 Situated in the southwestern Aegean Sea, the Cycladic Islands were settled in the late sixth millennium B.C.; the origin of the inhabitants has not been established. The sculptures made during the Neolithic period are precursors of the far more numerous--and better known--pieces datable between about 3200 and 2000 B.C. that are commonly called Cycladic. The Cycladic works are the product of an imperfectly understood culture. Few settlements have been found and much of the evidence, including the figures, comes from graves. In the predominance of human form, the use of marble heightened with color, the conscious application of proportions, and the harmony of the parts, these works initiate the glorious tradition of Greek marble sculpture.
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