A Geroskipou Mini Mystery

[Dominic]

After our last blog of the strange monument near Mandria, we were delighted with the response, so we thought we would post these pictures of another forgotten site, this time in the heart of Geroskipou. Did anybody work on this site in the past, and if so, can they say why excavation work seems to have halted mid dig?

Read the article and chat about it below...

[LouiseCastricum]

The Old KEN :

I think KEN is a military base.

http://archive.philenews.com/el-gr/eidi ... -ston-dimo

right click on the article for translation in English.

[Dominic]

Ah, interesting. Is the New KEN the big establishment on the way to Nata?

[cyprusmax47]

It is also to me amazing that the finds are left on site. Very strange. The site is most likely called Ayioi pente (five saints) and a very informative link about it here: http://www.academia.edu/22637581/The_Ex ... Yeroskipou

Max

[Ams]

Yes, the new KEN is on the way from Anarita to Nata. I live next door (sort of...)

[PaphosAL]

I think I found your two new very interesting sites at these locations, Dom:

34.766905 32.454968- Looks to be much later than Neolithic / Byzantine periods to me. Roman perhaps?

34.763805 32.457004- Do I have the coordinates correct? If I do, then I cannot fathom any info from this site! If it's fenced and signed 'No Entry', it would suggest to me that it's an ongoing MOA archaelogical exercise? Old Camp- intrigueing.. Maybe Max can help?

AL

[Dominic]

Read the previous posts about KEN, and see the map on page 2 of the blog. All the info is there.

[PaphosAL]

Sorry, Dominic, but I cannot find any previous posts about KEN. Used your PL Search feature, but all results pointed back to either this thread, or Ken Clarke in the Brexit topics...

As regards the 'Old Camp' you found near Geroskipou, I just found this on Wikipedia:

"The village (Geroskipou) was home to a camp for Turkish Cypriot prisoners of war in 1974. At least 329 people were held here; in their interviews with Turkish media the POWs claim that they were beaten and left hungry for periods of 24 hours by their captors."

This could explain the area being fenced in and the No Entry signs, it still being owned by the military? Can you see any signs of buildings in there on satellite map?

Cheers- AL

[Dominic]

LouiseCastricum posted about it on this thread.

[cyprusmax47]

After reading the interesting article about the excavations at Yeroskipou I went today on site to have a look myself.
To understand what it is about one must read ...http://www.academia.edu/22637581/The_Ex ... beforehand.

First I want to mention that the whole area is much larger than the fenced bit. One can see on the photo the large piece ca 500 m North..laying in front of newly built houses there..


On this pic one can see these houses. As there are less weeds after the hot Summer you can now see more from the ancient excavation. A lot of steps are leading up to...? much further than so far excavated I believe.


In this corner one can see the base of a pillar


Here you can see how much more work is in need to get the full impression what is buried under meters of soil and stones.


this close up of that area shows you even shells from the sea


more foundation stones and boxes of roof tiles from different periods 5-6th century AD


Two thirds of the excavated area on this view towards South, interesting in the background the curved areal


More cover stones on top of an empty grave


This is the area where the mosaics were removed and underneath found the cover stones of the grave


Finally one more photo from a piece of pillar and more crates filled with tiles


Max

[Dominic]

Certainly looks less painful today!

[PaphosAL]

@Max: The mystery deepens... What is your gut feeling on the age of this site, when it fell into ground level foundations only ruins? 1974 TC, or much older than that?

@Dominic: Regarding sharp grass. Apart from suitable footwear (like Wellies), consider the type of trousers you wear when yomping in the wilds.

Motorcycle Trials riders invariably wear Belstaff or Barbour kit. Waxed waterproof linen, thorn proof. A pair of such trousers, which don't come cheap, will allow you to imperviously wade through anything that Cyprus nature can throw at you! Sharp grass, thistles, gorse etc.. Maybe even snakes?

Cheers- AL

[Dominic]

That would get far too hot very quickly.

You have to remember that when we found this spot we were having a casual drive, not intending to do any bushwacking. Normally I would wear hiking boots and long trousers. Nothing more complicated than that though.

[cyprusmax47]

@Max: The mystery deepens... What is your gut feeling on the age of this site, when it fell into ground level foundations only ruins? 1974 TC, or much older than that?

Cheers- AL

Alan, are you kidding me? I did all the efforts to explain some of the details of this important excavation which has something to do with the Aphrodite cult at old Kouklia as it was perhaps the path, pilgrims took from Paphos harbour. I hope you know the period I am talking about as you are soo much interested in everything happened at Cyprus. So it has nothing to do with 1974, TC...
If you had read the article which I recommended to read beforehand and took notice of my texts above the photos you would not come up with silly questions..
Max

[PaphosAL]

Humble apologies, Max! I was so eager to scroll down your updated set of photos for this archaeological site, that I guess your vital historical link in your intro went straight over my old head, sorry..

Maybe a good idea to help deal with dopey sods like me when you are making a long multi-photo post that requires an explanatory external link, is to have the link as an intro (as you already have done), then perhaps repeat it as a footer, after the photos?

Thanks- AL

[PaphosAL]

Yes, the new KEN is on the way from Anarita to Nata. I live next door (sort of...)

Well, the new KEN is easy enough to find on Bing Maps, and I've driven / ridden past it many times from when it was being built, to when it was finished and populated. There's a helicopter landing pad there, too, visible in max zoom Sat view.

When I zoomed out slightly, I did spot yet another Bing abberation. A label for Periklis Tavern which (as the crow flies) is approx 2km SSE of his actual location!

Unless Peri has opened a second branch? I doubt it, as zooming in on this faux location seems to show a farm house and yard / outbuildings...

Regards- AL

[cyprusmax47]

Humble apologies, Max! I was so eager to scroll down your updated set of photos for this archaeological site, that I guess your vital historical link in your intro went straight over my old head, sorry..

Maybe a good idea to help deal with dopey sods like me when you are making a long multi-photo post that requires an explanatory external link, is to have the link as an intro (as you already have done), then perhaps repeat it as a footer, after the photos?

Thanks- AL

Accept your apology Alan, was just disappointed after reading your comment. Archaeology was actually the reason for my first visit to Cyprus in 1969.
At that time I was working for a German Museum in Field Work (= Archaeological survey) with many times disappointing results. So when I was reading a magazine about Cyprus and the excavations there described as always very successful I decided to book holidays at Karavas (Kyrenia area) From the first moment a was in love with the Country and after 6-8 more visits the next couple of years a dream was born: a house, a farm, a Cypriot girl..
In the end I retired early and went to live here for good from 1982. In 1973 and 1974(just 1 month before invasion) I returned with members of the Museum for some field work and we found an interesting ancient half island exactly were the Turks were landing with tanks etc. Instead of Cyprus we were invited to do some research at Petra (Jordan), but as soon as it was possible to travel again I booked flights to Larnaca instead Nicosia and stayed from then at Paphos district (Polis)...

Max

[2QuarterPints]

Really interesting paper Max and thank you for the link. Deep down I think we all wish we could get involved in archaeological excavations as you have done, and Cyprus appears to offer so many opportunities. Having said that, I think my back and knees might complain a bit if I did!

When I was in my teens in the 60's I was lucky enough to get involved in a very rapid excavation of an Anglo Saxon burial site when the M1 was being laid down through Nottinghamshire. The archeologists were given a very small window of opportunity to carry out their work before the bulldozers started up again, so a lot of local schools were asked to help. Probably a nightmare scenario for the academics with teenagers digging away like crazy, but at least an excavation of sorts took place.

[cyprusmax47]

Really interesting paper Max and thank you for the link. Deep down I think we all wish we could get involved in archaeological excavations as you have done, and Cyprus appears to offer so many opportunities. Having said that, I think my back and knees might complain a bit if I did!

When I was in my teens in the 60's I was lucky enough to get involved in a very rapid excavation of an Anglo Saxon burial site when the M1 was being laid down through Nottinghamshire. The archeologists were given a very small window of opportunity to carry out their work before the bulldozers started up again, so a lot of local schools were asked to help. Probably a nightmare scenario for the academics with teenagers digging away like crazy, but at least an excavation of sorts took place.

If they stopped the road works at the site in Yeroskipou earlier when huge bulldozer were used, then for sure much more one could see today from the old basilica. Back to my work in Germany for the museum: mainly over the weekends we were called in to rescue excavations, in order to prevent that important ancient sites were destroyed by heavy machinery... By the way: very nice image of the site when you go on Bing maps, click on birds eye and zoom to max. All the area to the right of the fence is ancient...

Max

[Kili01]

On reading these posts I realised that I know something about this excavation site. It was discovered by chance when work started on the new highway about 14 years ago, when a bulldozer driver realised that he had hit a previously burried marble slab. On examining it, he realised that it was covering a depression in the ground which his machine would have fallen into had he not stopped. The antiquities branch were quickly on the scene and once they had realised that it was a marble lined tomb, all work on the new road stopped!
It was in mid summer, when the Uni of Cyprus, students and Archaelogical faculty proffessors and with Antiquities Dept staff on site a 'rescue excavation' started. A number of tombs were found and other circular foundations of buildings, plus remains of an altar. It was determined that the site was a religious one probably with a temple and altar for ritual sacrifices. The site was dated as being B.C.as various items were found and removed to the museum for further tests , analysis and safe keeping. I was involved as volunteer for 'pot washing', ie 'cleaning of the finds'. As a result the motorway was re routed to a new line higher up the valley. Probably the excavation stopped once the nature of the site had been determined.
Dee