The emery of Naxos

The emery (smirida or smirigli in Greek) is a rock that is found in the mountains of northeast Naxos. It is mined from the mines of the area (emery mines) and after a natural processing it is used as an abrasive and a scraper for metals, alloy glass, rocks and as a traction enhancer in roads and floorings. It consists of minerals, corundum, which gives the hardness and the abrasive qualities, haematite, magnetite, etc.

Naxos is the largest and most fertile island in the Cyclades island group, and it is located in the centre of the Aegean Sea. It was named after Naxos, who was the head of Kares people from Latmos in Minor Asia, and according to Ancient Greeks, they were the first colonists of the island. Certain myths, however, describe that Thrakes were the first colonists.

As it is proved by many finds, such as the extended settlement in the Kokkinovrachos in Grotta, the Neolithic stratums at the cave of Zas, as well as finds in other places – Palatia (“Portara”), Sangri, Moutsouna and Kanakis – the oldest human presence on the island dates back to the Late Neolithic Age (4300 – 3200B.C.).

During the Early Cycladic period (3200 – 2000 B.C.) there is a population growth that is denoted by the increase of archaeological sights on the island’s total area, especially in the eastern and northern coasts. This is due to the existence of “Small Cyclades” ( Pano and Kato Koufonissi, Keros, Schinoussa, Iraklia) that were ideal for expansion, serving at the same time as a channel of communication with the East and West Aegean.

Our Knowledge concerning this long period comes mainly from cemeteries, most of them desecrated or excavated in the beginning of the 20^th century. Unfortunately, most of the settlements that correspond to these cemeteries have not been yet discovered. Moreover, few of the located settlements have been excavated or searched systematically, and as a result we don’t have a full picture of their residential and architectural growth.

The wealth and advancement that had been realized in all areas are evident from the finds of the Early Cycladic II period (2700 – 2300 B.C.), when this big Cycladic island becomes one of the greatest commercial and cultural centres of those ages. A large number of jewellery, tools, potteries and utensils and other objects and works of art made of various materials (clay, stone, and metals) are shipped to many areas inside as well as outside of the Cyclades Islands. The marble figurines hold a dominant place among them, and their flowering coincides with the Early Cycladic II period. The settlement of Grotta is developed during the same period, having a clear town planning. During that time we have the first signs concerning the establishment: “Korfi of Aroni” (Top of Aroni) there are some rectangular flagstones of magical – religious character, with tapped representations of humans, animals and ships.

The fortified citadel in Panormos (Korfari ton Amygdalion) is dated back to the last phase of the Early Cycladic III period (2300 – 2000 B.C.), and it is estimated that during the same time the settlements in Spedos and Kastraki were enclosed with walls. Fortifications show that during the last phase of the Early Cycladic period there was a troubled situation and the defensive needs were obviously increased.

Most of the settlements in Naxos are deserted during the changes that take place all over the Aegean and affect the island as well. In Mikri Vigla, Rizocastellia, Kastro and Grotta we have finds from the Middle Cycladic period (2000 – 1550 B.C.). It is possible, however, that this is due to the gaps in research.

In the late Cycladic period and especially during the 14^th and 13^th centuries BC, some older locations are being inhabited, even on a occasional basis, (Rizokastellia, Mikri Vigla, Cave of Zas), or some new settlements are being established (from Chosti to Kallando). Main characteristic of that time was the concentration of populations in the northwest coast of the island, in Grotta, which becomes probably the only centre of the island. This shift is rather due to the geographical location of Grotta that makes it a communication spot between the Mycenaean centres of Greece and the East. In the middle of the 13^th century, after the distraction of the town, either by an earth wake or some other cause, a new town is built on top of the old one; it has a different orientation, though, and is extended southwards and eastwards. The Mycenaean citadel is been moved to Kastro and the lower part of the town occupies the coastal area, which is enclosed with walls after 1200 B.C. The land planning changes are related to the general changes that took place again in the Aegean area, as well as to the new conditions created after the collapse of the Mycenaean imperial centres. Finds from the settlement of Grotta and its cemeteries, in Aplomata and Kaminia, show an affluent society, with less Mycenaean features compared to the past, incorporating elements and features from Attica, Crete, Dodecanese and Cyprus.

During the Protogeometric and Geometric Ages (1050 – 700 B.C.) THE “asty” (centre of the city) occupies the location of toady’s town. Along with the other cemeteries created in the outskirts of “asty” (Plinthos, Aplomata, South Cemetery), the location of the old settlement of Grotta is being used as a burial place. In Grotta, finds of  burial enclosures of different families, dating back to the 9^th century indicate that ancestors were honoured as fathers – heroes. Towards the end of the 8^th century B.C. a tomb covers such burial enclosures near the ruins of the Mycenaean wall.

The rural and stockbreeding population of the island lives scattered in smaller settlements in the countryside of Naxos (“Chora”), as it is reflected by the finds of the extended necropolis of Tsikalari with the tombs and the carved pots that were “simpler” compared to the pottery of “asty”. The difference in level between the people of “asty” and the people of “Chora” denote a social plurality. It is said that the colonization of Sicily, in 734 B.C, by the people of Naxos and Chalkida, and later of Arkesini in the neighboring island of Amorgos, might have worked possibly as a means of easing social tensions. At the same time, such kind of operations shows an overall prosperity already since the 8^th century B.C. 

During the Archaic period (from the 7^th until the beginning of the 5^th century B.C.) Naxos is realizing a great prosperity. The island plays a leading role in plastic art the architecture: the two “Kouros” in Melanes and Potamia, as well as “Apollo” or “Dionysus” in Apollon that are semi-work statutes found in their original positions inside ancient quarries, are unique testimonies of that age. An open-air sanctuary in Flerio, probably dedicated to Nymphs, with a strong enclosure, rectangular foundations and ruins of wide and flat openings where the offerings were placed, is related to the operating of the ancient marble quarries in the area.

According to the tradition, craftsmen from Naxos were the first to construct buildings totally made in marble. What is more, Naxos was the motherland of Ionic marble architecture. The sanctuary of Dionysus in Iria with four successive temples (800 – 550 B.C.) shows the transition from the simple one-room house to more refined marble shapes. The visitor will see ruins of the last monumental temple; the marble highlights the crucial parts of the building (face, columns, etc) and it is carved on a primary level resulting in the early forms of Ionic column and of the prostyle ionic temple in general. People of Naxos had already applied architectural elements (big doorways, visual refinements, the double roof-ceiling) that were adapted later by the classical Attica architecture. This is evident in the marble building that was built in Gyroulas, near Sangri, as a place of worshiping Demeter and Apollo during the tyranny of Lygdamis, around 525 B.C. The most famous monument of Naxos island, which is considered to be its “trademark”, is the marble temple of Apollo Delios in the islet of Vakchos (Palatia). It is called “Portara” due to the huge portal of its Cella that is still standing. This temple as well was built during the tyranny period, around 530 B.C.

Another smaller construction project of the same or later period is a characteristic sample of the Cycladic construction projects of antiquity. It is an aqueduct, a linear construction, 11 km long, that starts from the area of Melanes, follows the banks of the massifs of the area, goes through the settlements of Agios Thaleleos and Aggidies and crosses the plain of Katsagra in order to end up to the Chora of Naxos. During the Roman times, on top of the same tracing, a surface canal was opened up made of lime stones and lime mortal.

From the Persian Wars onwards Naxos starts to go into decline and this is illustrated through its art. The outstanding unique archaic architecture has ceased to exist, and great buildings are not constructed anymore. There are sporadic projects, however, such as a marble kore of the 5^th century B.C, or the establishment of towers, in the late 4^th and 3^rd centuries B.C, in vital spots of the island (a typical example is the Tower of Cheimarros). These works show that the people of Naxos had kept some of their sources and creativity. Indeed, around 315 B.C. the island joins the “Common of the Islanders” and Naxos seems to recovers. At that time the centre of Naxos is transferred again to the beach of Grotta. The town’s agora is situated in the area of Metropolis. As time passes the importance of the island is understated. The Romans used it as a place for exiles. Some works of art, however, such as the statute of general Antonios as a new Dionysus or the bust of Gallienus are exceptional. Naxos is flourishing again, for the last time though, at the end of the Roman Ages. The houses of the town are stretched in a vast area and some of them are decorated with wonderful wall paintings and mosaics.