Cycladic culture
- noun
- /ˈsaɪklædɪk ˈkʌltʃər/
- Artifacts from the Cycladic culture are renowned for their minimalist marble figurines.
Examples
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The exhibition showcased pottery and sculptures characteristic of the Cycladic culture.
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Many artifacts from Cycladic culture have been discovered on Naxos.
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Scholars debate the connections between Minoan civilization and the Cycladic culture.
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The Cycladic culture is known for its unique art and architecture.
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Artifacts from the Cycladic culture are renowned for their minimalist marble figurines.
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Scholars debate the connections between Minoan civilization and the Cycladic culture.
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The exhibition showcased pottery and sculptures characteristic of the Cycladic culture.
Synonyms
An ancient Bronze Age culture that lived on islands in the southern Aegean Sea
An early Bronze Age culture on the Cyclades islands from about 3000 to 1100 BC
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'Cycladic' means 'associated with the Cyclades islands' and 'culture' means the shared customs and artistic practices, so a learner who knows both constituents will understand it refers to the culture of the Cyclades. The precise archaeological time-frame (Bronze Age dates) is specialized background knowledge not encoded in the words, but the basic referential meaning is fully compositional and therefore transparent.
Etymology
Cycladic culture comes from the name of the Cyclades, a group of Greek islands that form a rough circle in the sea. People on those islands long ago made simple marble figures and pottery, so the phrase now means the 'ancient' island civilization and its art.