Octagonal plunge pool (Frigidarium) in the Roman baths at Curium (modern Kourion) in Cyprus
Kourion or Curium, is an ancient Greek city on the S-W coast of Cyprus, the surrounding Kouris River Valley being occupied from at least the Ceramic Neolithic period. The acropolis of Kourion, located km southwest of Episkopi is located on a limestone promontory approximately 43-51m in height on the shore of Episkopi Bay. The Kourion arhcaeological area lies within the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is part of the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. In the Cypro-Archaic period (750-475 BCE) the Kingdom of Kourion was among the most influential kingdoms of Cyprus. In 58 BCE Rome annexied Cyprus to the province of Cilicia bringing it under Roman rule. In the Roman period, Kourion was among the most prominent cities of the Cyprus, the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates being a Pan-Cypriot sanctuary alongside the Temple of Zeus Salaminos at Salamis and Aphrodite at Kata Paphos. In the mid-1st century Christianity was introduced to Kourion. In the later-4th century () several earthquakes devastated Kourion. In the early-5th century Kourion was reconstructed, the reconstruction including the construction of the ecclesiastical complex on the western side of the acropolis. In 649 the Arab raids resulted in the destruction of the acropolis, after which the center of occupation was relocated to Episkopi, km northeast of the acropolis. The construction of the Public Baths happened in phases with the first building work undertaken in the 1st century AD, with additions made during the centuries that followed. The baths were destroyed during the same earthquake that affected the whole of Kourion. The site of Kourion was identified in the 1820s by Carlo Vidua. In 1895 the British Museum conducted the first quasi-systematic excavations at Kourion.
Size: 5760px × 3840px
Location: Kourion Limassol Cyprus
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: archaeology, baths, curium, cyprus, episkopi, frigidarium, kourion, roman
