The easternmost island of the Cyclades, Amorgos acts a way-station for boats travelling in the Aegean – a bridge between the Cyclades and the Dodecanese, the islands of the northeastern Aegean and the Asia Minor coast. It has been a field of cultural ferment since the Neolithic times (from the late 5th millennium BC in particular). The tireless efforts of Prof. L. Marangou have brought to light on the island the three cities, Arkesini, Minoa and Aigiali, with its main port in the deep bay of Katapola, in addition to the dominating acropolis of Minoa, with its significant remains of numerous immovable and movable antiquities. Her work also contributed decisively to the valuable documentation of an extensive network of rectangular and circular towers, by which were controlled both the internal organization of agriculture and livestock and the external marine environment during the late Classical and early Hellenistic periods, that is, from the 4th century BC onwards.
In addition to these specific markers in space and time, other remains are scattered across the island that testify that life in the land of the ‘amorgis’ plant (a type of flax from which the ‘Amorgian tunics’ were made) achieved memorial accomplishments. Some in particular are today recognized as meeting the standards of great art: artistic canons, such as the Early Cycladic marble figurines. Those of the standard type with the arms crossed below the chest were the first of a great sculptural tradition, one which did not cease down the centuries, although in that time the stone products took several forms, and were made under different aesthetic sensibilities.
The significant quantity of sculptures from various parts of Amorgos that today adorn the small but crucial Archaeological Collection of Chora is impressive. The collection also preserves and makes available to the public remarkable epigraphical documents. These help trace the history of the island, providing information about its socio-economic institutions, the relationship of the Amorgians with the foreigners (such as the Samians) settled in her three cities, the sanctuaries and their religious beliefs, and testify to the existence of buildings that archaeological research has not yet revealed.
Life on Amorgos retained its coastal character up to the end of Late Antiquity, when in the early stages of the 7th century AD there arose an interest in moving to the hinterland. This seemingly caused a massive relocation of the inhabitants and thereby reshaped the agricultural economy practised there – a situation that did not alter until the 19th century. This transfer marks the beginning of a turbulent period, the most obvious proof of which is the way the churches were founded in obscure areas, at points chosen to be invisible from the sea.
Bibliography Marangou, L. I. (2002). ). Αμοργός Ι – Η Μινώα. Η πόλις, ο λιμήν και η μείζων περιφέρεια. Athens: Archaeological Society. Marangou, L. I. (2002). Αμοργός ΙΙ – Οι Αρχαίοι Πύργοι. Athens: Archaeological Society.
