The curious case of an island: A preliminary account on the Northern Kythera Bronze Age Landscapes

The current perception of Middle and Late Bronze Age Kythera is an island that in its totality oscillates between influences of two worlds: “Minoan” Crete and the “Helladic” Peloponnese. This chapter brings together recent archaeological data from the Australian Paliochora Kythera Archaeological Survey (APKAS), and earlier surveys on Northern Kythera by I. Petrocheilos, A. Tsaravopoulos and the author. This article aims to present the available evidence for the Middle and Late Bronze Age landscape patterns of northern Kythera, and to contextualize the dynamics between local groups and the possible influences from the north (Laconia) and the south (Crete). The goal is to showcase how the settlement patterns on northern Kythera are similar to or different from those in Laconia and southern Kythera during the 2nd  millennium  BC. In addition, it investigates if and how the intra- and inter- island dynamics actually swing between the two worlds – the Helladic and the Minoan.