The Cycladic islands, or Cyclades, are a group of islands in the southern Aegean Sea that form an archipelago stretching southeastwards from peninsular Greece towards the island of Crete and Asia Minor. Cycladic islanders and their distinctive culture thrived throughout the Early and Middle Bronze Ages. During the later Middle and early Late Bronze Age, many aspects of the sophisticated Minoan culture of Crete were adopted and adapted by Cycladic islanders, yielding vibrant local artistic styles and prosperous societies. Following the volcanic eruption of the Cycladic island of Thera, however, exchanges between Crete and the Cyclades were interrupted, and Mycenaean culture from the Greek mainland began to spread across the Aegean. At the same time, native Cycladic artistic and cultural vitality declined. This correlation suggests that Mycenaean palatial trade and culture were fundamentally different than that of Crete. The Mycenaean palaces were passive in their foreign relations, conservative in their symbolic and prestige systems, and tight-fisted in their rule. These attitudes and actions suppressed Cycladic creativity and prosperity. Only with the decline and demise of the Mycenaean palaces are there signs of revived economic success and cultural innovation in the Cycladic islands.