Kea, also known as Tzia, is named after the ancient Greek hero Keos. It is the nearest island of all the Cyclades (so named because they are the ‘encircling ones’ round the sacred isle of Delos) to the Greek mainland of Attica. The ferry leaves from Lavrio on the east coast of Attica and takes just 30 minutes – but 70 minutes on return, indicating the strong currents and brisk winds through the strait.
Kea is a beautiful mountainous island, more lush than some, and boasts archaeological sites that are perhaps best described as important rather than spectacular. The ferry arrives in the sheltered Bay of Agios Nikolaos at the small port town of Korissia, where I stayed, with the twin acropoleis of ancient Koresia rising above.
The Greek Bronze Age includes the Minoan (for Crete), Cycladic (in the Cyclades), and Mycenaean (on the mainland). Any reputable guidebook to Greece will stress the importance of the Agia Irene site, named after the small chapel (of ‘Holy Peace’) that overlooks it. Agia Irene lies on a peninsula and was excavated by John Caskey, of the University of Cincinnati, and his team from 1960 to 1976. I was first drawn to visit the island after reading about this site which, uniquely for the Cyclades, was occupied at the end of the Neolithic and then through the Bronze Age (c.3200-1100 BC). Although Agia Irene seems to have been devastated by an earthquake c.1450 BC, some structures were refurbished, with the temple remaining significant into the Iron Age. An inscribed cup dating to the 6th century BC found within it suggests a connection with Dionysos. A visit to the site is likely to prove disappointing, however: it is locked and surrounded by a stout wire fence – although everything is visible if you peer through it. A better idea is to visit the island museum first.
