Mosaic in the House of the Gladiators at Kourion (Roman Curium) in Cyprus
Kourion or Latin: Curium, an ancient Greek city on the southwestern coast of Cyprus, the surrounding Kouris River Valley being occupied from at least the Ceramic Neolithic period (4500-3800 BCE) to the present. The acropolis of Kourion, located km southwest of Episkopi and 13 km west of Limassol, is located atop a limestone promontory approximately 43-51m in height along the shore of Episkopi Bay. The Kourion arhcaeological area lies within the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which forms 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 the Council of the Plebs (Consilium Plebis) passed the Lex Clodia de Cyprus, annexing Cyprus to the province of Cilicia and bringing it under Roman rule. Between 47 and 31 BCE, Cyprus was returned to Ptolemaic rule under Marc Antony and Cleopatra VII, reverting to Roman rule after the defeat of Antony. . 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, presumably by Saints Paul and Barnabas during Paul's first missionary journey. In the later-4th century () a series of several earthquakes devastated Kourion, as indicated by the archaeological remains throughout the site. 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 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: 4460px × 3186px
Location: Kourion Limassol Cyprus
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: akrotiri, archaeology, curium, cyprus, episkopi, gladiators, kourion, latin, mediterranean, mosaic
