Vorno / Pyrgos lies in a natural fortified location at the north limits of Samba, in the network of main passes of the Pediada region, often equated by early modern travellers with the historical-era town of Thenai. An unobstructed view and fertile fields with abundant water resources contributed to the uninterrupted habitation of the area. 
The rescue excavation (2004) in Vorno / Pyrgos was conducted by the 23rd EPKA in the area of the former elementary school. Architectural remains of a Bronze Age domestic installation were revealed. Extensive deposits of stone and pisé mark an EMIB-IIA light structure of wooden uprights held in the masonry by specially-prepared mudbricks, along with Pyrgos, Vassiliki and Koumasa ware, as well as obsidian stone tools and a steatite sealstone. The main architectural phase of a three-room structure contains pottery of EMIII-MMI and MMIIΙ-LMIA drinking/pouring, preparing/serving and storage vessels of the local Pediada ceramic workshop. There are also a few imports from north-central and south Crete.