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Cyprus - Excavations at Kato Pafos-Toumpallos, 2010

http://www.isria.com/pages/17_September_2010_150.php

The Ministry of Communications and Works, Department of Antiquities, announces the completion of the 21st season of excavations at Kato Pafos-Toumpallos, the area of the so-called "Garrison's Camp". The excavations were conducted by the Italian Archaeological Mission directed by Filippo and Giada Giudice of the University of Catania.

This year, the excavations focused on one area, located to the southwest of the courtyard of property that has recently been expropriated by the Department of Antiquities. During previous seasons, trenches were dug in this area, either inside a subterranean chamber, or above it where the treasure of about 150 coins was found near an oil lamp. The well preserved structures led to the continuation of the excavations in the vicinity, where two large trenches (10 x 15m) were opened. In the first trench, about 0,25m beneath the surface, a room was discovered, two sides of which have been excavated. In this trench part of a mosaic floor was revelead, decorated with coarse mosaic tiles (white and dark). A corridor was also discovered that leads to a well partly covered by blocks with moldings reused to cover its mouth (fig. 1).

Another wall was excavated that runs in an East-West direction and was found deeper than the mosaic surface (fig. 2). This wall’s building technique appears not to be different to that of the overhanging walls and the material recovered between this structure and the higher suggest that a seismic event occurred during the early Christian period, and that the new room with the mosaic floor is of a later date. Extending the excavation area in the future will clarify the seismic event. Meanwhile the material recovered between the deeper wall and the South wall of the well is dated to the Hellenistic period, among which is the head of a statuette (Aphrodite?) (fig. 3). Likewise, in the northeastern corner of the trench fragments of Hellenistic vases came to light as well as a whole cup dating back to the third/second century B.C. The Hellenistic pottery that has been collected seems to indicate the existence of a votive deposit. Other sporadic material found are: a silver coin of the Lusignan period and a small female head carved in stone.