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.

Skarkos was systematically excavated between 1984 and 1997 on the north and east sides of the hill. The digs revealed an Early Cycladic settlement of the mid-third millennium BC and, above it, a cemetery of the mid-second millennium BC. The settlement belongs to the Keros-Syros culture and is the largest and best-preserved site of that culture.

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 opened to the public only after conservation works carried out between 2002 and 2007, so the visit follows the excavated north and east sides of the hill. The intervention received the 2008 EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Top Prize for Conservation. Finds from the excavation, including marble figurines and pottery, are displayed at the archaeological museum in Chora.

The site's conservation earned the 2008 EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Top Prize, cited for minimal, sensitive interventions that left the landscape intact. Finds from the excavation, including marble figurines and clay seals, are displayed at the archaeological museum in Chora.