Paphos Life

Read the blog, then chat about it below..

Hi Dominic,
Very nice photos of the ancient worship place which I believe is from 800 BC.
Similar figurines (2000 pieces) were found in the past at Ayia Irini (Kap Kormakitis in the North)
and one can see them at the Nicosia Museum.
There is a small article Online confirming about the age of the site.

"In addition, archaeological excavations brought to light many of the treasures hidden beneath the guard of the Pegeia land. A place of worship with hundreds of figurines which found by accident, somehow bridging the gap between the Bronze Age and its rich Roman and Byzantine period which succeeded the Hellenistic obvious effect on the Ptolemaic successors of Alexander. These rich archaeological remains found in the Tombs of Meletis in the woods of Pegeia."

Not far away more towards Akamas, close to the road leading to the "Castle" and the Gorge
experts from America found hundreds of stone tools in the ocean claiming that this is the oldest
site in Cyprus and place Neolitic period back to 9000 BC as settlers from Anatolia stayed in summer in Cyprus,
Winter back in Anatolia....

Max

Thank you for these great pictures Dominic. We stumbled on this ancient site about 15 years ago, before it had the houses put up nearby. I still love to go there and just look. A lovely place to lay in the sun on the rocks when it's early Spring, and watch lizards darting about.
Thank you also Cyprusmax47 for the information. 9000 BC is an extraordinary date. Does this make some parts of Cyprus one of the oldest places inhabited by humans?

Yes it is one of the oldest discovery of settlement in Early Stone Age
but it lays in the ocean.
So far the oldest in Cyprus was discovered near Limassol:

World’s oldest village settlement discovered in Cyprus

July 12, 2016 Local News Leave a comment

Excavations at the Ayios Tychonas-Klimonas site have revealed the earliest manifestation worldwide, of an agricultural and village way of life known to date.

The findings were announced following the completion of the fifth season of excavations at the Ayios Tychonas-Klimonas site in the Limassol District by the Department of Antiquities on Tuesday.

The excavations which ended on 4 July, were directed by François Briois (EHESS) and Jean-Denis Vigne (CNRS- Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle).

This year’s excavations brought to light the remains of more than 20 round buildings with a 3-6m diameter. The buildings were constructed on small terraces, notched into a gentle slope facing the sea. The walls were built with earth and strengthened with wooden poles and the floors were often plastered. In most buildings large hearths were discovered, sometimes accompanied by a 30-50 kg millstone. These buildings were probably frequently reconstructed, as seen by the multiple layers of remains that were found, one above the other, on the terraces.

The buildings are situated around a circular, 10 meter communal building, that was excavated in 2011-2012. The building dates to between 11,200 and 10,600 years BP (Before Present). The surveys and excavations that have been conducted since have shown that the village would have covered an area of at least half a hectare. This is the earliest known village in Cyprus, and is more than twenty centuries older than Chirokitia.

Large quantities of stone tools, stone vessels, stone and shell beads and pendants were also found. Animal bones indicate that domestic dogs and cats were already introduced to Cyprus, and that the villagers hunted a small Cypriot wild boar and birds. Intensive sieving provided strong evidence for the cultivation of emmer wheat: a primitive cereal introduced from the continent. At this time, the Ayios Tychonas-Klimonas villagers were hunter-cultivators who did not produce pottery.

The organization of the village, its architecture, the stone tools and the presence of agriculture and hunting are elements that are very similar to those that have already been identified in the early Pre-Pottery Neolithic Levant, between 11,500 and 10,500 years BP. The site has demonstrated that, even though Cyprus was separated from the continent by more than 70 km of sea, the island was part of broader Near Eastern Neolithic developments.

The excavations were supported by the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus, the French School at Athens, the French Ministère des Affaires Etrangères et du Développement International, the CNRS, the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, the French Institute for Rescue Archaeological Research (INRAP) and the Ayios Tychonas Community Council.

That's extraordinary. Thank you for posting. So they had domestic cats even then! Excellent choice
Those huts sound very like the reconstruction of early dwellings that have been built near Kissonerga. How remarkable is this little island, the historical and archeological elements seem endless. I love how people are not shut away from it all as well, you can freely wander around so many wonderful discoveries - and think how much has yet to be found.
We went to Kouklia recently, and found it fascinating. A bridle from a Roman horse. A huge ancient stone "coffin", still with paint on it. Evidence of a siege ramp that was then undermined and destroyed by fire. The list goes on. I plan on going back there soon as I understand there have been more discoveries made.