How the Cyclades Were a Single Landmass 20,000 Years Ago

Approximately 20,000 years ago, during the Last Glacial Maximum, the sea level in the Aegean was roughly 120 meters lower. As a result, most of the Cycladic islands, including Andros, Tinos, Mykonos, Syros, Paros, Naxos, and Ios, were connected into a single landmass known as the 'Mega-Cyclades'.

According to a 2017 study by Simaiakis and colleagues, the Mega-Cyclades comprised more than 55 present-day islands with an estimated surface area of around 10,750 square kilometers. As sea levels rose, the land area shrunk to approximately 3,250 square kilometers. The fastest geographical shifts occurred between 16,000 and 8,000 years ago, gradually shaping the current archipelago.

Certain islands remained separated due to deeper surrounding waters. Santorini, Milos, Sifnos, and Serifos did not join the Mega-Cyclades landmass, while on Naxos, paleontological evidence has revealed fossils of dwarf elephants adapted to the conditions of that era.