3200-2000 BC Early Bronze Age

This period is known as the Bronze Age because bronze became the main material for making tools and weapons. In Greece the period is divided into three phases, Early, Middle and Late. During the Early Bronze Age cultures were flourishing in the islands of the Cyclades, in Crete and on the Greek mainland. Agriculture was the mainstay of the populations in all these areas, but sea-borne trade soon became important, particularly in pursuit of raw materials such as obsidian and metals.

The Cycladic culture was the most distinctive and influential in the Early Bronze Age. The Cyclades are a group of small islands positioned in the Aegean between Crete, the Greek mainland and the coast of Asia Minor. The islanders appear to have been expert shipbuilders, and this enabled them to travel between the islands and further afield. Cycladic influences can be seen in Crete and on the Greek mainland, while some Cycladic objects travelled as far as the west coast of modern Turkey.