A collection of pendants and earrings inspired by Anient Greek Cycladic sculptures, the most distinctive art produced throughout the Bronze Age in the Aegean. These figurines were produced from 3000 BCE until around 2000 BCE. Small statuettes were sculpted from local marble and although different forms were produced, all share the same characteristics of being highly stylized with only the most general and prominent body features represented. The end result was a piece with a finely polished sheen. There are on occasion surviving traces of colour on some statues which was used to highlight details such as hair in red and black and facial features were also painted onto the sculpture such as eyes. The artifacts were found all over the Cycladic islands on Crete and on the Greek mainland.
DELOS
The island of Delos, near Mykonos, near the centre of the Cyclades archipelago, is one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. The excavations in the island are among the most extensive in the Mediterranean and many of the artifacts found are on display at the Archaeological Museum of Delos and the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. Delos had a position as a holy sanctuary for a millenium before Olympian Greek Mythology made it the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Established as a cult center, Delos had an importance that its natural resources could never have offered. In this Leto, searching for a birthing-place for Artemis and Apollo, addressed the island:
Delos, if you would be willing to be the abode of my son Phoebus Apollo and make him a rich temple –; for no other will touch you, as you will find: and I think you will never be rich in oxen and sheep, nor bear vintage nor yet produce plants abundantly. But if you have the temple of far-shooting Apollo, all men will bring you hecatombs and gather here, and incessant savour of rich sacrifice will always arise, and you will feed those who dwell in you from the hand of strangers; for truly your own soil is not rich.
— Homeric Hymn to Delian Apollo 51–60
Delius and Delia were surnames given to sun god Apollo and Artemis goddess of the hunt due to their birthplace. The twins were children of the king of the gods Zeus and Leto. Leto was a very gracious and loveable deity who now had a powerful rival, Hera. She explicitly forbade any place under the sun to offer Leto shelter. According to the myth she finally found a small floating island next to Mykonos named Asteria which Poseidon myraculously diamond blocked to the seabed with his trident in order to give fleeing Leto a land to bare her children. It was then named Delos which in Ancient Greek means ”appearance” or ”apparent.” The Delians were born.
