Pre-historic settlement of Skarkos, Archaeological site in Ios, Greece.
Skarkos is a prehistoric settlement on Ios with stone buildings arranged in rows, reaching several meters in height. The site occupies a compact area with numerous residential spaces, courtyards, and interconnected pathways laid out with clear organization.
The settlement dates to the Early Bronze Age, around the mid-third millennium BC, when communities first built permanent towns on the Cycladic islands. Systematic excavations in the late 1900s uncovered the full layout of the site, revealing an advanced society from this remote period.
The settlement layout shows how residents organized their daily lives around shared spaces and collective work. The grouping of homes and courtyards reveals a community that valued living close together and supporting each other's needs.
The site has two entrance points, making it easy for different visitors to access the area from different directions. One entrance is specifically designed for wheelchair users, so plan your visit based on your access needs.
Many stone structures still retain their original two-story design with paved floors, preserved across thousands of years in the dry island climate. The drainage channels running through the settlement reveal that residents understood water management techniques long before written history.
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