The low hill in the centre of the beach at Ftelia has been a landmark in the topographical relief of the area since ancient times. It was initially identified with the tomb of Ajax (the Lesser) of Locris who, according to the epics of the Trojan cycle, met a tragic death off the coast of Mykonos from the vengeful fury of Poseidon, for the sacrilege of raping the Trojan princess Cassandra.
In reality, however, the mound of earth covered the ruins of an organized settlement of the Late Neolithic II period (5000-4500 BC) with rectangular and curved living spaces with hearths, which sporadically survive, and with postholes supporting the roofing of the buildings. The excavation research, carried out by the archaeologist A. Sampson during the years 1995-2003, brought to light buildings of four chronological phases, with a total lifespan of 200-300 years. In the southern part of the settlement, on the current flat sandy area, there probably extended a lagoon whose level rose and fell depending on the time of year. As the excavation finds testify, the population of the settlement of Ftelia survived through a mixed economic model that included cultivation, animal husbandry and food gathering/fishing.
The numerous finds of Ftelia include everyday and storage vessels, decorated vessels with two-tone or multi-tone finishes, with applied relief or with engraved motifs. Body ornaments (pendants worn at the neck or wrist) were fashioned of local materials (shells, bones, special rocks or pebbles that acquired a shiny surface after processing). Bone tools, stone grinders, stone axes and obsidian arrowheads were also recovered. An impressive discovery was that of fragments of copper/bronze pins (for fastening clothes) as well as copper/bronze tools, which testify to the first steps in the development of metallurgy in the Aegean. Unique among the finds is the clay steatopygous Neolithic figurine, 18 cm high, belonging to the latest phase of the settlement and known as ‘The Lady of Mykonos’.
Psarros Manolis Archaeologist, Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades
Photo Sources: Sampson, A. (2002) The Neolithic Settlement at Ftelia, Mykonos. Rhodes: University of the Aegean.
Sampson, A. and Tsourouni, T. (eds) (2018) Ftelia on Mykonos, Neolithic networks in the southern Αegean basin. Vol. II. Athens: University of the Aegean, Laboratory of Environmental Archaeology, Monograph Series 7
Bibliography Sampson, A. (2002) The Neolithic Settlement at Ftelia, Mykonos. Rhodes: University of the Aegean.
Sampson, A. and Tsourouni, T. (eds) (2018) Ftelia on Mykonos, Neolithic networks in the southern Αegean basin. Vol. II. Athens: University of the Aegean, Laboratory of Environmental Archaeology, Monograph Series 7.
Belmont J. S. and Renfrew C. (1964) “Two Prehistoric sites on Mykonos”, AJA 68, Vol. 10 (Issue 4), pp. 395-400.
