Fournou Korifi
Archaeological Site Bronze Age Minoan settlement site on Crete
A Bronze Age Minoan settlement on Crete, Fournou Korifi attracts archaeology visitors for compact ruins, pottery finds and coastal views reached by short walks from nearby villages.
Fournou Korifi is an Early Minoan archaeological settlement located on the southern coast of Crete near the modern village of Myrtos. The site preserves house foundations and domestic spaces dating to the Early Minoan period.
Visitors encounter the exposed stone foundations and outlines of courtyard houses and streets that reveal aspects of domestic life in the 3rd millennium BCE; the remains are presented in situ rather than as a reconstructed complex.
The site was excavated in the early 20th century by archaeologists who documented its Early Minoan date and domestic architecture; finds from the excavations have informed understanding of early Bronze Age settlement on Crete.
Fournou Korifi occupies a low coastal promontory overlooking the Libyan Sea, close to the modern settlement of Myrtos on southern-central Crete.
- Archaeological significance: Early Minoan remains excavated in the early 20th century are among the key evidence for domestic settlement patterns on Bronze Age Crete.
- Collections: Many artifacts recovered from the site are conserved in major Cretan collections and museums.