampos, Ag Irini Plastiras) but very few settlement have been found. It seems to be that East of the island was main populated part. However, at the end of the Early Bronze Age ( ECIII ) a settlement was set on the acropolis of Paroikia ( the medieval Kastro ) .
Very little is known from the Middle Bronze Age most sites had to be abandoned. It may be at the end of this period that a community settled at Koukounaries north of the island in the bay of Naoussa. This site experienced some growth during the Mycenaean period and still at the Late Helladic IIIC an imposing building is erected. Koukounaries is still occupied throughout the Geometric period but appears to be abandoned shortly thereafter. However, on the slopes of the hill a temple, probably dedicated to Athena, remained in use during the archaic time.
The Archaic period is the golden age of Paros, and opulent city grows at Parokia. One can see by the discoveries of the weathy cemeteries that this community was already important at the end of the eighth century. One of the glories of the seventh century is the foundation of the rich colony of Thasos, but it is the sixth century that Paros takes its greatness at the expense of its rival Naxos. A imposing wall protects the city and the temple to Athena was built around 525 BC at the top of the acropolis. Other sanctuaries existed within the walls but their locations remain unknown. On the contrary many rural sanctuaries have been found. Among them, there are two in the southern vicinity, one of Apollo Pyhios established from the archaic period and the Asklepeion at least the fourth century. But judging by the wealth of offerings the most important was the Delion located on the top of a hill North of Paroikia bay. In general, the discoveries from the cemeteries of the city show the wealth of the society from the Geometric Recent till the roman time.

The old synthesis of the monuments of Paros by D. Berranger, Recherches sur l’histoire et la prosopograhie de Paros à l’époque archaïque, Clermont Ferrand 1992 remains the main synthesis about the history and the archaeology of the island, as well as the numerous publications of the Munich Technical University team led by the late G. Gruben, and A. Ohnesorg (fairly recently see Ph. Zapheiropoulou, Recent finds from Paros, in M. Stamatopoulou & M. Yeroulanou (eds), Excavating Classical Culture, BAR International Series 1031, Oxford 2002, 281-284; A. Ohnesorg. Naxian and Parian architecture. General features and new discoveries, M. Yeroulanou & M. Stamatopoulou (eds), Architecture and Archaeology in the Cyclades. Papers in honour of J.J.Coulton, BAR Int. Series 1455, Oxford2005, 146-147). The site of Koukounaries, excavated in the 1970's and 80's by D. Schilardi is on the way of being included in a restoration-enhancing project which will also facilitate the long awaited publication of the Late geometric and Archaic temple of Athena (for a fairly recent summary see D.V. Schilardi, The Emergence of Paros the Capital, Pallas 58, 2002, 229-240).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Lord, L. E. 1956. The Island of Paros, Tuscaloosa, 37-43.
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Zapheiropoulou, P. 2006. Paros, Vlachopoulos, A. G. (ed.) Archaeology: Aegean Islands, Αthens, 260-267.