ATHENS – The Ministry of Culture, through the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades, and the Museum of Cycladic Art organize the archaeological exhibition Kykladitisses: Untold Stories of Women in the Cyclades, which will be on display at the Museum of Cycladic Art – Stathatos Mansion from December 12, 2024 to May 4, 2025. Following this, the exhibition will be transferred to the Archaeological Museum of Thera in June 2025, where it will be displayed under the same form. This exhibition marks the inaugural initiative under the Memorandum of Understanding, signed on May 17, 2024, by the Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni and the President and CEO of the Museum of Cycladic Art, Kassandra Marinopoulou. This partnership aims to advance the study and promotion of Cycladic culture globally.

Kykladitisses: Untold Stories of Women in the Cyclades will feature approximately 150 artifacts, all of them products of the Cycladic culture, spanning from early prehistory to the 17th century. These remarkable pieces have been drawn from the collections of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades and those of the Museum of Cycladic Art. Many of these unique works have never traveled beyond the Cyclades or the Museum of Cycladic Art or been displayed publicly before. In addition, the exhibition will showcase select Cycladic antiquities from the National Archaeological Museum, the Canellopoulos Museum, the Epigraphic Museum of Athens, and significant private collections.

The artifacts narrate the islands’ history through the perspective of its female inhabitants, focusing on the evolving roles of women throughout time. It delves into the transformations of women’s societal roles— from deities to mothers and the other way around— and highlights their participation in religious ceremonies and their presence in both public and private life. The exhibition also explores the boundaries of female roles within the community and offers glimpses into the ongoing process of female emancipation.

At a time when women continue to assert their identities, challenge gender roles, and dismantle long-standing stereotypes, this exhibition sheds light on untold stories from the Cycladic world that emphasize the historical journey of women’s identity formation from prehistory to the post-Byzantine period.

The exhibition is curated by Dr. Dimitris Athanasoulis, Director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades, and the Scientific Directors of the Museum of Cycladic Art, Dr. Panagiotis Iossif, Professor at Radboud University in the Netherlands, and Dr. Ioannis Fappas, Assistant Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.