Archaeologists in Cyprus, during the first excavation season at the prehistoric Chalcolithic settlement of Erimi Pampoula, uncovered the floor of a large building and a rare partially preserved cross-shaped statue made of picrolite, according to greekreporter.

The excavation took place in July 2025, led by a team from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) under the supervision of Professor Giorgos Favoranakis, aiming to redefine the site’s chronology, which flourished between 3500 and 2900 BCE.

The team discovered a well-preserved house floor, complete with a built platform and a storage pit, as well as a second circular building wall and part of a rectangular monument.

Among the most important finds was a partially preserved cross-shaped statue, a distinctive and highly valuable form of Cypriot art dating back to the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, made of picrolite. This discovery, along with jewelry and other raw picrolite materials, highlights Erimi Pampoula’s potential role as a center for craft production.

Above the main structures, monochrome pottery shards characteristic of the Late Chalcolithic period were found, providing crucial evidence indicating continued human activity at the settlement until the first half of the third millennium BCE.

Archaeologists also uncovered numerous ground stone tools such as axes, adzes, and grinders, along with broken stone scrapers. Large quantities of animal bones, especially deer bones, were found, including a pit containing burnt deer bones and parts of stag antlers, suggesting specific processing activities or rituals.

The archaeological discoveries include thousands of pottery pieces, many decorated with the distinctive red-on-white technique, a hallmark of that era.

The Department of Antiquities at the Ministry of Culture praised the results of the inaugural season, which is expected to significantly enrich the existing knowledge base of this important prehistoric Cypriot settlement.