The eight years that have passed since the first edition of this book titled "An Island Archaeology of the Early Cyclades" already constitute a long period in the history of Aegean archaeology. My goal then was to create a convincing interpretative framework for understanding both the archaeological finds from the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age in the Cyclades and the social lives of the people behind them.

I suggested searching for this framework in the ideas associated with the field of island archaeology, as it is defined globally—a type of island archaeology, however, that would be deeply rooted in the experience from the Aegean and the broader Mediterranean, so that the combination of the two might lead to new approaches to island life in the past.

Meanwhile, developments in both Cycladic and island archaeology in general have been spectacular. As I write this text, new research at Dascalio-Kavo, on Keros, promises to significantly expand our knowledge of this central site of the Early Bronze Age. On Ios, excavations at Skarkos continue to reveal remarkably well-preserved parts of another significant settlement.

New perspectives are opening up with the discovery of the rock paintings at Strofilas in Andros for research on the Neolithic and the beginnings of island ideology and symbolism, while the search for the coveted evidence of seafarers from the end of the Ice Age continues.

In the realm of island archaeology, although perhaps not so clearly in the case of the Cyclades, recent developments lead either to a broader acceptance of the view, in relation to the present book, that sees island identity as a purely cultural construct, or to an emphasis on the real challenges posed by the natural elements of the sea and land and their essential role in shaping island societies.

To what extent the ideas contained in this book have endured, been surpassed, or confirmed after all these developments can only be judged by readers. In my opinion, the fundamental idea of Cycladic archaeology as island archaeology, with all that this entails, remains valid today.

Above all, this book aimed to promote new ways of thinking within the context of Aegean archaeology and beyond, and I want to believe that it has achieved this, even with the loss of some of its original positions.