Vasilopita Cake and Lecture “Bronze Technology in the Prehistoric Aegean”

The annual vasilopita cake event exclusively to the Cycladic Friends of the Museum of Cycladic Art began with a lecture by Metaxia Routsi, archeologist at the Museum of Cycladic Art, entitled “Bronze Technology in the Prehistoric Aegean”.

Metal working was one of the greatest transformations in prehistory. As early as the 5th millennium BCE, objects made of copper, lead, silver and gold were circulating in the Greek world. Towards the end of the Neolithic period and throughout the 3rd millennium BCE, metallurgy intensified, with copper playing a leading role. The great innovation in the Aegean was the creation of alloys, which allowed for more durable and functional tools, giving rise to advances in crafts such as construction, shipbuilding and carpentry. Metallurgists, possessing an almost “magical” ability to transform stone into liquid metal, acquired special prestige, while the search for ores fueled journeys and networks of exchange across the Aegean.

The evening concluded in a festive atmosphere, with the exchange of New Year’s wishes and the traditional cutting of the Vasilopita cake at the Cycladic Café.