Amathus — Cypriot Seaport Rock-Cut Tomb Harbour
Iron Age Phoenician (1050 BCE Amathus port) through Ptolemaic to Roman harbour 1st c. CE submerged 365 CE quake·Phoenician Greek Cypriot Amathus (Aphrodite temple) 800 BCE large vase Amathus 1.85 m Louvre·🇨🇾 Limassol District, Agios Tychonas, Amathus, 11 km SE Limassol, 70 m hill 1.5 km coast, seaport 4 km south harbour moles submerged, Cyprus
About
About Amathus — Cypriot Seaport Rock-Cut Tomb Harbour
Amathus Petit excav, vase 1.85 m 700 BCE.
Why it mattersKey Phoenician Greek Cypriot Amathus (Aphrodite temple) 800 BCE large vase Amathus 1.85 m Louvre port with stratified sequence and regional typology.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Function of enclosure
- 02Astronomical alignment
Theories
- 01Seasonal gathering
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- 800 BCE city; harbour moles 1st c. CE 400 m
- Period
- Iron Age Phoenician (1050 BCE Amathus port) through Ptolemaic to Roman harbour 1st c. CE submerged 365 CE quake
- Culture
- Phoenician Greek Cypriot Amathus (Aphrodite temple) 800 BCE large vase Amathus 1.85 m Louvre
- Purpose
- Aphrodite's harbour with 400 m mole wall (365 quake submerged 2 m) and rock-cut royal tombs Agios Tychonas hill 30 m and Aphrodite temple 1050 BCE and 1.85 m vase of Amathus (largest Cypriot vase 700 BCE)
- Rediscovered
- Modern excavation 1909
- Excavation
- Excavated
1970 excavation
Modern rediscovery and scientific excavation of Amathus — Cypriot Seaport Rock-Cut Tomb Harbour
800 BCE city; harbour moles 1st c. CE 400 m
Initial construction / first occupation at Amathus — Cypriot Seaport Rock-Cut Tomb Harbour
c. 1500 BCE major extension
Major expansion / refurbishment at Amathus — Cypriot Seaport Rock-Cut Tomb Harbour
On the ground
Structures & features
34.7110° N · 33.1390° E · 70 m · 3 mapped features
Amathus — Cypriot Seaport Rock-Cut Tomb Harbour — Principal Structure
structurestructure at Amathus — Cypriot Seaport Rock-Cut Tomb Harbour — subsidiary complex
34.7115° N · 33.1375° EAmathus — Cypriot Seaport Rock-Cut Tomb Harbour — Northern Complex
complexcomplex at Amathus — Cypriot Seaport Rock-Cut Tomb Harbour — hydraulic feature
34.7109° N · 33.1383° EAmathus — Cypriot Seaport Rock-Cut Tomb Harbour — Southern Rock Art
rock artrock art at Amathus — Cypriot Seaport Rock-Cut Tomb Harbour — outlier feature
34.7110° N · 33.1377° E