Megali Plaka

Keros: A rocky isle southeast of Koufonisia, one of the most important centers of Cycladic culture (3000-2000 B.C.). Excavations on the western end yielded priceless finds, including 100 marble figurines. Two—the Harpist and the Flutist—are exhibited in the collection of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens; another is the 1.4-meter figurine of a mother-goddess.

Keros in some ancient texts such as Homer and the Orphica is identified with Asteria, the island that some myths claim was the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Some scholars claim that the unique Cycladic figurines were inspired by the isle’s shape, which resembles that of a reclining female form. Keros is spectacular at sunset as light and shadows dance over the land’s relief. When the moon is full, it falls on the island’s profile in such a way that viewed from Koufonisia, Keros looks like a female form floating on the sea.