GREECE CRETE LASITHI MIRTOS PHOURNOU KORYPHI

On the summit of a steep hill above Nea Mirtos lies the Minoan settlement of Phournou Koryphi (or Fournou Korifi). It was habitated in the Prepalatial (Early Minoan II) period, between ca. 2500 and 2170 BC, and is thus contemporary with nearby Mirtos Pirgos (it can be seen from the hilltop, lying between Phournou Koryphi and modern Mirtos).

When the settlement of Phournou Koryphi was destroyed by fire at the end of EM IIB, it was (unlike Mirtos Pirgos or Vasilike), never resettled. This fact alone makes Phournou Koryphi an important archaeological site representing only the Early Minoan phase, undisturbed by remains of other periods.

Below: Panoramic view of the Phournou Koryphi site from the South-East.

Since the excavation by Peter Warren in 1967-68, different interpretations of the site's architecture have been given. Warren distinguished two phases of habitation, growing in the end to a communal settlement for 100-120 people of a clan. - Branigan saw more evidence for a "mansion" of a local ruler, somehow an antecedent of the later Minoan palaces. - A completely different view was offered by Whitelaw, who identified five or six more or less independent "clusters" occupied by as many nuclear families, making up a total population of about 20-30 persons.