Kition-Bamboula – Phoenician Harbour Anchorage at Larnaca
𐤊𐤕 (Kittim) · Kition · Bamboula Kition · Larnaca Kition
Late Bronze Age to Medieval (1400 BCE – 1200 CE)·Mycenaean / Phoenician / Ptolemaic / Roman·🇨🇾 Larnaca District, Kition (Larnaca), Cyprus
About
About Kition-Bamboula – Phoenician Harbour Anchorage at Larnaca
Kition (modern Larnaca) was the Phoenician city-kingdom of Cyprus from 9th c. BCE (Tyrian colony) with a royal harbour on the Bamboula ridge; six rock-cut warship sheds (neoria) at −1 m for triremes survive under Larnaca seafront, excavated by Vassos Karageorghis (1959–). 5 m) are snorkellable off Bamboula. The city exported copper from Troodos, salt from Larnaca salt lake and Phoenician purple. Classical ramparts (4 km) with Cyclopean masonry and Astarte temple survive.
Harbour silted as Larnaca salt lake lagoon prograded after 300 BCE Ptolemaic refoundation to Nea Kition at promontory.
Why it mattersOnly Phoenician harbour in Cyprus with preserved ship sheds; shows Tyrian Phoenician city-kingdom harbour planning on Cyprus.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Whether Kition had a second outer commercial harbour at Kathari now harbour-less
- 02Relation to nearby Hala Sultan Tekke Late Bronze harbour
Theories
- 01Kition moved from Hala to Bamboula due to Larnaca salt lake closure c. 1200 BCE
- 02Ship sheds built by Evagoras of Salamis during Phoenician siege 498 BCE
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 1400 BCE Late Bronze Age Kition; Phoenician harbour 9th c. BCE
- Period
- Late Bronze Age to Medieval (1400 BCE – 1200 CE)
- Culture
- Mycenaean / Phoenician / Ptolemaic / Roman
- Builders
- Phoenicians (Tyrians) / Kitionites
- Purpose
- Phoenician royal harbour for Troodos copper, salt and purple
- Abandoned
- Active through Nea Kition refoundation 312 BCE; harbour silt
- Rediscovered
- 1959 Karageorghis Kition-Bamboula harbour sheds
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 1400 BCE
Late Bronze Age Kition port founded
c. 850 BCE
Phoenicians of Tyre make Kition city-kingdom; harbour built
1959
Karageorghis excavates Bamboula ship sheds at -1 m
On the ground
Structures & features
34.9231° N · 33.6378° E · -1 m · 2 mapped features
Bamboula ship sheds 6 neoria at −1 m
shipshed6 rock-cut warship sheds 45 m long for triremes at −1 m
34.9235° N · 33.6385° EWestern mole 60 m at −1.5 m
mole60 m western mole at −1.5 m off Bamboula
34.9225° N · 33.6370° E