The Small Cycladic Islands Project surveyed 87 mostly uninhabited islands, and researchers say the methods are non-invasive and more targeted. The findings are helping guide sustainable tourism and protect cultural heritage, with some islands now designated protected sites.


Researchers say the approach reshapes understanding of how humans lived across island networks over thousands of years. The work is also influencing archaeology training and digital methods beyond Greece. The project uses technologies previously underused, including airborne LIDAR and ground magnetometry, and the techniques revealed evidence from multiple periods, including Bronze Age cities, medieval structures and possible Neolithic activity.