Towards the end of the 19th century, archaeologists uncovered hundreds of stone tombs on the Cyclades, a cluster of islands in the Aegean Sea that lie between Greece and Turkey. Although many of the tombs were empty, some held skeletal remains surrounded by objects. Among these objects were figurines, predominantly representing women, carved from white marble. These were the traces of an ancient civilization that was more sophisticated than anyone had imagined.
Today, approximately 30 of the main islands of the Cyclades are inhabited, some of which have been continuously inhabited by humans for well over 5,000 years now. The earliest known Cycladic figurine was discovered in the 1960s on the island of Saliagos, by archaeologists John Davies Evans and Colin Renfrew. The marble figure, referred to at "Fat Lady of Saliagos", dates from about 5000 to 4000BCE, providing evidence for the earliest known settlement in the Cyclades. Figures from this Early Cycladic period were simple, abstract, and depicted women with full and round bodies, indicating fertility.
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A gap of 2,000 years passed until the practice of stone sculpture reemerged in the Cyclades at around 3300 BC. This new phase of sculpture is characterized by experimentation: the figures have distinctly long necks, and are often represented standing, with carved details on their faces.
For the next 600 years, many different silhouettes emerge, until the Cycladic people seem to land on a final form: at 2700 BC, the mature phase of Cycladic culture begins, symbolized by the strong canonical figure, known as the “folded-arm figurine” (FAF). These figures are referred to as “canonical” because they follow a strict formula that would be used over the next 400 years, distinguished by the geometric stylization of the human form, but most notably the female body. The style from this phase creates a sense of conformity and precision. With only a few exceptions, the figurines from this phase have slightly upturned faces with very minimal carved detail except for the nose.
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The figurines almost always depict women, their arms folded across their bellies, right arm resting beneath the left, with small breasts and an incised pubic triangle. In this phase, the legs are no longer separately carved—instead, a line is used to separate them, preventing them from breakage. The figures are slim and elegant, with their feet pointing down, and some incised details on their backs. Most of the figures are under 12 inches, but some reach twice that size. The largest ever found is just under five feet tall, making it one of the first monumental sculptures to be produced in the world. Some Cycladic figurines that represented men typically depict them as hunters, warriors or musicians.
Many figures of this period show traces of pigment that point to details such as the eyes, mouth or hair. Some also have tattoo-like markings across the face and body, reflecting the body-painting practices of early Cycladic culture. The swollen bellies on certain figurines seem to indicate pregnancy or fertility.
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Along with the figurines, rounded forms known as “frying pans” were also discovered in the Cyclades. Some represent symbols of the sun and female genitalia, which supports the theory of a religion in which the sun was associated with a woman's power to give life. A recent theory suggests that these pans were used as astronomical calendars based on the motion of the sun, the moon, and Venus. It is believed that the Cycladic people tracked the days by creating marks in the terra-cotta, which would allow them to predict a woman's pregnancy and pattern their lives in harmony with the cosmos.
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The Language of Form:
Folded-arm Figures
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This short film explores the Cycladic culture of the Aegean Sea that thrived from roughly 3,300 BC to 2,300 BC. Hundreds of female idols were carved during this time, though precisely why remains one of the great archeological mysteries. Created and narrated by visual artist Lance Hewison.
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Were these figurines connected to religious rites or celebrations? Do they represent deities or everyday people? The Cycladic figurines likely had many functions in Cycladic society, and modern historians have different interpretations for their possible meanings and uses. They may have been used as votive figures—anthropomorphic representations that were created as embodiments of the worshipper, and placed in temples as dedications to a deity. They may have been symbols of fertility, or depictions of fertility deities, as the concepts of fertility and life cycles were central spiritual themes in the ancient Mediterranean, and some of the figurines’ shapes suggest pregnancy and childbirth. They may also have been used in burial practices, as evidenced by the fact that many figures weren’t able to stand, and were meant to lie on their backs, feet and toes pointed downward. Their folded arms could have been a representation of repose.
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The figurines may also have been ritual objects, aimed at ceremonial use. They may have been held or carried upright in procession, used in marriage ceremonies, in ancestor rituals as representations of the deceased, or representing mourners during funerals.
Historian Celia Romani analyzes the figurines through the lens of their crossed-armed position. She writes: “I would like to propose a lens with which to view the figures. It is one with which many people before have examined them, but I believe it helps us to not only view them as having a functional purpose, but helps us to connect with the pieces on a more emotional level which could help us interpret their meaning. This lens is the crossed arms.
This has a variety of possible meanings. It could be a position of piety or worship which helps support the theory of them being votive figures.
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It could also be a way to emphasize the midsection or a gesture to protect the belly. For the female figures this helps support the theory of fertility tokens. It could also simply have a more mundane reason, the crossed arms help to prevent breakage over time as they are fully attached to the body.
The gesture of crossed arms is a very human, sometimes very emotional one. We cross our arms when we feel nervous, scared, uncomfortable, or anxious, as a way of protecting ourselves. We cross our arms when we are angry or when we are being stubborn. We even cross our arms when we are cold. Art over time has been a way for people to depict the world around them, represent their customs and rituals, but also as a way of figuring out that world and themselves, whether that means themselves as an individual or themselves in a broader sense, as human.”
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The ambiguity and appeal of the Cycladic figurines has had a profound impact on the modern imagination. They have had a significant influence on modern art, in their abstract simplicity, highly stylized forms, and balanced proportions. Pioneering 20th-century artists such as Pablo Picasso, Constantin Brancusi and Amedeo Modigliani were notably influenced by the elegantly simple marble figurines in much of their artistic works.
This idea of looking at and taking inspiration from cultural products and practices from the past was a complex artistic trend practiced by 20th century western artists, called primitivism. Modern artists from Europe and America were looking to the past and to distant cultures for new artistic sources in the face of increasing industrialization and urbanization.
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Primitivism contained a basic contradiction: the primitive was admired and even seen as an ideal, but at the same it was also assumed to be inferior, because it is not fully developed. This paradox makes primitivism a concept that is both intellectually and morally complex. Primitivism developed during the modern era, prompted by two events. First, the so-called ‘Age of Discovery’ from the 15th to 17th century brought Europeans into close contact with many previously unknown cultures from all around the world. Second, primitivist perspectives were brought about by anxieties induced by the rapid social, economic, and political shifts that accompanied the scientific and industrial revolutions of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.
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Here, you will find simple earth-based and nature-oriented practices, prompts and rituals that will help you connect with the energy of the Goddess.
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This magical guided journey takes you to a ritual fire in the forest where your ancestor awaits and bears witness to your releasing of all that no longer serves you or what has held you back. Mama Bear will then guide you to the womb of Mother Earth, where you will meet your Spirit Guides, Higher Self, and Power Animal, where they will take you to a magical world full of mystery and remembrance. It is here where you will begin unearthing the long-dormant seeds of your soul that help you to remember who you are. Listen here.
Practice by Dakota Earth Cloud Walker on Insight Timer
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Dive deeper into the Cycladic figures, Aegean art and civilization, and feminine spirituality, with these books, articles, essays, videos and documentaries.
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✶ Museum
The Museum of
Cycladic Art -
✎ Book
‘Early Cycladic Sculpture in Context’
by Marisa Marthari, Colin Renfrew, Michael J. Boyd (Ed.) -
✎ Book
‘Cycladic art: Ancient sculpture and pottery from the N.P. Goulandris Collection’
by Christos Doumas -
✻ Video
‘A Rare Cycladic Figure from the 3rd Millennium B.C.’
by Christie's -
✎ Book
‘Introduction to Aegean Art’
by Philip P. Betancourt -
✎ Book
‘The Emergence of Civilisation: The Cyclades and the Aegean in the Third Millennium BC’
by Colin Renfrew -
✎ Book
‘Aegean Waves: Artworks of the Early Cycladic Culture in the Museum of Cycladic Art’
by Nicholas Stampolidis & Peggy Sotirakopoulou -
✎ Book
‘Aegean Art and Architecture’
by Donald Preziosi & Louise A. Hitchcock -
✎ Book
‘The Oxford Handbook of the Bronze Age Aegean’
by Eric H. Cline -
❇ Research Paper
‘Cycladic Figurines and Women's Role in Ritual’
by Ella Gonzalez -
✣ Article
‘These 5,000-Year-Old Sculptures Look Shockingly Similar to Modern Art’
by Julia Fiore -
☾ Documentary
‘Goddess Remembered’
by Donna Read -
✎ Book
‘The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess’
by Starhawk -
✎ Book
‘Primal Myths: Creation Myths Around the World’
by Barbara Sproul -
✎ Book
‘The Goddess: Mythological Images of the Feminine’
by Christine Downing -
✎ Book
‘Lost Goddesses of Early Greece: A Collection of Pre-Hellenic Myths’
by Charlene Spretnak -
✦ Journal Article
‘Painted Ladies: Early Cycladic II Mourning Figures?’
by Gail L. Hoffman -
✣ Article
‘Demystifying Cycladic Figurines’
by Isla Phillips
Sources:
Cycladic Civilization | Folded-arm Figures
Figurines | Museum of Cycladic Art
Cycladic Sculpture - World History Encyclopedia
Cyclades - World History Encyclopedia
Figures in Cycladic Art, by Celia H. Romani (furman.edu)
Cycladic Figurines and Women's Role in Ritual, by Ella Gonzalez
Painted Ladies: Early Cycladic II Mourning Figures?