Roman Cyprus

A unique group of sculpture from Early Christian Cyprus comes from the so-called Villa of Theseus, at Nea Paphos. The group comprises (at least) twenty sculptures of divinities and mythological figures, which range in date from the Hellenistic to the Late Roman periods. Their discovery with connection to late antique layers demonstrates the long-lasting importance of sculpture to the villa culture and confirms the empire-wide appreciation of local elites to the medium in late antique times. In this paper, the decoration of the Villa of Theseus will be re-assessed in order to efficiently envisage its sculptural environment, between the late fourth and late sixth centuries. Possibilities for the display and usage of the sculptures within the villa will be offered, while possible reasons for the selection of particular iconographical types will also be suggested, within the broader context of Nea Paphos.

The excavations of the University of Warsaw in the so-called Villa of Theseus in Kato Paphos uncovered a unique group of at least twenty sculptures, predominantly depicting mythological figures and divinities. The building took its definite architectural form in the late fourth century, although its construction had started early in the second half of the second century. In terms of decoration, the villa reached its heyday between the late fourth and sixth centuries. Most of the sculptures, which vary in scale and style, have, nevertheless, been described as reduced copies of the late second or early third century at the latest. Yet, their discovery in late antique layers establishes their availability at the time and confirms the importance of sculpture to the villa culture that boomed in Late Antiquity (fourth to seventh century).

It is the aim of this paper to study the statuary from the Villa of Theseus against the background of the architectural development of the building. Immovable decorative elements and architectural features will be considered, in order to assess where sculpture might have been displayed and reconstruct—to the extent possible—the ancient viewers’ experience. The selection of certain sculptural subjects and their significance (decorative, allegorical, religious) will also be discussed.

ever, attention has been directed in a piecemeal fashion towards the remains of these sites' major edifices. 3 The only attempt at reconstructing an urban plan on Cyprus was made by Jolanta M¬ynarczyk for Hellenistic Polis. 4 Ultimately, questions abound concerning the organization of urban space, the relationships between civic, religious, and domestic zones, the connection between urban and extramural space, the relationship between urban and rural space, and how these change during the transitions from the Hellenistic to Roman and Roman to Late Roman periods. The answers to these questions have farreaching consequences to how we perceive the culture, economy, religion, politics, and lifestyles of the residents of Cyprus during these periods.

More than 20 years after presenting his first interpretation of the mosaic from the House of Aion in a paper entitled “Uwagi na temat mozaiki z Domu Aiona w Nea Paphos (Cypr)” (Meander 9/10, 1987, p. 421-438, in Polish, and translated to English: « The Immortality of the Human Soul and the Dionysiac Mysteries in the 4th Century Allegory [in Connection with the Interpretation of the Mosaic from the “House of Aion” at Paphos in Cyprus]»), where he proposed reading the five mythological panels (1. Leda and Zeus; 2. Dionysus on Mount Nysa; 3. The Dionysian thiasos; 4. Apollo and Marsyas; 5. The Apotheosis of Cassiopeia) as an allegory of the destiny of the human soul and body, starting with conception and ending with the liberation of the soul and its apotheosis, the author now enhances his initial interpretation with numerous reflections concerning the historical context of this work of art, created in the years 320-360.
If, according to the author, the mosaic is a “Hymn” in honour of the pagan gods, Man (his soul) and his place in the (pagan) universe, then at the same time it polemicises with the Christian faith and its God, Jesus Christ.
The author puts forward numerous new solutions relating to the mosaic’s iconography and iconology. Analysis of the mosaic also leads him to propose a solution to the as-yet unanswered question regarding the absence of images of the crucified Christ in Christian art of the 3rd and 4th centuries, up until 420/430, when the first images of Christ on the cross appear.
CONTENTS:
Introduction
1. Research to-date (recap)
2. Description of mosaic (recap)
2.1. Composition of five mythological scenes
2.2. Brief iconographic description of mythological panels
2.3. Outline of individual iconographic elements and their respective roles
2.4. The pagan gods’ air of majesty and dignity as an expression of piety
3. A few words about the pagan reaction
4. An apology of pious human life according to pagan principles and a polemic on the Christian model of Man and his theological idol, Jesus Christ
4.1. Divine intervention in the act of human conception (allusion to/polemic on the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary)
4.2. The Epiphany of Dionysus (an allusion to the Epiphany of Christ – Theou Pais)
4.3. The procession and dissemination of Dionysian order (allusion to/polemic on Christ’s entry into Jerusalem)
4.4. The error of Marsyas (polemic on/allusion to the error of Jesus the Messiah): arrest, sentencing for arrogance and lack of piety (asebeia) and condemnation to a martyr’s death
4.5. The anabasis (or anagoge psyches) of a ‘beautiful soul’ (allusion to/polemic on the Ascension of Christ)
5. A few words on the mosaic programme prior to final conclusions
Final conclusions

The author observes that the mosaic of the House of Aion (Nea Paphos, Cyprus) employs rhetorical figures in its iconographic program, including analogy, personification, allegory, and, in the first line, antithesis. The rhetoric and its figurative language is a constant element of speeches and writings from the fifth century BC until almost the fifth century AD. Yet, this method of reasoning, argumentation, and persuasion is also used in the narrative and polemical language of Roman iconography. The paper is a “case study” of the employment of rhetorical methods in a larger context of the Roman
visual art and especially of the Roman mosaics.

This paper is translated into English, see: M.T. Olszewski, The Immortality of the Human Soul and the Dionysiac Mysteries in the 4th Century Allegory (In Connection with the Interpretation of the Mosaic from “House of Aion” at Paphos in Cyprus), on http://www.academia.edu/3256675
The author proposes a new interpretation of the iconographical and iconological programme of five panels mosaic from the House of Aion at Nea Pahos in Cyprus. He proposes reading the five mythological panels (1. Leda and Zeus; 2. Dionysus on Mount Nysa; 3. The Dionysian thiasos; 4. Apollo and Marsyas; 5. The Apotheosis of Cassiopeia) as an allegory of the destiny of the human soul and body, starting with conception (Leda and a Swan)  and ending with the liberation of the soul and its apotheosis (the apotheosis of Cassiopeia).
The author rejects the interpretation of W.A. Daszewski, (Dionysos der Erlöser, Mainz am Rheim 1985) proposed in 1985 and his order of interpetation the five mythological pictures (1. Dionysus on Mount Nysa; 2. Leda and Zeus; 3. The Apotheosis of Cassiopeia; 4. Apollo and Marsyas 5. The Dionysian thiasos). Daszewski would like to see in Dionysos - a newly born supreme god, the universal savior.
See too a more elaboret and completed version of the first paper published in Polish on academia.edu : M.T. Olszewski, L'allégorie, les mystères dionysiaques et la mosaïque de la Maison d'Aiôn de Néa Paphos (Chypre), BullAIEMA 13, 1990-1991, p. 444-463.

More than 20 years after presenting his first interpretation of the mosaic from the House of Aion in a paper entitled “Uwagi na temat mozaiki z Domu Aiona w Nea Paphos (Cypr)” (Meander 9/10, 1987, p. 421-438, in Polish, and translated to English: « The Immortality of the Human Soul and the Dionysiac Mysteries in the 4th Century Allegory [in Connection with the Interpretation of the Mosaic from the “House of Aion” at Paphos in Cyprus]»), where he proposed reading the five mythological panels (1. Leda and Zeus; 2. Dionysus on Mount Nysa; 3. The Dionysian thiasos; 4. Apollo and Marsyas; 5. The Apotheosis of Cassiopeia) as an allegory of the destiny of the human soul and body, starting with conception and ending with the liberation of the soul and its apotheosis, the author now enhances his initial interpretation with numerous reflections concerning the historical context of this work of art, created in the years 320-360.
If, according to the author, the mosaic is a “Hymn” in honour of the pagan gods, Man (his soul) and his place in the (pagan) universe, then at the same time it polemicises with the Christian faith and its God, Jesus Christ.
The author puts forward numerous new solutions relating to the mosaic’s iconography and iconology. Analysis of the mosaic also leads him to propose a solution to the as-yet unanswered question regarding the absence of images of the crucified Christ in Christian art of the 3rd and 4th centuries, up until 420/430, when the first images of Christ on the cross appear.
CONTENTS:
Introduction
1. Research to-date (recap)
2. Description of mosaic (recap)
2.1. Composition of five mythological scenes
2.2. Brief iconographic description of mythological panels
2.3. Outline of individual iconographic elements and their respective roles
2.4. The pagan gods’ air of majesty and dignity as an expression of piety
3. A few words about the pagan reaction
4. An apology of pious human life according to pagan principles and a polemic on the Christian model of Man and his theological idol, Jesus Christ
4.1. Divine intervention in the act of human conception (allusion to/polemic on the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary)
4.2. The Epiphany of Dionysus (an allusion to the Epiphany of Christ – Theou Pais)
4.3. The procession and dissemination of Dionysian order (allusion to/polemic on Christ’s entry into Jerusalem)
4.4. The error of Marsyas (polemic on/allusion to the error of Jesus the Messiah): arrest, sentencing for arrogance and lack of piety (asebeia) and condemnation to a martyr’s death
4.5. The anabasis (or anagoge psyches) of a ‘beautiful soul’ (allusion to/polemic on the Ascension of Christ)
5. A few words on the mosaic programme prior to final conclusions
Final conclusions
Key words: mythological mosaic, House of Aion, Nea Paphos, Late Antiquity, Roman art, allegorical narrative, allusive language of mythological pictures, wordplay (Marsyas-Messias), Jesus Christ, anti-Christian polemic, Dionysos, Cassiopeia, Apollon, Nereides, Abstract Personifications, Greek Mythology, ΚΥΠΡΟΣ

This is a more elaboret and developped version of the first paper published in Polish : M.T. Olszewski, Uwagi na temat mosaiki z Domu Aiona w Nea Paphos (Cypr), Menander XLII, 9-10, 1987, pp. 421-438 (translated to English : The Immortality of the Human Soul and the Dionysiac Mysteries in the 4th Century Allegory (In Connection with the Interpretation of the Mosaic from “House of Aion” at Paphos in Cyprus), see on academia.edu

The author proposes a new interpretation of the iconographical and iconological programme of five panels mosaic from the House of Aion at Nea Pahos in Cyprus. He proposes reading the five mythological panels (1. Leda and Zeus; 2. Dionysus on Mount Nysa; ; 3. Apollo and Marsyas; 4. The Dionysian thiasos; 5. The Apotheosis of Cassiopeia) as an allegory of the destiny of the human soul and body, starting with conception (Leda and a Swan)  and ending with the liberation of the soul and its apotheosis (the apotheosis of Cassiopeia).
The author rejects the interpretation of W.A. Daszewski, (Dionysos der Erlöser, Mainz am Rheim 1985) proposed in 1985 and his order of interpetation the five mythological pictures (1. Dionysus on Mount Nysa; 2. Leda and Zeus; 3. The Apotheosis of Cassiopeia; 4. Apollo and Marsyas 5. The Dionysian thiasos). Daszewski would like see in Dionysos - a newly born supreme god, the universal savior.
see also a new article: M.T.Olszewski, The iconographic programme of the Cyprus mosaic from the House of Aion reinterpreted as an anti-Christian polemic, in: Et in Arcadia Ego. Studia memoriae professoris Thomae Mikocki dicata, Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw 2013, pp. 207-239, Pls 74-86.

Suite à la vente d'une parcelle comprenant le couvent des Soeurs de charité situé dans la partie sud du Beyrouth historique, l'Émir Maurice Chehab, alors directeur général des Antiquités. du Liban, décida d'entreprendre une fouille de sauvetage en ce lieu, avant la construction d'un centre commercial (Pl. XXXII). Ce chantier fut confié à M. Kalayan, ingénieur attaché au service des Antiquités et supervisé par Jean Lauffray, architecte de la Direction des Antiquités. La fouille se déroula de 1950 à 1952 et pendant quarante ans elle devait attendre sa publication 2. Les résultats se résumèrent en des plans, photos et brèves descriptions du matériel. Les structures mises au jour ont révélé une partie du Cardo Maximus, bordé de portiques, et d'un nymphée. Du côté occidental de la voie, ont été dégagées d'importantes fondations qui suggèrent la présence d'une structure monumentale; du côté oriental, au-delà des boutiques, un ensemble ayant probablement appartenu à un bâtiment privé. Plusieurs phases d'occupation ont pu être déterminées, dont la plus ancienne est d'époque hellénistique. Pendant la période romaine, on assiste à la mise en place de la voie et du nymphée, puis, suite au séisme de 551, l'ensemble du quartier a été rebâti et perdurera jusqu'à la fin de la période byzantine et une partie de l'époque arabe dont l'occupation est attestée. Trois secteurs se sont révélés riches en mosaïques: le Nymphée, le secteur ouest, et enfin le secteur est, de loin le plus important (Pl. XXXIII). Les pavements en opus sectile et en opus tessellatum, de même que les dallages en marbre se regroupent des deux. côtés de la voie romaine. Des pièces ornées de riches pavements de mosaïques à motifs géométriques prennent place dans des bâtiments dont le caractère et la fonction n'ont pas toujours été clairement identifiés. Privés de stratigraphie, notre datation doit se fonder sur la recherche stylistique et comparative, ce qui la rend très approximative. L'analyse des sculptures, des éléments du décor architectural et des inscriptions a servi notre enquête. En arrivant du centre de Berytus, et plus exactement de l'emplacement des colonnes dites des «Quarante Martyrs» par le Cardo Maximus, on longe, sur la droite, un nymphée

Full text available here:  https://pam-journal.pl/resources/html/article/details?id=227017

The thin-walled cooking pottery of the early to late Roman period originating from the area of Morphou Bay in the northern part of Cyprus, excavated by the Paphos Agora Project of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, is studied in this paper in order to shed new light on the nature of the supply patterns of this extraordinary class of pottery. The collected data-on the macroscopic characteristic of the ware and shape-and a chronological analysis as well as quantitative study of the assemblage have indicated a continuous presence of this group in Nea Paphos, reflecting perhaps some sort of special social requirements combined with an economic background.

The purpose of this study is to assess the changes in the geomorphology and archaeology of the Akrotiri peninsula during antiquity.  By pulling together results from relevant investigations, I was able to assess the current state of knowledge, produce new hypotheses and offer recommendations for future research. This is the first time the geology and archaeology of the entire peninsula has been considered at all, let alone together, but the current interdisciplinary approach at Dreamer’s Bay and other locations across Cyprus paves the way for similar investigations at sites on the peninsula. Before that can happen, a summary of knowledge must be created from which to move forward. 
Research determined that interdisciplinary approaches had rarely been taken, although geological and archaeological material did exist separately, and in some cases overlapped with each other. The visibility of maritime activity increased throughout the study period, reflecting the general increase in the activity itself. A shift from the archaeologically ephemeral proto-harbours to engineered harbours occurred, although these proto-harbours still likely existed in areas of localised or smaller-scale activity. The settlements around which maritime activity and culture existed also grew across the periods despite occasional troughs, such as that which occurred at the end of the Late Cypriot period. The geological changes during this period were determined not to be as straightforward as the formation of the peninsula. The peninsula experienced subsidence, erosion and large amounts of sediment transport which although is not completely understood, certainly affected the ancient maritime landscape.

"This paper proposes a new identification of a mosaic workshop of Late Antiquity in the Near East. Two mosaic pavements, that is, the mosaic of the Bath of Achilles discovered forty years ago in room 40 of the Villa of Theseus in Nea Paphos, Cyprus, and the renowned representation of the Life of Alexander from the
Villa of Patrikios in Baalbeck, published by M. Chéhab in 1958, display many similarities which leave no doubt that both of them were made by the same mosaic workshop. In the first half of the 5th century, like during the whole Roman period, Cypriot mosaics were closely linked with those of the Syro-Palestinian coastal area. The author suggests also a new date of execution of the mosaic from Baalbeck in the first half of the 5th century."

The subject of the research (with a volume of 434 pages)was cooking pottery from excavations conducted at the Agora in Nea Paphos, Cyprus in the years 2011-2016. Almost unpublished material in the form of several thousand fragments was analysed, from which 369 representative illustrated on 65 tables and 24 colourful plates were presented. The purpose was to demonstrate the social, cultural and economic changes that occurred in Nea Paphos during the Hellenistic and Early Roman periods in the context of a complex analysis of production and consumption of this category of pottery. Detailed research has shed light on the specialisation of production, determination of the place of obtaining raw materials and clarification of the scale of production - local and regional. The next stage was the interpretation of economic phenomena related to the technology of cooking pottery production: a) separation of locally produced cooking pottery from other alleged production centres on the island and imported pottery; b) characteristics of production in Nea Paphos; c) clarification of the detailed chronology of pottery, especially local production; d) determination of production and distribution processes, which were part of wider economic processes.

This paper makes the case for developing ongoing research on Roman Cyprus’s metal profile by integrating object-centred approaches. It does so by focusing on the British Museum’s Cypriot collection as it contains a significant number of metal artefacts. The paper opens with a brief overview of key ancient evidence and the impact of recent, multidisciplinary approaches before introducing the collection and the data assembled for this case study. Assessment of this body of evidence highlights the benefits of undertaking systematic study of metalware related to Cyprus. A museological approach that focuses on the materiality of objects will also demonstrate how lines of enquiry can be developed to enhance current investigations of mining, metallurgy, and metal consumption across the island as well as shed further light on the role and cultural value of metals. This has huge implications for the study of Roman Cyprus and the wider Roman Mediterranean.

Full-text PDF available here: http://www.etudesettravaux.iksiopan.pl/images/etudtrav/EtudTrav_otwarte/EtudTrav_34/EtudTrav_34_08_Hussein_medium.pdf

This paper presents the results of studies on the ancient terracotta pipelines discovered during excavations conducted since 1965 by the Polish Archaeological Mission of the University of Warsaw in the so-called Maloutena area, the residential district of the Hellenistic-Roman capital of Cyprus, Nea Paphos. The pipelines were examined in terms of the pipe types they were composed of, their construction and maintenance aspects, chronology, function and structural interrelations to recognise the role they played in the water management system of Maloutena and Nea Paphos over time.

BΙΒΛΙΟΚΡΙΤΙΚΗ στην διδακτορική διατριβή της ENORA Le Quéré (“Les Cyclades sous l’ Empire Romain. Formes et limites d’une renaissance économique et sociale”. Thèse de Doctorat «Archéologies et Sciences de l’ Antiquité»), Paris-1, 2013 (2015), υπό την εποπτεία του F. Prost. Επταμελής επιτροπή: F.Brun, P.Doukellis, R.Ėtienne, J.-L.Ferrary, P.Hamon, F.Prost, S.Zoumbaki.  https://ecm.univ-paris1.fr/nuxeo/site/esupversions/59ef73a5-cde6-407083fc-44976d8375ac.

The existing material indicates that a continuous production of grave reliefs with images of human beings had been established in Cyprus from the Archaic up to the Roman period. Cypriote sculpture developed through the centuries its own tradition, whereby strong foreign influences from near places were uninterruptedly assimilated to the local character. In the course of this process, elements from Greece, Asia Minor, Egypt etc. as well as Ptolemaic and later on Roman portrait features were adopted.

Schriften des Instituts für Interdisziplinäre Zypern-Studien, vol. 13, 2019, ca. 778 pages, hardcover., with numerous coloured illustrations, € 94,00, ISBN 978-3-8309-3479-0 E-Book: € 84,99, ISBN 978-3-8309-8479-5 www.waxmann.com Further book information here. Steinfurter Str. 555 48159 Münster Fon +49 (0)2 51 -2 65 04-0 Fax +49 (0)2 51 -2 65 04-26

Nea Paphos was a vibrant city in Roman Cyprus. Much information about the history and the inhabitants of the urban centre came to light through extensive excavations , which started at the site in the 1960s. The Hellenistic and Roman period has been widely studied and examined, but our knowledge of late Roman Paphos still remains quite modest. The purpose of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the late Roman phases of occupation, especially of the squatters' activities in Paphos, through the analysis of stone objects, mainly grinding and milling stones and other worked stone, which are associated with this period.

""Zusammenfassung

Diese erste umfassende Untersuchung zu 69 korinthischen Marmorkapitellen des Thermen-Gymnasiums von Constantia und des Forumbereichs von Kourion bestätigt und präzisiert die bereits epigraphisch belegte Restaurierung der Thermen nach dem Erdbeben von 342. Sie belegt zudem eine weitere Bauphase des Forums von Kourion während des 4. Jahrhunderts, wohl vor dem Erdbeben von 365.
Das bis auf hellenistische Zeit zurückgehende, mehrfach restaurierte Thermen-Gymnasium, dessen Thermen symmetrisch angelegten Komplexen ähnelt, die wie das Bad am Humeitepe von Milet eine innere Gabelung des Weges aufweisen, wurde gemäss V. Karageorghis nach den Erdbebenzerstörungen der Jahre 332 und 342 als Thermen nochmals wiederhergestellt. Dies geschah nach T.B. Mitford aufgrund eines epigraphischen Belegs unter Constantius II./Constans. Die korinthischen Kapitelle der Palästra gehörten nach Karageorghis dem 3. Jahrhundert an und seien vom nahen Theater überführt worden. 
Die ursprüngliche Nutzung des severischen Forums von Kourion und der angrenzenden Thermenanlage endete nach D. Christou mit dem Erdbeben von 365. Die korinthischen Kapitelle des Forums gehörten der severischen Zeit an, wie auch die letzte Bauphase der Thermen. Ob die dortigen korinthischen Kapitelle der Thermenzeit oder einer frühchristlichen Umnutzung angehörten, lässt Christou jedoch offen.
Von den 46 aufgenommenen östlichen Kapitellen aus der Palästra der Salaminer Thermen und den 23 des Forumbereichs von Kourion ist die älteste die Gymnasium-Gruppe Kat.-Nr. 2 mit sechs Kapitellen, die der trajanischen Zeit angehören. Sie können denen des Trajaneums von Pergamon gegenüber gestellt werden. Hadrianisch datierte Kapitelle des pergamenischen Asklepieions stehen dagegen den severischen Stücken Freyberger 1990 Nr. 302, 304-305 bereits sehr nahe.
Die severische Zeit und das 3. Jahrhundert ist m. E. in Gestalt der insgesamt 14 Kapitelle der Gruppen Kat.-Nr. 7, 9, 21, 22 und vielleicht der Gruppen Nr. 4, 5, 6, 12, 14 vertreten. Alle Kapitelle stellen hinsichtlich der Anzahl der Blattzacken bzw. der Augenbildung geringfügige Varianten der severischen Formen Freyberger 1990 Nr. 302, 304-305 und 308 dar oder entsprechen diesen. Dazu zählen wenige Frühformen der von mir an anderer Stelle als spätantik gedeuteten Form Freyberger Nr. 303.
Das 4. Jahrhundert ist durch reduzierte Varianten der severischen Form Freyberger 1990 Nr. 308 repräsentiert. Dazu gehören die 21 Kapitelle der Gruppen 3, 10 und 17 aus dem “Gymnasium” und aus Kourion, die einen weichzackigen Blattstil zeigen, der demjenigen von J. Kramer, R. Kautzsch und B. Brenk vorgestellten Kapitellen des 4. Jahrhunderts aus Antalya und Ägypten entspricht. Diese Kapitelle begegnen in Zypern in originalen Bauzusammenhängen offenbar nur bei Gebäuden profaner Nutzung. Schon E. Kitzinger hat ein Kapitell dieses Stils aus Constantia vorgestellt und es ebenfalls in das 4. Jahrhundert datiert. Zur Baugeschichte der Palästra der Thermen wurden allerdings keine Schlussfolgerungen gezogen. Möglicherweise stammt der Blattstil dieser Kapitelle aufgrund dreier ägyptischer Parallelen aus dem Land am Nil. Dann wären sie ein weiterer unter zahlreichen anderen Belegen in Zypern für den anhaltenden Einfluss Ägyptens bzw. Alexandrias während der Kaiserzeit.
Andererseits ist das 4. Jahrhundert erkennbar in Nachfolgern von mittelkaiserzeitlichen Skulpturen. Dazu gehören die von J. Kramer im Zusammenhang mit zwei Kölner Skulpturen vorgestellten östlichen Kapitelle mit starrzackigem Blattwerk, zu denen wiederum das Kapitell Freyberger Nr. 303 zählt. In Constantia und Kourion begegnen diese Formen in den Gruppen Nr. 11, 15, 18-20 mit insgesamt 20 Kapitellen.
Das 5. Jahrhundert erscheint in der Piscina an der südöstlichen Ecke der Palästra in Gestalt zweier Kalksteinkapitelle einer Form, die auch in der Kampanopetra-Basilika begegnet. Die Kapitelle zeigen eine abgeschächte Version des „großgezackten Akanthus mit Augen“. Sie können aufgrund fehlender exakter hauptstädtischer Parallelen als eine regionale (nicht unbedingt zypriotische) Variante angesehen und stehen typologisch zwischen den “Lederblattkapitellen” und den “Leierkapitellen” der Gruppen 4 und 6 nach R. Kautzsch.
Die Kapitelle von Constantia und Kourion zeigen ein recht einheitliches Erscheinungsbild. Sie ähneln darin einer Reihe von spätantiken Kapitellensembles. Die zwei zypriotischen Ensembles bestehen aus einem großen Anteil von zeitnah im 4. Jahrhundert hergestellten Serien und älteren Spolien. Kapitelle der severischen Zeit sind entgegen bisheriger Auffassungen kaum vertreten.
Die Erdbeben von 332 und 342 haben das alte Salamis heftig beeinträchtigt. Die epigraphische Überlieferung belegt eine umfangreiche Restaurierung der Stadt und auch der Thermen des ehemaligen Thermen-Gymnasiums unter Constantius II./Constans. Die Herstellung einiger Kapitelle der Palästra, darunter diejenigen der Serie Nr. 10, dürfte in die Zeit nach 342 fallen. Dass die Thermen noch im 5. Jahrhundert zumindest teilweise als Bad genutzt wurde, belegen (neben epigraphischen Zeugnissen) zwei Kalksteinkapitelle von der Piscina an der südöstlichen Ecke der Palästra.
Die 23 aufgenommenen Kapitelle von Kourion demonstrieren eine noch einheitlichere spätantike Gestaltung, da deutlich ältere Typen wie die der Gymnasium Gruppe 2 fehlen. Die Untersuchung der Kapitelle belegt eine weitere, nachseverische Bauphase. Diese dürfte der ersten Hälfte des 4. Jahrhunderts angehören. Die gleichartige chronologische Verteilung der Kapitelle aus dem Thermenareal von Kourion legt eine gleichzeitige Bauphase der Thermen nahe, falls die Kapitelle der Thermenzeit angehörten. Falls sie der von Christou festgestellten nachthermenzeitlichen frühchristlichen Umnutzung zuzurechnen sind, datiert zumindest ihre Verwendung nach 365 n. Chr. In diesem Fall könnten sie aus dem Erdbebenschutt des spätantiken Forums stammen.
Die Beispiele Constantia und Kourion erlauben es anzunehmen, dass öffentliche (Platz-) Anlagen anderer städtischer Zentren Zyperns eine ähnliche Restaurierung im 4. Jahrhundert erfuhren.
""

In 2016, two fragments of an epigraphic document were brought to light during
the excavation of the southern wing of the Roman building uncovered by the French
archaeological expedition at Paphos, to the north of Fabrika Hill. The document seems to be
related to a period of food scarcity once faced by the city of Paphos and of the purchase of
barley by benefactors. The study of the epigraphic data, in comparison with other epigraphic
texts and of the archaeological context enables us to propose that this honourary text was
written in the middle of the 1st c. AD, probably just before the earthquake which destroyed Nea
Paphos Sebaste in 77/78 under Vespasian’s rule. This text also brings new evidence regarding
the introduction of Roman currency in Cyprus: the denarius mentioned in the text could be
used as currency for accounting purposes but could also be a new testimony to the beginning
of the circulation of this money in Cyprus under the Flavians. Finally, this text helps to clarify
the date of the first two phases of the Roman house found to the north of Fabrika Hill.

Nea Paphos was the capital of the island of Cyprus under firstly the Ptolemies and then under the Romans. In this paper, we intend examing -briefly-an assemblage of Roman pottery coming from the Italian excavations in Paphos, Garrison's Camp. Among cooking pottery, attention has focused in particular on the frying pans, a shape very popular in western Cyprus, with a very long lifespan (from Hellenistic to Late Roman period). So, we present the analysis of two different groups of frying pans, looking the fabric, the decoration and the chronological range. In addition, based on the surviving evidence, we propose a pattern of distribution of this shape in Cyprus and in other mediterranean sites, especially in the Levant; its circulation does not seem random and it can be clearly recognized looking the lack of evidence for frying pans from Eastern Cyprus. Finally, reading Latin (Apicius) and Greek sources (Athenaeus), we discuss a possible and interesting connection between decoration of frying pans and roman culinary tradition.

The Jagiellonian University excavations in Nea Paphos, conducted on the Agora and the Trial Trenches between the years 2011-2019, have provided a very large amount of systematically collected ceramic assemblages dated from the Hellenistic to Late Roman periods. Cooking pottery dated to the Middle and Late Roman period (3rd to 7th century AD) was distinguished as well. This assemblage is characterized by diversity in terms of provenance and forms (pottery of probable local provenance and from different production centres, located both in Cyprus and beyond), which has provided the basis for research questions concerning production, consumption and distribution of this category of pottery. The aim of the talk is to present a new project carried out at the Centre for Mediterranean Archaeology of the University of Warsaw (NCN Sonatina 4 grant 2020/36/C/HS3/00173), with the Middle and Late Roman cooking pottery as the subject of a comprehensive, interdisciplinary study combining archaeological and archaeometric approaches in the light of the interpretation of the changes of the social processes.

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Table of contents:

Several Remarks About the Near-Eastern Contribution to Early Archaic Greek Warfare, Jakub Witowski

Hinged Fibulae from Halae in the Collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, Agata Kubala

In Search of a Paphian Lost Circular Building, Aleksandra Brzozowska-Jawornicka

Petra – Holy City from the Perspective of Art, Architecture, inscriptions and Other Features, Eyad Almasri, Firas Alawneh

Aegean Wine Imports to the City of Rome (1st century BC – 3rd century AD), Paulina Komar

From Democracy to Oligarchy – the Role of the Civic Elite Within the Community in Roman Delphi, Dominika Grzesik

Roman Gems in the National Soares dos Reis Museum in Oporto, Graça Cravinho

Some Remarks on the Ivy Leaf Lamp Found in Ptolemais, Maria Jaworska

"Commentatio tertia, nummaria" by Johann Peter Titius. A Contribution to the Knowledge of Ancient Greek and Roman Coins in the 17th-century Gdańsk Academic Gymnasium, Bartosz Awianowicz

Three-dimensional Stratigraphy Reconstruction and GIS – Postprocessing Issues in Archaeological field 3D Documentation, Wojciech Ostrowski, Łukasz Miszk, Weronika Winiarska

In my paper, I will try to contribute to the still nascent field of the study of identities in Roman Cyprus in the framework of the Graeco-Roman world and highlight the importance of material evidence but also the valuable contribution of late antiquity in the current debate. We see here how Cyprus further moved from the margins to the mainstream in the Roman world and why late antiquity marks a fundamental break with the island’s past.

The ostracon was unearthed in 1968 by the Polish Archaeological Mission excavating in Nea Paphos the ruins of what most probably was a governor's palace 1 . Interestingly, the discovery demonstrated that ink-inscribed texts could survive in Cyprus, providing the conditions were good enough. In this case, the rapid accumulation of layers most probably contributed to preserving this object against all odds, considering the climate of the coastal Paphos area 2 .

This dissertation elaborates on previous interpretations of cultural change in Ptolemaic (294-58 B.C.E.) and Roman (58 B.C.E.-293 C.E.) Cyprus by presenting a postcolonial archaeology of cultural identity that comparatively analyzes coins, sculptures, and architecture. Although these artifacts all betray the cultural influence of Alexandria or Rome, this study shows that both local and imperial agents played a role in determining how material culture might express one’s socially recognized sense of belonging, i.e., their identity. Furthermore, by contextualizing such interactions in relation to each empire’s strategic agenda and Cyprus’ geographical and cultural values, this thesis illustrates how different empires can affect the same region in diverse ways and emphasizes the significance of geohistorical factors within colonial encounters.


An analysis of Ptolemaic motives and strategies indicates that the empire valued Cyprus for its strategic location and resources. Thus Cyprus was militarily occupied and Cypriots lost their political autonomy. Yet, because local and imperial agents shared cultural values, new identities could be interactively constructed. Ptolemaic officials dominated coin production, but used designs that linked imperial and local religious and linguistic affinities. The dialogue between imperial and local statues reveals how Cypriots manipulated Alexandrian styles within traditional contexts. Ptolemaic architecture expressed imperial power locally, but had little effect on Cypriot buildings. Alternatively, an examination of Rome’s attitude towards Cyprus shows that the empire viewed the island as strategically insignificant. This factor resulted in the increased participation of Cypriot elites in local affairs. Hence, Roman Cypriot coins reveal a dialogue between imperial and local symbols, whereas sculpture and architecture demonstrate that local elites emulated imperial types because they communicated a sense humanitas that reinforced one’s socio-political position.


Overall, this dissertation expands on colonialist interpretations of cultural change to reveal how imperial agendas, local geographies, social class, and cultural histories all influence the nature of imperial/local interactions. Moreover, its conclusions suggest that elite Cypriots adopted imperial fashions—especially in sculpture and architecture— primarily because they were polyvocal and appealed to both imperial and local sensibilities. These adoptions could then be actively adapted to suit local practices, and sometimes certain symbols, such as those associated with Aphrodite, could even influence the cultural identities of imperial agents. Thus, most importantly, this study proves that Cypriots were not merely “Hellenized” or “Romanized,” but rather that they often played an active role in constructing their local cultural identities within greater imperial worlds.

https://etd.ohiolink.edu/ap/10?0::NO:10:P10_ETD_SUBID:84547

Özet: Salamis-Constantia kent planındaki yapıların birbirleriyle ba lantısını sa layan caddelerin yerlerinin bilinmiyor olu u, kent planlamasına yönelik ara tırmaların gerçekle tirilmesini gerekli kılmı tır. 2002-2010 yılları arasında Prof. Co kun Özgünel ba kanlı ında yürütülen son dönem kazı çalı malarıyla Salamis antik kentinin önemli iki ana caddesi saptanmı tır. Bu caddelerden cardo kentin kuzeyinde yer alan gymnasium, tiyatro, Roma Hamamı gibi kamu yapılarıyla güneyini birbirine ba larken, onu kent merkezinde dik kesen do u-batı yönündeki cadde olan decumanus ise bir liman ve ticaret kenti olan Salamis'in deniz kıyısıyla iç kesimlerinin ba lantısını sa lamaktadır. Ara tırmalarımız sonucunda cardo'nun kuzeyinden decumanus'la kesi ti i noktaya kadarki 397 m'si ile decumanus'un batısından do usuna 273 m uzunlu undaki kısmı saptanmı tır. Cardo'nun kuzeyinde 4,70 m olan geni li i kesiim noktasında 5,60 m'yi bulmaktadır. Buna kar ılık decumanus'un geni li i 4,35 ila 4,50 m arasında de i mektedir. Arkeolojik kazılarda ele geçen bulgulara göre cardo'nun iki farklı yapım evresine i aret eden üst üste dö enmi iki dö eme zemini, decumanus'un ise tek evresi saptanabilmi tir. Sütunlu cadde olarak in a edilmi olan cardo'nun ilk evresi M.S. 2. yüzyıla tarihlenebilmektedir. M.S. 4. yüzyıldaki büyük depremlerle yıkılan ve düzlemi bozulan sütunlu cadde, 2. evre olarak tanımladı ımız ikinci kat dö emesiyle yeniden kaplanarak onarılmı tır. lk evresinde sütunlu cadde olan cardo'nun 2. evresinde sütunlarının i levlerini yitirdi i, sütun aralarının yıkılan sütunlarına ait ba lık ve gövde parçalarının da kullanıldı ı moloz ta duvar örgüsüyle dolduruldu u tespit edilmi tir. Mimari ve teknik özelliklerine göre cardo'nun 2. evresi ile benzerlik gösteren decumanus, cardo ile yakın tarihlerde in a edilmi olmalıdır. Her iki caddenin kesi ti i kav ak noktasında gerçekle tirilen çalı malarda, caddelerin son kullanım döneminde, M.S. 7. yüzyılın ilk yarısındaki Arap akınlarına kar ı in a edilmi geç dönem surlarının cardo ve decumanus üzerine in a edilmi olan iki kulesi ve giri kapısı açı a çıkarılmı tır.