Cycladic civilization

I spent a month in Athens, Greece at the Cycladic Art Museum as part of an internship.
The Curator gave me a few projects and this gave me a chance to research Cycladic civilization. What a mystery!! I will post what I have later but I was wondering what other info people could add to this. I have to go to work soon- that darn W word!!
oh, for great New Age sounds: http://www.mysticradio.com/
http://www.cycladic-m.gr/

Religious beliefs

Our knowledge of the religious beliefs of the Cycladic islanders is very scant indeed. The complete lack of written sources makes it very difficult to understand their religious convictions. Furthermore, the fact that very few Early Cycladic settlements have been excavated, in comparison with the cemeteries, obliges us to approach the subject mainly from the point of view of the burial customs of the time. As we have already seen, the inhabitants of the Cyclades believed that life continued in some form after death. Their respect for the dead went beyond the placing of the deceased person�s personal items in the tomb, and probably also found expression in ceremonies conducted in the cemeteries. This thesis supported by the discovery of exedrae in cemeteries, accompanied by ritual vessels in the case of the cemetery at Ayioi Anargyroi on Naxos. A large number of vase types are considered to have been ritual vessels: the large flat vases in the form of animals with several containers (kernoi), footed krateriskoi (�lamp�), and probably also the �frying- pan� vessels. In the case of the last named, it has been asserted both that they had a practical use (as mirrors, astrolabes, or plates) and they were ritual objects: their frequent presence in tombs, along with the fact that they are decorated with religious symbols, are strong indications that these vessels had a sacred character. Apart from the cemeteries, little is known to scholarship bout the cult places of the Cyclades. The remains of a makeshift structure at Korphi t� Aroniou on Naxos, where ten marble slabs with pitted representations were also discovered, may be regarded as a place in which cult rituals took place. These slabs were dedicated by the inhabitants of the island to the deity, probably in order to secure divine protection for their daily tasks, such as hunting, stock raising, trade, etc.

The marble figurines, finally, are thought to be unique representations of the supernatural forces in which the Cycladic islanders believed. The significance of the figurines in the eyes of the ancient islanders is beyond our knowledge, however, since all attempt to interpret them (see below) are base exclusively on the evidence of excavations.

In other words we know very little but lots of theories base upon archaeology!!

Author-ME paraphrased for the Cycladic Art Museum- one of my projects. It is on their web site somewhere but that was over three years ago so maybe not anymore.
http://www.cycladic-m.gr/
Source: Renfrew, Colin. The Cycladic Spirit. Athens: N. P. Goulandris Foundation, 1991.

Here's the Goulandris museum site: http://www.cycladic-m.gr/