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 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 ...

, southwest

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 ge ...

. The park, still under excavation, is within the Nea Pafos ("New Paphos") section of the coastal city. Its sites and monuments date from prehistoric times through the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. Among the most significant remains so far discovered are four large and elaborate Roman villas: the House of Dionysos, the House of Aion, the House of Theseus and the House of Orpheus, all with superb preserved mosaic floors, especially an

Orpheus mosaic Orpheus mosaics are found throughout the Roman Empire, normally in large Roman villas. The scene normally shown is Orpheus playing his lyre, and attracting birds and animals of many species to gather around him. Orpheus was a popular subject in ...

. In addition, excavations have uncovered an agora, asklipieion, basilica, odeion, and Hellenistic-Roman theatre, and a necropolis known as the " Tombs of the Kings". Nea Paphos is one of the three components forming the Paphos archaeological complex inscribed on the

UNESCO World Heritage List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

in 1980 for its outstanding mosaics and ancient remains, as well as its historical religious importance.

History

Nea Paphos was probably built by Nicocles, the last king of Paphos, at the end of the 4th c. BC. By the beginning of the 2nd c. BC it became the capital of the island, replacing Salamis during the

Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

era under the Ptolemies.

Excavations

Polish excavations in Paphos

The archaeological expedition from the

Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw The Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw (PCMA UW; pl, Centrum Archeologii Śródziemnomorskiej UW im. Kazimierza Michałowskiego) operates as an independent research institute of the University of Warsaw under the p ...

started work under the direction of Prof. Kazimierz Michałowski in June 1965. Marble statues of

Asclepius Asclepius (; grc-gre, Ἀσκληπιός ''Asklēpiós'' ; la, Aesculapius) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Greek religion and mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis, or Arsinoe, or of Apollo alone. Asclepius represe ...

and

Artemis In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...

(who was worshipped in the city) were found on the sites in the south-western part of Paphos. Another discovery was a treasure of silver coins from the reigns of

Philip III of Macedon Philip III Arrhidaeus ( grc-gre, Φίλιππος Ἀρριδαῖος ; c. 359 BC – 25 December 317 BC) reigned as king of Macedonia an Ancient Greek Kingdom in northern Greece from after 11 June 323 BC until his death. He was a son of King P ...

and

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

. The subsequent directors of the Polish expeditions were Prof. Wiktor Andrzej Daszewski (1971–2007) and Dr. Henryk Meyza (2008–2019). Their teams gradually uncovered an enormous antique residence (120 m long and 80 m wide). It was named the Villa of

Theseus Theseus (, ; grc-gre, Θησεύς ) was the mythical king and founder-hero of Athens. The myths surrounding Theseus his journeys, exploits, and friends have provided material for fiction throughout the ages. Theseus is sometimes describ ...

because a mosaic depicting the battle between Theseus and the Minotaur had been found inside. In 1983, a large mosaic with a depiction of Aion, the god of time and eternity, was discovered in a house which became known as the House of Aion. The excavations also encompass the so-called “Hellenistic” House and the Early Roman House. Apart from archaeological research, the expedition carries out reconstruction and conservation works. In 2011, the Paphos Agora Project was commenced by a team from the Chair of Classical Archaeology, Institute of Archeology of the Jagiellonian University, headed by Prof. Ewdoksia Papuci-Władyka. Its main objective was to search for the Hellenistic agora, which was presumably hidden under the Roman one. In 2015 began the new phase of the project, with the aim to study and reconstruct the public space of the agora as well as the infrastructure and economic activity of Paphos. The year 2020 marks the beginning of a joint project of a scientific consortium consisting of the Jagiellonian University, the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw, and the

Warsaw University of Technology The Warsaw University of Technology ( pl, Politechnika Warszawska, lit=Varsovian Polytechnic) is one of the leading institutes of technology in Poland and one of the largest in Central Europe. It employs 2,453 teaching faculty, with 357 professor ...

. The project, entitled “MA-P Maloutena and Agora in the layout of Paphos: modelling the cityscape of the Hellenistic and Roman capital of Cyprus”, is directed by Prof. Ewdoksia Papuci-Władyka.

Monuments

House of Dionysos

This exceptionally rich villa occupies 2000 sq. m of which 556 are covered with mosaic floors decorated with mythological, vintage and hunting scenes. It is named after the god

Dionysos In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...

who features on several of the mosaics. Its rooms are arranged around a central courtyard, or

atrium Atrium may refer to: Anatomy * Atrium (heart), an anatomical structure of the heart * Atrium, the genital structure next to the genital aperture in the reproductive system of gastropods * Atrium of the ventricular system of the brain * Pulmona ...

, which functioned as the core of the house. It was built at the end of the 2nd century AD and was destroyed and abandoned after the earthquakes of the 4th century AD. A Hellenistic pebble mosaic representing the mythical sea-monster Scylla from an earlier villa of the 3rd c. BC which was found below the Roman villa is on display in situ. House of Dionysos plan.jpg, House of Dionysos plan Paphos Haus des Dionysos - Apollo und Daphne 2.jpg, Apollo and Daphne Paphos Haus des Dionysos - Ikarios 2.jpg, Ikarios Paphos Haus des Dionysos - Vier Jahreszeiten 5 Ziege.jpg, Four Seasons Paphos Haus des Dionysos - Jagdszene 7a.jpg, Hunting scene

House of Aion

Although only three rooms of this large villa have been excavated by the University of Warsaw, the mosaic floor from the House of Aion is considered one of the most exceptional works of ancient Roman art, if not the only work of its kind, and certainly one of the most enigmatic and most fervently discussed by scholars. It dates from around the mid-4th century AD and is named after the god shown in the middle of the mosaic. The main room was probably a

triclinium A ''triclinium'' (plural: ''triclinia'') is a formal dining room in a Roman building. The word is adopted from the Greek ()—from (), "three", and (), a sort of couch or rather chaise longue. Each couch was sized to accommodate a diner who ...

or reception room. Two smaller rooms had excellent geometric mosaics. The main mosaic contains 3 horizontal frames with 5 panels all surrounded by a geometric frame. A villa wall was found collapsed into the adjacent street and has been restored. House of Aion.jpg, Plan of triclinium of the House of Aion Archaeological Park Paphos Cyprus House of Aion1.JPG, Reconstructed villa wall Birth of Dionysos - House of Aion - Paphos Archaeological Park.jpg, Birth of Dionysos Paphos Haus des Aion - Kassiopeia 1.jpg, Beauty contest between Cassiopeia and the nereids Paphos Haus des Aion - Zug des Dionysos 3 Satyr Skirtos.jpg, Triumph of Dionysos - Satyr Skirtos offering fruit to Dionysos Paphos Haus des Aion - Zug des Dionysos 2 Kentaur und Mänade.jpg, Triumph of Dionysos - Centaur and Maenad

House of Theseus

This exceptionally large villa was the residence of the Roman

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ...

or governor, and was divided between rooms for official functions and those for private use. Its name derives from the beautiful mosaic of

and the Minotaur found in the southeast quarter. The villa covered several

insulae The Latin word ''insula'' (literally meaning "island", plural ''insulae'') was used in Roman cities to mean either a city block in a city plan, i.e. a building area surrounded by four streets, or, later, a type of apartment building that occup ...

of the Hellenistic street plan. It was built in the 2nd half of the 2nd c. AD over ruins of earlier houses and was occupied until the 7th c. AD. So far only the southern half of the villa has been fully excavated. House of Theseus.jpg, House of Theseus Paphos Haus des Theseus - Mosaik Theseus 2.jpg, Theseus Mosaic Paphos Haus des Theseus - Geometrisches Mosaik 2b.jpg, Geometric Mosaic The House of Theseus, Paphos Archaeological Park, Cyprus (22381172469).jpg, The House of

in Paphos Archaeological Park

House of Orpheus

This villa lies to the west of the House of Theseus. The mosaics of the third century AD have three mythological representations: “Orpheus and his Lyre”, “Hercules and the Lion of Nemea” and “the Amazon”, but they are currently not on view to the public.

Theatre

The theatre, located in the northeastern area of the ancient city, is dated to originally the end of the fourth century BC and has been under excavation by the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...

since 1995. OdeonKatoPaphos.jpg, Theatre

Basilica

Руины базилики Панагия Лимениотисса. Пафос. 09.2013.JPG, Panagia Limeniotissa Basilica

Odeon

PanoOdeonPaphos.jpg, Odeon theatre, second century AD, about 1200 seats

Agora

Paphos - Agora.jpg, Paphos - Agora

References

External links

* {{coord, 34, 45.34, N, 32, 24.25, E, display=title
Archeological Park
Paphos Life * Polish excavations in Paphos: on th
PCMA website (since 1964)
and on th
website of the Jagiellonian University (since 2011)
Paphos Archaeological parks Roman Cyprus Archaeological sites in Cyprus World Heritage Sites in Cyprus