Filenews 1 November 2021 - by Dora Christodoulou
The hill of Fabrica, on the road that leads from the centre of Paphos to the coastal front of the city, was in antiquity the Acropolis of Pafos. This emerges from the ongoing excavations in the area for 12 years by a French archaeological mission, according to the head of the mission, Dr Claire Balandier, professor of Archaeology and Ancient Greek History at the University of Avignon France. Dr. Balandier even characterized the quarries that existed in antiquity on this hill as the most important that have been discovered, after those in Petra, Jordan and Sicily. Nowadays, more and more visitors come to Paphos informed about the great archaeological importance of this area, while from the point of view of the scientific community, the hill of Fabrica occupies a dominant position in studies and excavation developments.
The excavation research proved, as announced by the head of the mission to the members of the Pafos City Council in a special presentation, that a room with a mosaic floor that came to light belonged to a building of the Hellenistic Period and that it was supplied with water from a clay pipeline that is maintained in very good condition. This building appears to have been partially destroyed by later water supply projects of the Roman Period, which included the construction of a pipeline and reservoirs, she clarified.
Claire Balandier also said that the last pre-pandemic excavations, in early 2020, focused on the Roman house, which has been excavated since 2010, and during them a large square area was found, in the centre of which there was a small cistern. Under these elements, the excavation research identified the base of the Hellenistic quarry. Also, two more rooms came to light on the south side of the site, while an area was also investigated in the north-east corner of the inner courtyard.
