The Cyclades: Discovering the Greek Islands of the Aegean

by John Freely

Overview

The Cyclades are the quintessential Greek isles, renowned for the beauty of their seascapes, their historical monuments, and a unique way of life deeply rooted in the remote past of the Aegean. Over the course of more than 7,000 years the Cyclades have seen a succession of civilizations, the earliest of them perpetuated in legends such as that of Atlantis, which has been identified with volcanic Santorini. The islands are arrayed around their sacred centre on Delos, where Leto was said to have given birth to the divine twins Apollo and Artemis, children of Zeus. Dionysus was born on olive-embowered Naxos, where he fell in love with Ariadne, and myths relate that Poseidon was the protector of Tinos, whose mid-summer festival of the Virgin is celebrated with the folk-dances and songs for which the Cyclades are famous. In this comprehensive guide to the Cyclades, John Freely describes the immemorial past and timeless present of these enchanting islands, which still await discovery.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781845111601
Publisher:	I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd
Publication date:	06/04/2006
Pages:	264
Sales rank:	293,060
Product dimensions:	6.48(w) x 7.89(h) x 0.71(d)

About the Author

John Freely (1926 - 2017) was born in New York and joined the US Navy at the age of seventeen, serving during the last two years of World War II. He had a PhD in physics from New York University and did post-doctoral studies in the history of science at Oxford. He was for many years professor of physics at Bosphorus University in Istanbul, where he taught physics and the history of science. He wrote more than forty books, including Light from the East: How the Science of Medieval Islam Helped Shape the Western World (I.B.Tauris, 2010), The Grand Turk, Storm on Horseback, Children of Achilles, The Cyclades,The Ionian Islands (all I.B.Tauris), Crete, The Western Shores of Turkey, Strolling through Athens, Strolling through Venice and the bestselling Strolling through Istanbul (all Tauris Parke Paperbacks).

Table of Contents

Introduction
• The Encircling Isles
• Kea
• Kythnos
• Seriphos
• Siphnos
• Melos and Kimolos
• Andros
• Tinos
• Mykonos and Delos
• Syros
• Paros and Antiparos
• Naxos
• Amorgos and the Lesser Cyclades
• Ios
• Sikinos and Folegandros
• Santorini (Thera) and Anaphi
• Appendices

Editorial Reviews

*After something of a retreat following exhaustive coverage spurred by the 2004 Olympics, Greece is back on the publishing scene. This is one of the most appealing new titles.*—San Francisco Chronicle

Praise for John Freely's previous works:The Western Shores of Turkey: Discovering the Aegean and Mediterranean Coasts
*Enchanting guide...lightly worn and charmingly conveyed. I fell in love with the book and stayed enamoured until the final page.*—Paul Bailey, The Sunday Times
Strolling through Istanbul
*A classic. The best travel guide to Istanbul.*—The Times

From the Publisher

More than 30 Aegean islands form the circular archipelago known as the Cyclades. Freely (Strolling Through Athens), who has summered in Naxos since the early 1960s, provides unparalleled insights into the history and culture of these amazing islands, home to a succession of civilizations over the last 7000 years. A typical chapter covers one or two islands and includes both ancient lore and Ionian legends (e.g., that Leto gave birth to the divine twins Apollo and Artemis on Delos), archaeological finds, and descriptions of enchanting roads and pathways. The appendixes feature a chronology from ancient times to the present, a listing of annual festivals, a glossary of terms, and a brief bibliography. Travelers unfamiliar with the Greek islands may prefer more general guides such as Kate Poole's Greek Islands or Berlitz's Greek Islands of the Aegean Pocket Guide. This more focused guide, which includes some black-and-white line maps, is recommended for libraries with larger travel collections.-Elizabeth Connor, The Citadel, Military Coll. of South Carolina Lib., Charleston Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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