The Karmi Bronze Age Cemetery

Close to the hillside village of Karni (Karaman) is a Middle Bronze Age necropolis where chamber tombs have been carved out of the rock. On the wall of an access passage of one tomb the relief of a female figure has survived. This is the earliest relief of a human figure discovered on the island so far and it is believed to represent a fertility goddess. Also discovered in one of the tombs was a Minoan “Kamares” cup and blue faience beads from Egypt which are thought to be gifts to the dead and which suggest very early trading relations with crete and Egypt. The artifacts that have been discovered are believed to have belonged to seamen who worked on the ships at nearby Lapithos (Lapta). Based on this information we can understand which countries the early inhabitants of Cyprus were trading with.

Address: The Karmi Bronze Age Cemetery, Kyrenia

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