Pomos Idol: A 5,000-year-old Cypriot fertility figurine with a miniature version of itself on a necklace.

In the early 1930s, archaeologist Porphyrios Dikaios was excavating in the village of Pomos on the north coast of Cyprus when he accidentally discovered a cross-shaped figurine carved from local greenish stone. The sculpture, now known as the Idol of Pomos, is the best-preserved example of a Copper Age fertility figurine made in Cyprus and has become a national symbol.

The Pomos idol is 6 inches (15.3 centimeters) tall and carved from piclorite, a soft green metamorphic rock native to the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus. During the Chalcolithic, or Chalcolithic, period (c. 3900-2500 BC), the people of ancient Cyprus moved from living in small farming villages to building a more complex society with a hierarchical structure, unique artistic traditions, and metallurgy.

During the Middle Chalcolithic period (c. 3400-2800 BC), ancient Cypriot artists began creating various human-shaped sculptures. The most common of these statuettes found by archaeologists are cruciform or cruciform.

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Chalcolithic cross-shaped figurines from Cyprus have several characteristics. The body and arms are in the shape of a cross, and the statue’s knees are depicted as being slightly raised or bent. Many of the statues have small chests, and some have other figures carved horizontally into their arms, leading scholars such as archaeologist Edgar Peltenberg to suggest that they may be birth charms or fertility deities.

Pomos idols are unusual because, unlike other faceless examples, their faces include eyes, a nose, and a hat-like thing covered with ears. Although the statuette does not have protruding breasts, it is thought to represent a female figure. The statue also wears a miniature version of itself around its neck, suggesting that these small idols may have been worn as jewelry 5,000 years ago.

Given its unusually long neck and flat back, the Pomos idol may have originally been suspended or hung on a wall, said Joan Mertens, who wrote about the statue when she was an assistant curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. However, many details regarding the cross figurine and its meaning remain a mystery.

The Pomos idol is currently on display at the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia. The figure represents Cyprus’ contribution to prehistoric civilization and has also appeared on the country’s 1 and 2 euro coins since the country adopted the euro in 2008.

For more amazing archaeological discoveries, check out our Astonishing Artifacts archive.