The remains of the Roman city of Amanthus, near Limassol in Cyprus
Amathus was one of the most ancient royal cities of Cyprus, on the southern coast, about 24 miles west of Larnaca and 6 miles east of Limassol. Its ancient cult of Aphrodite was the most important, after Paphos, in Cyprus. Though there was no Bronze Age city on the site, archaeology has detected human activity that is evident from the earliest Iron Age, c. 1100 BC. Amathus was built on the coastal cliffs with a natural harbor and flourished at an early date, soon requiring several cemeteries. Greeks from Euboea left their pottery at Amathus from the 10th century BC. During the post-Phoenician era of the 8th century BC, a palace was erected and a port was also constructed, which served the trade with the Greeks and the Levantines. For the Hellenes, a temple was built, which became a worship site devoted to Aphrodite The wealth of Amathus was derived partly from its grain partly from its sheep and copper mines. Later, in the 4th century AD, Amasus became the see of a Christian bishop and continued to flourish until the Byzantine period. This view shows a water supply pipe in the centre of the image
Size: 5217px × 3726px
Location: Amathus Limassol Cyprus
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: age, amanthus, amasus, amathus, ancient, archaeological, archeology, bronze, columns, cyprus, doric, excavations, ionic, iron, pre-historic, remains, roman, ruins
