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04 January 2011 21:06

Excavation ends


NICOSIA - The remains of a large building complex area (200 m²) dating to the Roman period were discovered during excavations at the site of Vlou, located 2,5 km northeast of Anogyra village (Lemesos District).

According to an announcement issued today by the Department of Antiquities of the Ministry of Communications and Works, the excavations, which have been completed, were conducted by the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences under the direction of Dr V.A. Goroncharovskiy.

It says that it is probable that the site was part of a rural sanctuary of Apollo (4thcentury BC – 4th century AD).

During previous field seasons, two service rooms and a main cult room and courtyard on the central axis of construction were excavated. The courtyard has now been uncovered entirely (about 65 sq. m).

It has a two-level surface with a pavement made of cracked limestone slabs at the top part and the natural rock, which was leveled with clay in the lower part.

Large quantities of broken tiles were also found and one can assume the presence of covered canopies in the perimeter of the court yard.

A small staircase connects the two courtyard levels.

To the east of the staircase a limestone sarcophagus was revealed in secondary use (length 1.85 cm).

A cutting in the side of the sarcophagus indicates that it was used to drain water from the pavement after rainfall.

In a corner above its base, there is a small hole with a stone stopper used for regulating the quantity of water.

Nearby a low round, construction was found along with a limestone slab, which has radial-shaped breakages, as a result of an earthquake. Most likely, this construction was intended for the processing of grain.

Apart from the abundant ceramic material found in the area of the courtyard, a round limestone net weight was also found as well as a bronze needle.

To the east of the courtyard another service room was found (28 sq. m) with a separate entrance in the southeast.

Its floor is the natural rock surface, which was leveled with limestone slabs and a layer of clay.

To the right of the entrance an oven and a small pit for ashes were uncovered.

It is interesting to note that food remains were practically absent, apart from four fragments of bone belonging to young cattle.

Animals of a larger size were obviously contained in a compartment (width: 2.15 m) in the northern part of the room.

Some of the room’s walls were obviously damaged as a result of a strong tremor and a large accumulation of fallen stones were found.

Amongst the finds from these accumulations are: half of a flat tile, the neck of a storage vessel with two handles, a fragment from a millstone made from a dark-violet imported rock, a large fragment of a limestone basin, a rectangular limestone slab with a perforation, two fragments from glass vessels, a copper coin and a lead conical spindle whorl.

Finds from other areas include: a conical pestle of dark green diorite, four small limestone mortaria used for the preparation of juice or oil, and a copper coin, which was found in the layer above the floor.

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