Fournou Korfi settlement

Goddess of Myrtos The Minoan settlement at Fournou Korifi in Myrtos is a prime example of an establishment of the first phase of the Minoan civilization, before the construction of palaces. The settlement appears to have been founded before 2500 B.C., and had a violent end before 2100 B.C.

It was walled, built on a hill, and contained about a hundred rooms in dense array. Several pots for food and beverage offerings were found in front of a low bench or altar, in the sanctuary of the settlement, where a vessel-statuette of the Minoan female deity stood.

Its form, with a very small head on a tall, thin neck and bell-shaped body, is holding in its right hand while hugging with the left hand a small beak-mouthed jug, which is the only opening for the liquid that the vessel carried. The so-called ‘ goddess of Myrtos ’ is one of the most important exhibits of the Archaeological Museum in Agios Nikolaos .