Excavations at Agios Sozomenos-Nikolides and Djirpoulos 2019

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on November 22, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Cyprus, Europe, Southern Europe

The 7th excavation season, conducted from the 2nd of September to the 4th October 2019, under the direction of Dr. D. Pilides, Curator of Antiquities, Department of Antiquities (Cyprus), aimed at clarifying the architectural plan of the fortress at Nikolides and investigating further the complex of buildings at Djirpoulos. Excavation at both sites was held intermittently as Nikolides is out of reach on certain days when exercises are held by the National Guard.

View of the Nikolides excavation (2017) [Credit: Dept. of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus]

Nikolides

This year we focused attention on the access leading to the tower, by extending the excavation area, to investigate whether the staircase of ashlar stones and the platform of ashlars running parallel to it were preserved further to the south. The platform was made of large ashlars of approximately 1×0,5m although they vary in size. The staircase was not preserved any further but it was clear that the steps led to the top of the tower; only some of them are preserved as well as the lower subsrtucture of stones that supported the staircase.

On the east side, the plaster floor, made above bedrock was traced. A channel, running from an east to west direction (downslope) was made in the floor, its sides smoothed and bridged at two points with flat stones. Another two channels were found running parallel to this one on the north and south, unfortunately not very well preserved. These were also bridged over by the plaster floor at some points and may have functioned as drainage channels. On the west side of the area, a cavity, roughly rectangular, with a square ashlar stone (0,42×0,40×0,18m) in the middle was revealed and close to it, on the south, a circular hearth was found lined with clay and heavily burnt.  Two Plain White sherds were found with traces of a reddish substance on the interior.

Excavation plan of Agios Sozomenos-Nikolides [Credit: Dept. of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus]

As already noted last year, it is clear that the fortress was reconstructed at some point to add the formidable ashlar tower onto the existing circuit wall. The old wall was built of smaller sized zones, placed alternately with flat worked stones, while the new wall added to support the tower was made of large unworked stones, filled in with smaller ones and its faces dressed with ashlars. We tried to investigate how the old wall joined the new part on the east side, as the two were not on the same axis; normally there should have been a joint, possibly at an angle to each other.

Unfortunately, in this exact spot, a large crevice was bulldozed out, causing a serious disturbance that did not allow us to determine this issue. In fact, the damage was so great that the wall was denuded of its structure down to bedrock and a huge collapse of large stones was scattered around it and down the slope.  As in previous excavation seasons on the fortress, there is a total lack of finds and only small fragments of ceramics, mainly from small vessels occur. It is to be noted, however, that a bronze arrowhead was found on the surface after the winter rains, outside the excavated area.

Although the damage to the monument proved to be quite disruptive, the architecture and design of the fort are particularly impressive. It is evident that monumentality was a consideration but not the only factor for its construction, as it was further strengthened and embellished, meaning that defense was clearly another fundamental consideration at the time. In addition, both the plan, construction and additions indicate considerable awareness of military tactics and warfare.

Given the scarcity of other such structures in Cyprus, one wonders first whether it could be the product of local expertise or an adaptation of a foreign prototype and second, but obviously not any less significant,  who was the enemy? These are issues that need to be further investigated both by continued excavation in search for more evidence and, in combination with the results from the recent excavations at the Barsak fortress nearby as well as the settlement remains at Djirpoulos and Ampelia.

Djirpoulos

On the days when the fort on the plateau at Nikolides was inaccessible due to shooting exercises, excavation continued at Djirpoulos. The first aim was to complete the plan of the building on the NW and SE sides and slowly establish in the long run, whether there was a single complex or separate buildings. A new wall (802) parallel to 403 was located on the NW side forming a small room or corridor where a clay lekane, a pithos, a large storage jar and charcoal were found. Further excavation in this area revealed the continuation of wall 403. This wall continues to the NE (401) and turns at 90 degrees (400) to form an interior space. Wall 403 is interrupted by the Medieval irrigation channel which continues from NW to SE, already found in 2016.

View of the excavations at the Djirpoulos site [Credit: Dept. of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus]

The channel was lined with gypsum and blocked with an upstanding stone on the eastern side. As the gypsum flooring was not preserved intact, further excavation below revealed the remains of the ancient wall, while wall 802 was also affected by the construction of the channel. On the south of the Medieval channel, the floor of plaster  was preserved with a flat stone in situ, possibly used as a grinding surface as well as a sling stone.  On the north side of Wall 802, a clay hearth was located, roughly circular, around which burnt cooking ware, an upturned lekane, pithos fragments and a stone grinder were found as well as ashes and charcoal. Most interestingly, a small copper nodule with silver plating preserved on its surface was also found in the water sieved contents of the soil sample from the hearth.

A long wall (811), most probably the extension of Wall 203, was located, thus joining this year’s excavation to the rest of the building found in 2016. A floor of compact earth was revealed on the north side of Wall 811 with traces of fire. Charcoal, a small piece of slag  and a fragmentary wall bracket indicate perhaps both domestic and workshop activities. This floor  possibly dates to phase 2.  On the south side of Wall 811 large storage jar and pithos sherds with wavy ridges, fragments of cooking jars and basins were noted and on the floor, which was only partially preserved, a flat circular ceramic object, possibly a slow wheel was found.

Walls 803 and 804, parallel to each other, possibly repeat the architectural plan of the building found in 2016 with long narrow rooms or corridors on the NW part of the building. The upper layer, below the thick deposit of greenish clay representing erosion and abandonment, consisted of  compact earth mixed with plaster, possibly the collapse of the roof and/walls. Below, a layer of stones, possibly represents the collapse of the lower part of the walls and on their removal, a floor of plaster was revealed extending towards the stone channel noted in 2016. The plaster floor belongs to the earlier phase of the building as the wall built on top (803) indicates.

Two new walls forming the corner of an interior space (814, 815) possibly also belonging to the older phase were found in the space between 803 and 804. On the south side of these walls, stone grinders, large sherds of pithos, cooking ware fragments and charcoal were retrieved. Some White Slip I sherds and small fragments of Mycenaean vessels were found above the plaster floor.  Close to the stone channel a small irregular cavity in the floor contained ochre, some small animal bones and fragments of White Slip bowls.  On the exterior of wall 804, below the thick greenish erosion deposit, some reddish clay and unfired ceramic fragments confirm the function of the buildings as workshops and domestic installations, as already noted in 2016.

It would be interesting to see whether the new part of the building appearing in the NW actually followed the plan of the older phase,  as was the case in the SE  part of the building and to also see whether we have two similar joining complexes with a similar function.

Source: Dept. of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus [November 23, 2019]

Ancient Akrotiri-Dreamer’s Bay Project: 2019 results

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on November 21, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Cyprus, Europe, Southern Europe, Underwater Archaeology

The Department of Antiquities, Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works has announced the completion of the 2019 underwater archaeological mission at the Akrotiri-Dreamer’s Bay ancient port, in the Limassol District. The survey was directed by staff from the University of Southampton, Centre for Maritime Archaeology, as part of the Ancient Akrotiri Project, an ongoing collaborative research project on the peninsula conducted since 2015 and led by the University of Leicester.

The 2019 season focused on three main tasks: further investigation of the ancient breakwater; completion of the survey of Dreamer’s Bay, its approaches, and the area offshore of the buildings excavated by the University of Leicester team on the coast to the west of the bay [Credit: Dept. of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus]

Between September 8th and 19th 2019, a second season of underwater investigation was conducted at Dreamer’s Bay on the southern shores of the Akrotiri Peninsula, Cyprus. A team of professional diving maritime archaeologists, students of maritime archaeology, divers, surveyors, photographers, and terrestrial archaeologists predominantly from Cyprus and the UK, further investigated the ancient breakwater and the surrounding sea floor in Dreamer’s Bay.

Unlike the previous year that documented the remains of the ancient breakwater submerged some 1-4m beneath the water, the primary focus of the 2019 season was to complete a broader survey of the entire bay and the offshore approaches, and in particular to investigate an area to the east of the breakwater where a large amount of pottery was located in the previous season. The team suspected that this dispersed and concreted concentration of largely homogenous amphorae, was the remains of a shipwreck.

The 2019 season focused on three main tasks: further investigation of the ancient breakwater; completion of the survey of Dreamer’s Bay, its approaches, and the area offshore of the buildings excavated by the University of Leicester team on the coast to the west of the bay; and further analysis of the ceramic concentration to the east of the breakwater in order to determine its nature.

Survey conducted by divers using underwater scooters, enabled wider coverage of the offshore approaches, identified new finds including numerous stone anchors and what appears to be the remains of a wreck carrying roof tiles [Credit: Dept. of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus]

The breakwater was extensively surveyed in 2018 both visually and photogrammetrically. The focus of 2019 was to calculate the volume of the rubble that had fallen from the breakwater largely to the east of the structure, in order to ascertain its original height and scale. The area around the breakwater was also more thoroughly investigated and a channel some 5-6m deep was clearly mapped to the east of the breakwater noting an entrance to the more sheltered water in the lee of the structure, an area of anchorage.

Survey conducted by divers using underwater scooters, enabled wider coverage of the offshore approaches, identified new finds including numerous stone anchors and what appears to be the remains of a wreck carrying roof tiles, still of uncertain date. To the west of the breakwater other concentrations of ceramics were also noted, however, survey further offshore to the west in front of the shoreline buildings excavated by the Leicester team, still failed to identify any archaeological remains, making the theory that this was an area used as a roadstead, less feasible.

All finds were noted, described and photographed underwater and a record of their location taken using GPS. Selected finds were lifted only when they were either in danger of further displacement on the seafloor or were useful chronological indicators.

The most important result of the 2019 season was confirmation that the eastern concentration of largely homogenous ceramics located on an elevated, rocky outcrop to the east of the breakwater and the sheltered channel, was indeed a shipwreck [Credit: Dept. of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus]

The most important result of the 2019 season was confirmation that the eastern concentration of largely homogenous ceramics located on an elevated, rocky outcrop to the east of the breakwater and the sheltered channel, was indeed a shipwreck.

Dating to the end of the 6th or the 7th century AD, as confirmed by ceramics expert Dr Stella Demesticha of the University of Cyprus, the extensive remains of broken amphorae were identified scattered over an area of approximately 130,000sqm, concreted to the rocks and caught in gullies. In the middle of the wreck lies an Aswan granite column also believed to belong to the vessel.

The area was extensively surveyed and the number of amphora shoulders and rims were counted equating to almost 800 in total, reflecting a fairly substantial vessel for the period. Examples of the amphorae were lifted for further analysis, which is still ongoing.

In the middle of the wreck lies an Aswan granite column also believed to belong to the vessel [Credit: Dept. of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus]

The work was carried out with the approval of the Republic of Cyprus Department of Antiquities and the UK Sovereign Base Areas Administration, and very much benefitted from the direct participation of RAF personnel who helped in the preparation and offered their time, expertise and support during the field season.

The University of Cyprus, MARELab, offered support in the form of an excellent dive boat, as well as expertise, particularly with respect to ceramic identification. Nicosia based CP Marine Explorations provided the dive logistics, safety and underwater survey scooters, and Kembali Divers the tanks and air. Further support was provided by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and the Western Sovereign Base Area Archaeological Society.

This season we were honoured to welcome for a day the Base Station commander as visiting diver. The project was generously funded by the Honor Frost Foundation, UK, and sustained by a hard working team of young maritime archaeologists.

Source: Dept. of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus [November 21, 2019]

2019 excavations at the ancient Cypriot town of Pyla-Koutsopetria completed

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on October 08, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Cyprus, Europe, Southern Europe

The Department of Antiquities, Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, has announced that the Pyla-Koutsopetria Archaeological Project (PKAP) completed its 15th season οn 14 June 2019 under the direction of Dr. Brandon R. Olson of Metropolitan State University of Denver, Dr Tom Landvatter of Reed College, and Dr R. Scott Moore of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

View of the excavation site [Credit: Department of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus]

PKAP has excavated a series of small soundings at the site of Pyla-Vigla in the summers of 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2018. These excavations revealed the presence of a previously unknown early-Hellenistic fortification. Vigla is located on a steep plateau overlooking Larnaca Bay, which provided both a strong defensible location and an advantageous view of the coastal road between ancient Kition and Salamis.

The military nature of the site was demonstrated by the discovery of an extensive fortification system, projectile points, and lead sling bullets. The architectural, ceramic, and numismatic evidence discovered during previous seasons clearly date the occupation of the fortifications on Vigla to the late 4th and early 3rd centuries B.C., a period not well-documented in Cypriot history.

PKAP’s previous seasons’ results can be found in Pyla-Koutsopetria I: Archaeological Survey of an Ancient Coastal Town, published by the American Schools of Oriental Research in 2014, while the results of the 2018 season can be found in a recent article in the Journal of Hellenistic Pottery and Material Culture.

View of the excavation site [Credit: Department of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus]

PKAP’s 2019 field season was focused on further understanding the site’s fortification system, as well as getting a clearer picture of the domestic/industrial areas within. Excavations around the north fortification wall revealed the continuation of an impressive in situ mudbrick wall first discovered in 2018.

The northern edge of the wall, was identified but its full extent remains elusive, and appears to be over 5m thick. Soundings placed on the south fortification wall, built on the slope, revealed a substantially well-preserved fieldstone wall with an important deposit of early Hellenistic ceramics found at the wall’s base.

Excavations in the centre of the plateau exposed several rooms with pottery sitting in situ on floors. Finds continued to show the military character of the site, including projectile points, iron weapons, and lead sling bullets. Future work planned for Vigla will focus more on the fortification’s interior architecture and the nature of activity within the residential/industrial areas.

Source: Department of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus [October 08, 2019]

'Cyprus: A Dynamic Island' at the National Museum of Antiquities of the Netherlands

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on September 20, 2019 / comment : 0 Cyprus, Exhibitions, Netherlands, Travel

On 11 October 2019, the exhibition Cyprus: A Dynamic Island opened at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden (RMO, the National Museum of Antiquities of the Netherlands). This is a unique exhibition about one of the most important crossroads of ancient cultures in the Mediterranean region. It features a selection of 400 superb archaeological objects, more than 300 of which come from Cyprus’s national collections. They represent over 9,000 years of the island’s history, in an impressive setting of huge artistic landscape photographs. The exhibits include life-sized sculptures and portraits in marble and terracotta, imaginative pottery decorated with little faces and animal figures, luxury imported goods from the Near East and Egypt, large bronze cauldrons and weapons, colourful mosaics, gold jewellery and a royal throne inlaid with silver display, highlighting both the diversity and the uniqueness of the island’s culture. This is the first major exhibition on the archaeology of Cyprus to be shown in the Netherlands. Cyprus: A Dynamic Island will be on view until 15 March 2020, including Mondays.

Cyprus is associated with Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love who was born ‘from the silver foam of the sea’ near the Cypriot coast. Thanks to its strategic location, the island has been at the centre of contacts and trade between different cultures in the eastern and western Mediterranean for thousands of years. That constant dynamic movement of people, goods and ideas between Cyprus and the surrounding cultures, and the merging of cultural influences are the key emphases in the exhibition. Sea, landscape and the natural beauty of Cyprus features prominently: metres-high artistic photographs of the natural scenery and subtly-moving projections provide the decor for the exhibition’s story. Visitor will experience the exhibition as a relaxed stroll through a serene landscape, passing highlights of Cypriot culture. A second storyline, that of remarkable historical figures and archaeological excavations on Cyprus since the early 19th century, also focuses on illegal digs and trade in antiquities, a subject that remains high on the Cypriot agenda.

Never before has Cyprus lent so many archaeological objects at once to a foreign museum. Loans have been provided by Department of Antiquities in Cyprus from the Cyprus Museum (Nicosia) and diverse other national, regional, and private Cypriot museums. A life-size terracotta grave statue from the famous sanctuary of Ayia Irini will be provided on loan to the RMO by the Swedish National Museums of World Culture. Princessehof Ceramics Museum in Leeuwarden and the Kunstmuseum The Hague contributed ceramic work by Pablo Picasso, who clearly drew inspiration from archaeological pottery. From Museum Voorlinden the RMO was able to obtain the loan of a present-day Venus (‘Venus Bleue’ by Yves Klein). Other objects come from the RMO’s own collection and from the Allard Pierson in Amsterdam.


The exhibition is accompanied by audio guides (Dutch/English), a book for the general public (150 pp., Dutch/English), series of lectures by Dutch and international experts, guided tours (also for families), workshops, and an afternoon seminar organised in conjunction with Leiden University. There will also be a special audio guide for children and special children’s activities in the school holidays.

The exhibition Cyprus: A Dynamic Island and the accompanying book were prepared in close partnership with the Department of Antiquities in Cyprus (Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works) and the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia, and with the support of the A.G. Leventis Foundation; the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in the Netherlands; Cyprus Ministry of Tourism; Press and Information Office, Republic of Cyprus; the Prince Bernhard Culture Fund; Labrys Reizen; the Cultural Heritage Agency (Ministry of Education, Culture and Science); and the Society of Corporate Friends of the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden. The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden is supported by the BankGiro Lottery.

Source: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden [September 20, 2019]

Repatriation of an inscribed pediment of a funerary stele to Cyprus

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on September 14, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Cyprus, Europe, Heritage, Southern Europe

The Department of Antiquities, Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, has announced that on Thursday 12th September 2019 an important antiquity originating from Cyprus, was handed over at the offices of the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Cyprus to the European Union in Brussels. The Cypriot antiquity was in the possession of Ms. Christiane Koojj, a resident of Brussels, Belgium. Ms. Koojj had recently informed in writing the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus in Paris that the cultural object was inherited to her and her siblings from their late mother and that their request was to deliver it back to its country of origin. The Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus in Belgium referred Ms. Koojj to the Director of the Department of Antiquities as the competent authority on such matters.

Credit: Department of Antiquities of Cyprus

The said antiquity is the upper part of a limestone funerary stele consisting of a horizontal cornice, decorated with geisipodes in relief, over which a pediment with a frame in relief is formed. The pediment corners are crowned by acroteria, two of which (at the lateral ends) are decorated with roughly carved anthemia, while the central one, without bearing any sign of breakage, is scarcely marked.

In the middle of the two oblique sides of the pediment, there are carved pomegranates. In the middle of the pediment, within the frame in relief, appears to be an apotropaic Medusa head (Gorgoneion). The horizontal cornice bears a Cypro-syllabic inscription, while other Cypro-syllabic symbols cover the pediment, which may be later additions. Based on palaeographic criteria, the inscription dates to the end of  the 4th-beginning of the 3rd century BC.

The carved pediment is very similar to another Cypriot funerary pedimental stele from the village of Tremetoushia (Larnaka District), now in the British Museum. The Tremetoushia pediment had been previously dated to the 1st century AD, however, the discovery of this second similar stele, which is evidently from the same workshop, allows for a more accurate dating, four centuries earlier than the initial dating.

The antiquity was handed over to the Director of the Department of Antiquities Dr. Marina Solomidou-Ieronymidou by Ms. Christiane Koojj in the presence of the competent Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus Mr. Elpidoforos Economou. Present during the ceremony were Police Inspector Mr. Michalis Gavrielides, Head of the Office for Combating Illegal Possession and Trafficking of Antiquities (Cyprus Police), Dr. Eleftherios Charalambous, Conservator at the Department of Antiquities and Mr. Lucas Verhaegen of the Belgium Police.

The Department of Antiquities as the competent authority in Cyprus for the protection and management of cultural heritage, will continue its intensive efforts to encourage the support of citizens in the protection and preservation of cultural heritage, not only at a local but also at an international level. The cooperation of all competent authorities in the fight against the looting and illicit trafficking of cultural heritage and the repatriation of cultural objects to their country of origin is extremely valuable and of utmost importance.

Although it is acknowledged that the fight against illicit trafficking is an extremely difficult and complex issue, the Department of Antiquities is confident that through coordinated efforts, the desired results related to the protection of the Cultural Heritage of all nations will be reached. One of the main priorities of the Department of Antiquities is the combatting of looting and illicit trafficking of cultural heritage.

The repatriation of the antiquity to Cyprus will take place on 15 September 2019 and is the result of the coordinated efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Antiquities, the Cyprus Police and the Department of Customs and Excise.

Source: Department of Antiquities of Cyprus [September 14, 2019]

New finds at Erimi-Laonin tou Porakou in Cyprus

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on September 13, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Cyprus, Europe, Southern Europe

The Department of Antiquities, Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works has announced the completion of the 2019 excavation season of the Italian Erimi Archaeological Project at Erimi-Laonin tou Porakou, where a team from the University of Torino, directed by Dr Luca Bombardieri, successfully investigated an extended area of the Middle Bronze Age settlement.

Pithoi and large vessels set in the floor found during this year’s excavations at the Erimi-Laonin tou Porakou site [Credit: Department of Antiquities of Cyprus]

The ancient site is located on a high plateau on the eastern Kouris river bank, covering an average area of two hectares. Seven relevant coeval contexts different in use and function have been cleared in 2019 both in the workshop complex and in the residential quarter.

The investigation of the workshop complex on the top of the hill revealed that this area, mainly intended for the production of dyed textiles, had a pivotal role and a peculiar ideological significance for the Prehistoric community of Erimi. By extending the investigated area towards the northern, western and southern wings of the complex, a series of three new rectangular roofed units (SA IX, SA XI, SA XII) were fully excavated.

Western unit SA IX (5,00x3,70m.), along with the adjacent unit SA X, formed a small roofed annex directly connected with the major unit SA V. This tripartite compound functioned as a small workshop shrine with ritual function, presumably connected with the productive activity and its ideological implications.

The excavation in the southern wing revealed a large open working area, successively transformed into a roofed unit (SA XI, 7,40x7,70m.), a large rectangular unit was also fully investigated to the North of the complex (SA XII, 8,50x3,50m.). The location of this unit in the northernmost extension of the workshop, facing the valley cliff, is a strong indication of the coherent design of the complex, which now appears to have had a central courtyard enclosed by three series of parallel rooms to the North, West and South. The entrance to SA XII from the East is equipped with a stepped monolithic threshold; this unit served as a multi-functional space for storing and processing, as documented by the presence of pithoi and large vessels set in the floor, along with grinding and mortar-like installations.

The excavation in the residential quarter, located on the major lower terrace of the settlement, revealed a long-term use and transformation of the architectural layout, with a domestic unit in Area T2, in an area which has been successively transformed into a SW-NE connection alley, leading to the workshop complex at the top of the hill. Likewise, an intense building activity occurred in the South-western section of the residential quarter (Areas T3 and B2) during the most recent Phase A, where massive wall structures were built over a series of smaller domestic units belonging to the earliest occupation phase (Phase B). Most probably, all these building operations were coeval and part of a homogeneous new design of the inhabited spaces and internal communication routes in later Middle Bronze Age. This also involved the construction of the large circuit wall previously traced back in Area T1, which segregate the settlement and the extra-mural funerary clusters (Area E, southern cemetery).

A relevant exception to the standard burial customs at Middle Bronze Age Erimi was revealed by the excavation of unit 1 (4,40x3,90m.) in residential Area T3. Within the collapsed structures pertaining to the abandonment of this unit, the inhumation of a female individual was found. The body was set face down near a pre-existing stone basin set into the floor, where two single red polished hemispherical bowls were deposited as possible offerings. Preliminary analysis of the human remains confirmed that her age at death was between 15 and 20 years old. Interestingly, a few parallel cases of intra-mural anomalous female burials were documented in Early and Middle Bronze Age contexts in Cyprus, thus suggesting a possible differentiated mortuary treatment in specific contexts.

The 2019 fieldwork season involved a team of archaeologists of the University of Torino, an anthropologist from the University of Sheffield, an archaeobotanist from the Cyprus Institute and a team of three restorers from the University of West Attica in Athens (Architectural Conservation Lab) and the Getty Conservation Program.

The fieldwork was carried out under permit and thanks to the scientific collaboration of the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus, in an on-going positive collaboration with the staff of the Archaeological Museum of Lemesos District as well as of the Local Archaeological Kourion Museum in Episkopi.

Source: Department of Antiquities of Cyprus [September 13, 2019]

Makounta-Voules site sheds light on Chalcolithic period in Cyprus

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on September 07, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Cyprus, Europe, Southern Europe

Archaeologists working on a prehistoric site in the Polis Chrysochous area are exploring the political and economic dimensions of food and craft production in the Chalcolithic period as a way to understand broader geopolitics on the island in prehistory, the Department of Antiquities said.

Students from North Carolina State University (USA) excavate a prehistoric fire installation  at the site of Makounta-Voules [Credit: Dept. of Antiquities of Cyprus]

Announcing the completion of the 2019 excavations, it said the Makounta-Voules Archaeological Project (MVAP) is one of the first major excavations of a prehistoric site in the Polis Chrysochous region and as such provides important information about a poorly understood part of the island’s history.

The excavations were carried out under the direction of Dr. Kathryn Grossman (North Carolina University), in collaboration with Dr Tate Paulette (North Carolina University), Dr Lisa Graham (University of Edinburgh) and Dr Andrew McCarthy (University of Edinburgh). Students from around the globe joined the project in 2019.

Intensive survey in 2017, including surface collection and geophysical prospection, showed the site to be a large settlement dating from the Late Chalcolithic through the Middle Cypriot periods, it said.

Test excavations began in 2018 to test the results of surface survey and to identify the most productive areas for future excavation. The 2018 excavations revealed two Chalcolithic round houses, as well as some enigmatic stone features and a large fire installation.

In 2019, excavations continued in two parts of the site: Area A, located in a zone of densely cultivated orchards, and Area C, located in a zone of uncultivated fields with sparse carob trees.

Fragment of clay figurine from Makounta-Voules [Credit: Dept. of Antiquities of Cyprus]

Excavations in Area A in 2019 continued the exposure of a Chalcolithic round house with an intact floor assemblage. On the eastern exterior of the round house, excavations continued to explore a large ditch that was lined with sherds, then filled with stones and plastered over.

Excavations in Area A also continued to explore the fire installation first exposed in 2018; this feature preserved parts of a heavily burned clay superstructure and, below this, a stone-lined access point set above a deep, ash-filled pit with brick fragments at the bottom. The fire installation may be related to metallurgical production, a theory that will require additional research in future seasons.

In Area C, excavations continued to expose a Chalcolithic round house set into a deep cut in the bedrock. The 2019 excavations exposed the door of the house, complete with an in-situ door socket.

On the interior of the house, a plaster platform (possibly a hearth) was partially preserved, alongside smashed vessels sitting on the floor and several pits cut into the bedrock. A small serpentinite pendant was found in the assemblage pushed up against the exterior of the house wall.

To the northwest of this house, excavations also revealed several pits cut into the bedrock, one of which produced a picrolite pendant.

Source: in-Cyprus [September 07, 2019]

Diarizos excavations shed light on lifestyle of Early Cypriot inhabitants

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on August 23, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Cyprus, Europe, Southern Europe

Archaeologists working at the multi-period site of Prastio – Mesorotsos in the Diarizos Valley in the Paphos District have uncovered the interior space of a presumed Chalcolithic building, the Department of Antiquities said on Friday.

Credit: Dept. of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus

Announcing the completion of the 2019 University of Edinburgh archaeological investigations, the department said that features within this space include a well-preserved plaster hearth and a well-built plaster floor of an Early- or Middle-Chalcolithic house.

The excavations were conducted from July 10 to August 10 under the direction of Dr. Andrew McCarthy, Fellow of the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh and Lecturer at the College of Southern Nevada. The project involves the cooperation of an international team of specialists and field school students.

The site is situated around a rocky outcrop that acts as one of the most important topographical features in the valley.

It seems to have been at a crossroads between the lowlands and the uplands and between the west of Cyprus and the rest of the island. Its location and the proximity of abundant natural resources led to the site’s extraordinary longevity, showing evidence for occupation from the Pre-pottery Neolithic until the modern day.

In the eleventh excavation season at the site, four areas of the site were investigated exposing prehistoric remains from the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and the Early and Middle Bronze Ages.

In 2019, the team uncovered the interior space of a presumed Chalcolithic building. Features within this space include a well-preserved plaster hearth and a well-built plaster floor of an Early- or Middle-Chalcolithic house. This season the entirety of the final phase of a mud-plaster hearth was revealed, with a quern left in situ on top, and an adjacent large stone basin sitting on the terminal deposits of the building.

The entire space was covered by collapsed roof material, which indicates that the interior deposits of this building are mostly undisturbed after the collapse of the structure. Although the location of the walls for this building are not entirely clear, it is probably not a circular structure, rather an elliptical or sub-rectangular building, perhaps indicating its date in the Early rather than Middle-Chalcolithic period.

Activities this season also included a focus on the earliest phases of the Bronze Age, including the so-called “Philia” transition from the Chalcolithic into the Early Cypriot Bronze Age.

Inhabitants continued to live in circular structures for several architectural phases and did not seem to alter their lifestyles greatly between the Late Chalcolithic and the Early Cypriot periods.

In 2019, the team uncovered the remains of a round domestic structure with a pit hearth, likely dating to this transitional period. Although the Early Cypriot inhabitants were rather slow to change their lifestyles and were probably reluctant to do so, change did occur eventually, and the settlement, its architecture and probably the inhabitants’ lifestyles were significantly reconfigured in the Middle Cypriot period (MC).

The MC reconfiguration is accompanied by a massive series of terraces, a new style of rectilinear architecture and new elements of material culture, including a unique picrolite stone disc pendant with incised decoration and a perforated rosette pattern in the centre.

This reconfiguration represents a new trajectory for the village which moves toward increasing social stratification and architectural sophistication, culminating eventually in the abandonment of the site toward the end of the MC period.

In 2019, a massive, monumental river terrace was revealed to have been constructed as part of the major terracing construction at the site in the MC period, possibly part of a perimeter wall around the village.

Previously excavated rooms can now be shown to post-date the construction of this river terrace wall, with the annex rooms being added as a tower extending out overlooking the river. This would have been an impressive construction and indicates a more hierarchical and social complex community, apparently developing rapidly just before the site was abandoned.

Author: Bouli Hadjioannou | Source: in-Cyprus [August 23, 2019]

Greek inscription in Cypriot syllabary discovery on citadel of ancient Paphos

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on August 14, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Cyprus, Europe, Southern Europe

The Department of Antiquities of Cyprus (Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works) has announced the completion of the 14th annual field campaign carried out by the University of Cyprus in Palaepaphos. The 2019 excavation season took place in May-June 2019; it concentrated on the plateau of Hadjiabdoulla, one kilometre east of the sanctuary of Aphrodite at Kouklia.

Credit: Department of Antiquities of Cyprus

The Palaepaphos Urban Landscape Project (PULP, for short), which has been running since 2006 under the direction of Professor Maria Iacovou (Department of History and Archaeology), has brought to light new monuments on the plateau. Unknown until recently, these impressive architectural complexes indicate that the plateau of Hadjiabdoulla functioned as the citadel, i.e. the administrative-economic centre, of the royal dynasty of Ancient Paphos during the Classical period (5th and 4th centuries BC).

In the last ten years (2009-2019), the University of Cyprus team has been digging an extensive production and storage complex that occupies the north side of the plateau. To this day, they have excavated 930 square meters - about 30% of the extent of the complex - and have identified eight distinct units and circulation corridors, whose stone walls survive to almost 2 m. in height. This season’s major discovery was a small sherd that carried an inscription in black ink.

Credit: Department of Antiquities of Cyprus

The inscription, which is in the Greek syllabary of Cyprus, was read on the same day by Dr Artemis Karnava, one of PULP’s s research associates. It preserves a fragmentary list with quantities of products and it reveals that the kings of Paphos were keeping an economic archive.

To this day, the only other royal citadel where such an archive has been identified is that of Idalion, where hundreds of inscriptions were found in the Phoenician alphabet. The Palaepaphos sherd inscription will redefine many historical facts concerning the economic management system of the Cypriot city-states.

Credit: Department of Antiquities of Cyprus

In the course of the 2019 field season, the team completed the excavation of Unit 5, where a mill stone basin of soft limestone was found. The pebbled floor of the Unit rested on top of an earlier floor that carried drains leading to a bath-tub in Unit 6.

The investigation of Unit 7 confirmed the presence of rooms above the ground floor units, whose floor was made of smooth plaster. The roofs were covered with large tiles decorated with red bands. West of Unit 7, excavations revealed an extraordinary unit of 25 sq. m., with an exceptionally well-preserved plastered floor. Unit 8 contains a mill stone basin, 1,5 m. in diameter.

Credit: Department of Antiquities of Cyprus

A pithos, 1,5 m. high was found sunken into the plastered floor. It is likely that Unit 8 was used for the crushing of olives, the first stage in the production of olive oil, but this will only be confirmed when all the samples have been analysed.

Finally, the team managed to empty Unit 2 (11 sq. m.) of its content: it contained 430 kilos of purple shells (murex). This massive depot of shells covered a floor made of mudbrick tiles;the shells had been collected for secondary processing after the production of the dye. The precious purple dye was produced in various coastal centres of the Mediterranean since the Bronze Age but the stages of its industrial production remain little known.

Credit: Department of Antiquities of Cyprus

Following the above discovery, the Archaeological Research Unit of the University of Cyprus and the Institute for Aegean Prehistory Study Center for East Crete decided to co-organise an international meeting on The materiality of purple dye production and use in Cyprus and the Aegean from Prehistory to the Late Roman period. The meeting, which will take place on 1-2 November 2019, is sponsored by the A.G. Leventis Foundation.

The Department of Antiquities of Cyprus has decided to take temporary measures to protect the material remains of the Hadjiabdoulla complex. To prevent deterioration of stone, mudbrick and plastered features, the most sensitive units have been reburied.  In 2020 the excavation of the complex will continue towards the East.

Source: Press and Information Office, Republic of Cyprus [August 14, 2019]

Section of the Venetian Walls of Nicosia collapses

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on August 08, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Cyprus, Europe, Heritage, Southern Europe

An extensive section of the Guerini bastion in Turkish occupied northern Nicosia has collapsed. This latest incident follows the partial collapse of the curtain wall which occurred in the Ledra Palace area last March.

Part of the Guerini bastion in occupied Nicosia [Credit: Cyprus Mail]

"This continuing destruction testifies to the deplorable state of preservation of the Venetian Walls in the occupied part of the city of Nicosia after years of neglect on the part of the illegal regime in the north. This negligence towards the cultural heritage of our shared common cultural heritage can only be perceived as criminal", said the Department of Antiquities of the Republic of Cyprus in a recent statement.

Greek Cypriot co-chairman of the Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage, Takis Hadjidemetriou, told CNA that together with UNDP representatives, they visited the site last week and decided to take urgent action to repair the section of the walls which had collapsed. For this, they adopted urgent measures which include a study and a report to be drafted and then a contractor hired to undertake the repairs by autumn.

Large Hellenistic sanctuary complex unearthed in Cyprus

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on July 24, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Cyprus, Europe, Southern Europe

The Department of Antiquities of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works has announced the completion of the 2019 excavation season at the location of Pachyammos, Geroskipou (Plot 223) under the direction of Archaeological Officer Dr Eustathios Raptou, for the purposes of a development project for the construction of a hotel unit.

View of the ‘peristyle in antis’ temple [Credit: Dept. of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus]

Investigations in the area began in 2015, initially with small trial trenches, with the work accelerating during in the past few months. Following the completion of the last season (June 2019), it has with relative certainty become clear that the remains uncovered belong to a large sanctuary complex of the Hellenistic period, which unfortunately has been seriously disturbed through the centuries, after its abandonment.

Although mostly only the foundations of the buildings have been preserved to date, it has become clear from the architectural remains that the sanctuary complex comprises a Greek style temple ‘peristyle in antis’ surrounded by a ‘peribolos’ wall, or an enclosure.  The temple occupies the southeastern side of the complex.  On its northeastern side, there was a large courtyard or an atrium, surrounded by long stoas, possibly provided with colonnades and a series of rooms. Investigations have up to now revealed only the eastern side (almost in its entirety) and parts of the northern and western sides, where investigations need to be continued further.

The series of rooms from northwest [Credit: Dept. of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus]

In the northwestern corner of the courtyard, the foundation of a massive structure, almost square in plan, has been uncovered made from unworked stones. It is believed that this structure is the foundation of a cistern, since a partially preserved aqueduct leads into it.  The aqueduct consists of a long wall with debris from stone channels and clay water pipes. It runs across the plot under investigation in a northeasterly to southwesterly direction and has been uncovered over a distance of tens of meters. Along its course, to the north of the courtyard, a second cistern foundation has been revealed, which partly preserves the hydraulic plaster that coated the bottom of the cistern. Clay pipes extend from this structure along both sides of the cistern, running parallel to the aqueduct.

The organization of the space and the typology of the buildings refer to a Greek type sanctuary built during the Ptolemaic period, probably on the remains of a preexisting local sanctuary from which slight evidence has come to light during the excavation. The discovery of important hydraulic installations indicates an increased need for and extensive use of large quantities of water, perhaps suggesting the existence of groves and gardens related to the cults in antiquity.

The stone foundation of a cistern. The walls of the aqueduct are visible at the ends [Credit: Dept. of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus]

The above views are preliminary, and only the continuation of investigations and study of the finds will allow us to draw firm conclusions concerning this important archaeological discovery.

In recent consultation with the Archbishop, it was decided that the uncovered archaeological site should be preserved as a unit within its natural environment together with the coastal protection zone, at a safe distance from the hotel and within a green zone. The Department of Antiquities will continue the excavations to reveal the archaeological remains.

It has also been decided that any architectural plans of the development project should be modified in close cooperation with the Department of Antiquities and must be adapted to the archaeological finds so as to guarantee the unity of the archaeological site and its harmonious coexistence with the project.

Finally, the archaeological site will be made accessible to the public and its protection will be ensured, by not permitting extensions or additions of new buildings to the project in the future.

Source: Department of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus [July 24, 2019]

Large Hellenistic complex found in Yeroskipou

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on July 18, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Cyprus, Europe, Southern Europe

A large complex from a temple of the Hellenistic period was discovered in Yeroskipou during excavations conducted by the Department of Antiquities, it was revealed on Thursday.

Credit: Cyprus Mail

The Director of the Department of Antiquities said the excavations took place under the building programme submitted by the Church of Cyprus, according to daily Politis.

The findings “include a Greek temple which is situated in the south eastern part of the complex and is enclosed by a courtyard. At the back of the temple there is a patio surrounded by different rooms,” Marina Solomonidou-Ierominidou said.

She added that “the complete excavation of the monument and the study of the findings, will allow the department to make more accurate deductions regarding this important monument”.

However, she said that the ancient findings will coexist with the building programme, ensuring that they will be protected and projected.

The Church of Cyprus is planning to build high-rises with luxury apartments, a 5-star hotel and an artificial island in the area of the findings.

In 2017, the Cabinet declassified the area from an Ancient monument schedule, to the surprise of the Department of Antiquities, which claimed that it was the first time that an area which was classified as an ancient monument is declassified while the excavations were still in progress.

Author: Stefanos Marangos | Source: Cyprus Mail [July 18, 2019]

Cyprus Institute digitally documents churches in occupied north

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on July 17, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Cyprus, Europe, Heritage, Southern Europe

The Cyprus Institute (CI), in collaboration with the Byzantine Museum of Nicosia, has been tasked by the department of antiquities to digitally document the churches of Ayia Solomoni at Komi tou Yialou, Panayia Pergaminiotissa at Akanthou, Panayia Apsinthiotissa at Syghari, and the Christ Antiphonitis Church at Kalograia, all in the north of the island.

Digital representation of Ayia Solomoni at Komi tou Yialou [Credit: Cyprus Mail]

CI said that following the Turkish invasion, looters stripped many of the churches, removing an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 icons and several dozen major frescoes and mosaics, intending to sell them illegally on the antique market. The churches in the study were among those affected.

Fragments of those churches’ frescoes have been repatriated and were digitally documented through high-resolution orthophotos.

The virtual re-composition of the frescoes along the looted walls helped quantify the missing parts, correctly re-locate virtually each fragment at its original position, obtain accurate colour information, and prepare a digital musealisation product to be included in the permanent exhibition display at the museum, which will feature a 1:1 scale reproduction of the church walls, CI said.

It added that the CI team responsible for the data collection consisted of Dr Dante Abate and Marina Faka, who visited the Ayia Solomoni church last month together with the Curator of the Byzantine Museum, and found out that the vandalism continues.

The damage to the apse has been recorded and can now be visualized through a 3D online model: (http://ephemera.cyi.ac.cy/sites/ephemera/3D1/ayia_solomoni.html).

At the following link, visitors can virtually explore the churches through the EpHEMERA database, which is a repository of 3D models of endangered architectural and archaeological heritage in the Eastern Mediterranean area: http://ephemera.cyi.ac.cy.

Source: Cyprus Mail [July 17, 2019]

Completion of the 2019 Ancient Akrotiri Project

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on July 03, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Cyprus, Europe, Southern Europe

The Department of Antiquities, Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works has announced the completion of the 2019 Ancient Akrotiri Project (AAP), led by the University of Leicester under the direction of Professor Simon James. The team consisted of professional excavation staff and undergraduate students from the University of Leicester’s School of Archaeology and Ancient History, in collaboration with colleagues from the Universities of Southampton, Cyprus and Athens. The excavations were conducted between 4th and 23rd April 2019, at and around the vicinity of Akrotiri-Dreamer's Bay (Nissarouin). This excavation season marks the fifth year of work conducted by the AAP on remains in the southern coast of the peninsula, which appears to have comprised an ancient port, quarry and other facilities.

Akrotiri-Dreamer's Bay (Nissarouin) [Credit: Dept. of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus]

Previous land archaeology seasons from 2015-2018 saw exploration of Roman (2nd-4th-cent. AD) shoreline buildings overlain by concentrations of later ceramics, largely late Roman/Byzantine (5th-7th cent.) amphorae, with 2018 also including exploration of a submerged ancient masonry breakwater and other archaeological remains on the floor of Dreamer's Bay itself.

During April 2019, investigations on a concentration of masonry buildings on the hilltop overlooking the shoreline structures from the north were completed, as well as further survey and sample excavations of the large complex of ancient quarries at the top of the 40 metre-high scarp overlooking Dreamer's Bay harbour.

Akrotiri-Dreamer's Bay (Nissarouin) [Credit: Dept. of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus]

The hilltop complex, sited at a point commanding a very wide field of view from Kourion c.13km to the north, Cape Zevgari to the west and round almost to Cape Gata in the east, would have been extremely well sited both to spot approaching shipping, and to act as a landmark for vessels making landfall at Akrotiri. Structures were accidentally revealed here in the 1980s, and estimated to be of late Antique chronology. The partially exposed remains formed the starting-point for AAP investigation starting in 2017, and completed in the April 2019 season. This year the excavated area was extended by trenching both to the northern and eastern edges of the site, the western extent of the ancient rubble mound encapsulating the surviving foundations having been previously established.

The remains encountered comprised several stone-founded structures with evidence of multiple phases suggesting a fairly extended life. The north side of theDreamer's Bay hilltop complexcomprised parallel stone foundations apparently overlain by a large ovoid structure with clay floor of uncertain purpose. Pottery, roofing materials and coins suggest occupation during the Byzantine period, to at least the sixth century, although construction during the Roman period cannot be ruled out.

Akrotiri-Dreamer's Bay (Nissarouin) [Credit: Dept. of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus]

The team’s work in the quarry complex comprised survey of the very well-preserved traces of ancient rock-cutting, producing squared blocks and round millstones from different grades of marine conglomerate. Sample excavation was undertaken of heavily eroded masonry structures identified in the quarried landscape, which turned out to have possessed finely plastered walls with simple painted decoration. A ceramic piped water supply probably also related to this complex and provisionally dated to the Roman era (1st-4th c. AD) was recorded. The buildings overlay part of the quarrying, proving that at least some of it was earlier.

This fieldwork season has added important elements to the emerging picture of a complex commercial and industrial coastscape at Dreamer's Bay with a history lasting several centuries.

Source: Department of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus [July 03, 2019]