Minoan Summit Temple

Four kilometers from the Minoan colony in Kastri, and about 30 years after its discovery, archaeologists unearthed by excavation in 1991-1994 one of the most important archaeological sites of Kythera and in general of the Minoan period. It is the only established Minoan Summit Sanctuary outside Crete, the only unpillaged which has so far provided the largest collection of bronze figurines of all Minoan civilization, after the second excavation (2011-2015). The important findings of the Kytherian sanctuary redefined not only the study of Minoan cult and the spread of Minoan civilization, but also the strategic importance of Kythera at least over the last 4000 years, in sea passages. The flourishing period of the sanctuary dates back to 1600 - 1450 BC, and apart from human figurines, a variety of other tributes, such as stone utensils, were found. Procession of believers ascended from the path, having constant visual contact with the Minoan settlement. Any ceremony and libation to the great goddess was completed with a meal, as proven by the conical cups and other finds. Many of the most important findings of the Minoan sanctuary are exhibits at the modern Archaeological Museum of Kythera in Chora. A few years ago, along the path, a dedicated inscription of the Hellenistic period was revealed, showing that the place was also used as a sanctuary during that period.