Keros

Nearly 5,000 years ago, during the Bronze Age, Keros was at the heart of the Cycladic civilization. Nowadays, it is a deserted island and an important archaeological site.

In Keros were discovered the most beautiful Cycladic idols, which later inspired modern artists such as Pablo Picasso and Henry Moore. The flat-faced, tapered-nosed idols you see in souvenir shops are reproductions of statuettes discovered on the island.

Keros is the largest of the Small Cyclades, the miniarchipel between Amorgos and Naxos. In the Middle Ages, these islands were a pirates' den, as there are safe havens there.

These tiny islands were inhabited during Antiquity but were later deserted and used as pastures. They were recolonized by the inhabitants of Amorgos from the 18th century. Moreover, Keros belongs to the famous monastery of Chozoviotissa.

Keros had some inhabitants for a few decades, but the last ones left the island in 1968 to settle on Ano Koufonisi.

In the 19th century were discovered important archaeological remains and Keros became a site of major excavations. Apparently, it was an important religious site a few thousand years ago, long before Delos became the sacred island of the Cyclades.

Unfortunately, during the years 1950-1960, Keros was plundered by unscrupulous archaeologists and many discoveries disappeared forever, probably sold to wealthy collectors. Some of the most beautiful discoveries can however be admired in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, the Archaeological Museum of Naxos, the Louvre and the Metropolitan...

It's possible to go to Keros, but it's strictly forbidden to spend the night there and, in our opinion, you should not get too close to the excavations sites!

It seems that it's forbidden to stroll on the island more than 50 m away from the shore, so explore Keros at your own risk...