The University of Cyprus’s Archeology Research Unit directed its focus this year toward excavating a buried fortress beneath the Laona tumulus in Palaepaphos (Kouklia village), which dates back to the Cypro-Classical period.
The primary objective is to unearth and showcase the fortress, situated at an approximate height of 3 metres. Subsequently, the Polytechnic University of Milan will undertake the digital mapping of the revealed structure.
In an official press release issued on Wednesday, the University of Cyprus (UCy) announced that the ongoing excavations in Palaepaphos, led by Professor of Prehistory and Protohistoric Archaeology Maria Iakovou since 2006, have yielded noteworthy results this year.
These excavations are part of an analytical programme concerning the urban landscape of Ancient Paphos. Aside from the renowned Aphrodite sanctuary, Palaepaphos boasts an expansive administrative landscape (citadel) from the Cypro-Classical period. This complex includes defensive, palace, and laboratory structures erected by the Paphos dynasties during the 5th and 4th centuries BC.
The UCy press release said: “After the completion of the geomorphological study and the publication of the findings concerning the construction of the Laona tumulus, which was the focus of research for a decade (2012-2022), the mission of May-June 2023 was exclusively dedicated to the excavation of the monumental fortress settlement of the Cypro-Classical period (5th-4th centuries BC) which was found buried under the tumulus.”
During a concentrated four-week excavation effort, involving UCy expedition members and undergraduate students from the Department of History and Archaeology, as well as postdoctoral researchers from the University of Siena UNISTRASI under the guidance of Dr Jacopo Tabolli, and postgraduate students from the University of Crete led by Assistant Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology Artemis Karnava, layers of the tumulus covering the inner face of the defensive monument were meticulously removed.
The main objective of this operation was to reveal the fortress structure to a height of around 3 metres, facilitating subsequent digital mapping by the Polytechnic University of Milan. The mapping process occurred at the end of June as part of the INSIGHT 2022-2024 research programme funded by the A.G. Leventis Foundation.
The press release indicated that based on the digital division of the tumulus into excavation blocks (4x4m), approximately 500 square meters of exposed tumulus layers were analysed. Thus far, no indications of a burial chamber have emerged. However, significant progress was achieved this year, unveiling the eastern and northwestern sides of the fortress complex, spanning a length of over 135 meters. Additionally, three access stairs leading to the fortress’s pinnacle were unearthed—two scales facing each other on the eastern side and a third farther north, situated beneath the preserved top of the tumulus at an elevation of 114 meters above sea level.
The Department of Antiquities’ press release noted that comprehensive investigations of the fortress’s northern slope revealed that the wall was entirely constructed using stone. The release highlighted, “Artemis Karnava was able to identify the syllabic letter ‘E’ on a large worked stone at the exterior base of the fortress, which may represent the first letter of the mason’s name.”
The University of Cyprus’s press release highlighted that the anticipated maximum preservation height of the monument concealed beneath the tumulus ranges between 4 to 7 meters. While the southern portion of the wall, not obscured by mound layers, retains a height of only 1 to 1.5 meters, it is crafted using impressive second-use dressed stones.
The press release also noted that the southward expansion of the monumental defence complex of Laona faced interruptions due to extensive erosion caused by agricultural levelling. Despite this, the distance between the palace building on the Hadjiabdoulla plateau has been reduced to a mere 30 meters.
Anticipating the upcoming excavation period in 2024, it is expected that the Laona wall will be interconnected with the wall safeguarding the palace’s eastern side. On the Hadjiabdoulla plateau, the University of Cyprus mission identified and excavated an expansive laboratory complex adjacent to the palace’s western facade.
“Today, it is considered certain that in these two neighbouring places, Laona and Hadjiabdoulla, the royal dynasties of the 5th and 4th centuries BC had invested in the construction of modern memorial facilities of various uses,” the press release said.
The Department of Antiquities underscored in its own press release that “Kouklia-Palaepaphos currently has the most extensive and monumental royal-administrative landscape in the Cypro-Classical period.” Furthermore, the Department noted that the acquisition of plots between Laona and Hadjiabdoulla will facilitate the creation of a protected archaeological site.
