Excavations at Kouklia-Palaepaphos, 2014
The Department
of Antiquities, Ministry of Communications and Works announces the completion
of the 2014 excavations at Kouklia-Palaepafos. The excavations were conducted by the Archaeological
Research Unit of the University of Cyprus, under the direction of Professor
Maria Iacovou. On the outskirts of
the village of Kouklia, a short distance to the east of the sanctuary of
Aphrodite at Palaepaphos, the archaeological mission of the University of
Cyprus located an impressive citadel wall of the Classical period on the
plateau of Hadjiabdoulla. The wall
defines and protects the north site of a monumental edifice known since the
1950s as the palace of the last royal dynasty of Ancient Paphos. The rampart
extends for over 80 meters and many of its walls are preserved to a height of a
meter and a half. The citadel wall on Hadjiabdoulla
is a well-designed scheme of defensive architecture; it consists of three main
parts: (a) a three-meter wide main wall; (b) long and narrow cross walls, which
are built against the main wall and extend almost to the edge of the cliff; (c)
there, they join a curtain wall that runs parallel to the main wall. The
curtain wall is the topmost of a series of descending terrace walls built
against the steep slope of the cliff. This is the most impressive part of the
system and it suggests that the natural slope in its entirety was incorporated
in the defensive scheme.
Collapsed roof
material bearing the impression of beams, as well as large roof tiles show that
the complex included extensively roofed spaces. In addition, many of the walls
were coated with plaster. Evidently, the north wall of the citadel was a
significant and well-maintained part of the palace compound.
This year’s
campaign lasted for five weeks, and it was made possible thanks to the
financial contribution of ALPHA Bank Cyprus and donations made by Mr Christakis
Agathagelou and Mr Stephanos Stephanou, both of whom are Kouklia community
members. During his annual visit to the excavation, the Rector of the
University of Cyprus thanked the benefactors and underlined the significance of
the local community’s active participation in a long-term field project, which
adds new monuments and new insight into the history of the kingdom of Paphos.
Palaepaphos was
the capital of the Paphian kingdom almost to the end of the fourth century BC,
but its town plan and its different urban sectors, which appear to have
occupied the plateaus around the sanctuary, are almost invisible. The primary
target of the “Palaepaphos Urban Landscape project”, which was initiated in
2006 by Professor Maria Iacovou of the Archaeological Research Unit, is to
uncover and study the structure of the capital centre.
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4/8/2014
