The Department of Antiquities is a

government department Ministry or department (also less commonly used secretariat, office, or directorate) are designations used by first-level executive bodies in the machinery of governments that manage a specific sector of public administration." Энцикло� ...

of the

Republic of Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

with responsibility for archaeological research and

cultural heritage management Cultural heritage management (CHM) is the vocation and practice of managing cultural heritage. It is a branch of cultural resources management (CRM), although it also draws on the practices of cultural conservation, restoration, museology, archae ...

. It was established in 1935 by the British colonial government. The department is headed by the Director of the Department of Antiquities, next in line is the position of the Director of the

Cyprus Museum The Cyprus Museum (also known as the Cyprus Archaeological Museum) is the oldest and largest archaeological museum in Cyprus. The museum houses artifacts discovered during numerous excavations on the island. The museum is home to the most extensi ...

and following that, the Curator of Monuments. It has conducted excavations at

Khoirokoitia Khirokitia (sometimes spelled Choirokoitia; el, Χοιροκοιτία , suggested meaning ''Pig-cradle'', from 'pig, boar' + 'place of origin, cradle'; tr, Hirokitya) is an archaeological site on the island of Cyprus dating from the Neolit ...

Kition Kition (Egyptian language, Egyptian: ; Phoenician language, Phoenician: , , or , ; Ancient Greek: , ; Latin: ) was a petty kingdom, city-kingdom on the southern coast of Cyprus (in present-day Larnaca). According to the text on the plaque clos ...

Amathus Amathus or Amathous ( grc, Ἀμαθοῦς) was an ancient city and one of the ancient royal cities of Cyprus until about 300 BC. Some of its impressive remains can be seen today on the southern coast in front of Agios Tychonas, about west of ...

Kourion Kourion ( grc, Koύριov; la, Curium) was an important ancient Greek city-state on the southwestern coast of Cyprus. In the twelfth century BCE, after the collapse of the Mycenaean palaces, Greek settlers from Argos arrived on this site. In ...

Paphos Paphos ( el, Πάφος ; tr, Baf) is a coastal city in southwest Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In classical antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos, today known as Kouklia, and New Paphos. The current city of Pap ...

, Salamis,

Enkomi Enkomi ( el, Έγκωμη; tr, Tuzla) is a village near Famagusta in Cyprus. It is the site of an important Bronze Age city, possibly the capital of Alasiya. Enkomi is under the ''de facto'' control of Northern Cyprus. In 1974, Enkomi had about ...

and carried multiple rescue excavations all around the island. The Department publishes yearly the Report of the Department of Antiquities Cyprus (RDAC) and the Annual Report of the Department of Antiquities Cyprus (ARDAC). In 1955 the Director

Peter Megaw Arthur Hubert Stanley "Peter" Megaw, (20 July 191028 June 2006) was an architectural historian and archaeologist. He specialised in Byzantine churches. He served as Director of the Department of Antiquities (Cyprus), Department of Antiquities, ...

established an Archaeological Survey Branch and appointed

Hector Catling Hector William Catling, CBE, FSA (26 June 192415 February 2013) was a British archaeologist who served as director of the British School at Athens between 1971 and 1989. Early life Catling was born on 26 June 1924. He was educated at Bristol G ...

as the head and Kyriacos Nicolaou as an Assistant and a number of technicians. The Branch was discontinued in 1974. The Department of Antiquities operates various archaeological sites such as

Idalion Idalion or Idalium ( el, Ιδάλιον, ''Idalion'') was an ancient city in Cyprus, in modern Dali, Nicosia District. The city was founded on the copper trade in the 3rd millennium BC. Its name in the 8th century BC was "Ed-di-al" as it appears ...

Paphos Archaeological Park Paphos Archaeological Park (also Kato Pafos Archaeological Park) contains the major part of the important ancient Greek and Roman city and is located in Paphos, southwest Cyprus. The park, still under excavation, is within the Nea Pafos ("New Paph ...

and museums like the

, archaeological district museums of Paphos, Limassol, Kition and smaller local museums like the

Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios Mansion The Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios Mansion is situated near the Archbishopric, in the neighbourhood of Saint Antonios in Nicosia, Cyprus, where the wealthy notables of the Greek community traditionally used to live. Overview The mansion is the most i ...

Directors of the Department of Antiquities

John Robert Hilton John Robert Hilton, CMG (5 January 1908 – 20 April 1994) was a British academic, architect and intelligence officer. From 1934 to 1936, he served as the first Director of the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus. He then worked as an architect, s ...

(1934-1935) *

(1935-1960) *

Porphyrios Dikaios Porphyrios Dikaios (Greek: Πορφύριος Δίκαιος) FSA (16 August 190423 August 1971) was a Greek Cypriot archaeologist born in Nicosia Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romani ...

(1960-1963) *

Vassos Karageorghis Vassos Karageorghis (Greek: Βάσος Καραγιώργης) FBA (29 April 1929 – 21 December 2021) was a Cypriot archaeologist and director of the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus. Biography He attended the Pancyprian Gymnasium, he studied ...

(1963-1989) * Athanasios Papageorgiou (1989-1991) *

Demos Christou Demos Christou (Greek: Δήμος Χρήστου) (born 1937) is a Cypriot archaeologist and Director of the Department of Antiquities from 1991 to 1997. He was born in the village of Galini. He studied history and archaeology at the National an ...

(1991-1997) * Sophocles Hadjisavvas * Pavlos Flourentzos * Maria Hadjicosti * Marina Solomidou-Ieronymidou (current)

Curators of the Cyprus Museum

Menelaos Markides Menelaos Markides (Greek: Μενέλαος Μαρκίδης) (1878, Nicosia - 1942) was a Cypriot archaeologist and the first curator of the Cyprus Museum (1912-1931). Early life and education He was born in Nicosia in 1878 and graduated from t ...

(1912-1931) *

(1931-1960) *

(1960-1963) *

Kyriakos Nicolaou Kyriakos Nicolaou (Greek: Κυριάκος Νικολάου) (10 October 1918 – 1981) was a Cypriot archaeologist who worked for the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus. Life and works Kyriakos Nicolaou was born in Rizokarpaso in 1918. He attai ...

(1964-1979) * Despo Pilides (until 2021)

Assistant Curators of the Cyprus Museum

(1929-1931) *

(1952-1960) *

(1961-1964)

Curators of Monuments

George H. Everett Jeffery George H. Everett Jeffery, Society of Antiquaries of London, FSA (1855–1935) was the Curator of Ancient Monuments in Cyprus from 1903 until his death in 1935. He is known for his personal research and interest in the monuments of Cyprus. Amon ...

* Athanasios Papageorgiou (1962-1989) *Giorgos Filotheou * Giorgos Georgiou

Inspectors of Antiquities

Joan du Plat Taylor Joan Mabel Frederica du Plat Taylor FSA (Glasgow, 26 June 1906 – Cambridge, 21 May 1983) was a British archaeologist and pioneer of underwater nautical archaeology. Early life and education Joan Mabel Frederica Du Plat Taylor was born in Gl ...

Rupert Gunnis Rupert Forbes Gunnis (11 March 1899 – 31 July 1965) was an English collector and historian of British sculpture. He is best known for his ''Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660–1851'', which "revolutionized the study of British sculpture, pr ...

Archaeological Survey Officers

(1955-1959) *

Publications

The Department publishes the ''Report of the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus'' (RDAC) as well as the ''Annual Report of the Director of the Department of Antiquities Cyprus'' (ARDAC). The ARDAC for the years 2006-2009 can b
accessed online

References

External links

Official website (English)

Official website (Greek)
{{NEast-archaeology-stub Ministries established in 1935 Cyprus, Antiquities, Department of Archaeology of Cyprus