The issue remains open for archaeologists who study the 300 and now clay figurines found at the Neolithic site of Koutroulou Magoula in Fthiotida, a particularly important number and one of the largest of the period in Southeast Europe.

Idols are also found in other Neolithic sites in Anatolia and the Balkans, however, both the number and the variety of types make Koutroulou Magoula stand out, say the archaeologists who deal with the area.

Figurines vary in size, from 3 to 12 centimeters in length. They were made in many ways. A very common one was that of the central clay core, around which other pieces of clay were added to create the body parts.

They were found in various places of approx 40 acres occupied by the Neolithic site, one of the largest of the period that has been identified- even in house foundations.

The variety of their forms gives scope for many interpretations, as gender is often not stated, while several are human-shaped – bird, which sometimes results in a four-legged base. The above suggests that their use was not only for aesthetic purposes, but that they reflect something much more: the culture, the society and identity of the Neolithic inhabitants in Koutroulou Magoula.

The site was inhabited in the Middle Neolithic Period (about 5800-5300 e.g.) by a few hundred people, who built neat houses of stone and bricks, with stone floor substrates. It is remarkable, also, the fact that it was also used later, the Bronze Age and the Medieval Years.

The excavation began 2001 by the honorary director of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Nina Kyparissi. From the 2010 is being carried out as part of the new partnership program between the Archaeological Survey and the University of Southampton, through the British School of Athens.