Filenews 17 July 2022 - by Dora Christodoulou
The archaeologists and the possessors of their existence in Paphos, jokingly characterize it as the "twin brother" of the Tombs of the Kings. It is of the same era and of the same style as the famous world world heritage site in Kato Paphos, with many even considering it just as impressive. However, while the Tombs of the Kings are one of the most important archaeological monuments in Cyprus and beyond, the monument in question is unknown even to many Paphites.
The 'twin brother' is a burial system in the Anargos district in the Municipality of Pafos, which only recently began to acquire the importance that archaeologists and other scientists attribute to it, thanks in this case also to the good things that the institution of the European Capital of Culture brought us and left us. In addition to the benefit of "acquainting" a large part of the local community with its existence, this impressive monument of the city is now beginning with the actions of the Department of Antiquities to emerge from oblivion, to gain visibility and to attempt its utilization by the Municipality and other bodies of Pafos as another unique site of archaeological and cultural interest in the city.
According to the officials of the Department of Antiquities, the tombs are, in essence, like the monumental complex of the Tombs of the Kings or the corresponding sites in Agios Georgios of Pegeia, an ancient necropolis. An archaeological site of great importance according to archaeologists, but unknown to foreign visitors and many Cypriots, even Paphians.
It is characteristic of the "oblivion" that surrounds them the fact that for the tombs there are not yet recorded extensive studies in the Department of Antiquities, although the latter's officers are engaged in the monument and in fact in recent years a wide-ranging program was underway with works of cleaning, supporting and highlighting it.
The tombs are located on the south side of the Anargos district, on the northern boundaries of the Municipality of Paphos. According to archaeological officials and scholars, they are part of an extensive cemetery of the Hellenistic and Roman times with several samples of carved tombs. What remains are three consecutive and interrelated monumental burial ensembles, with special architectural features.
Scientists who have dealt with the site from time to time claim that the largest and most important of the three tombs competes in the details of its architectural construction with the magnificence and majesty of the Tombs of the Kings in Kato Paphos.
The tombs are a large and unified burial complex, completely carved into the hard limestone rock framed by a square outdoor courtyard, about three meters deep from the ground surface.
On the south and east sides of the courtyard, two uniform galleries 1.45 metres wide are formed, each supported by eight square monolithic pillars in a straight layout. On the vertical carved walls of the two galleries, various unequal rectangular openings-roads led to large burial chambers, rectangular or square in shape with flat roofs, were invented at equal distances. The largest burial chamber is located in the middle of the wall of the south gallery and is accessible by a large entrance with elaborate, engraved linear decoration.
The set of architectural data of the tomb is chronologically included in the end of the Hellenistic and early Roman times and is reminiscent of the general architectural form of the tombs of the Kings in Kato Paphos. All the burial chambers seem to have been used for many successive burials, mainly in Roman times, which were accompanied by rich funerary offerings which were reaped by the hitherto unknown tomb raiders.
The tombs were also used in Christian times as "hermitage", according to studies by the Foundation of the Kykkos Monastery, but also by the researches of archaeologists. Several used the spaces for their ascetics, as was the case in other similar places.
Christian chapel was also used
One of the few written texts that exist today regarding the relatively unknown monument on the northern boundaries of Pafos, is the following, of an unknown author, which is posted on a website of the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation:
"The southern borders of the village of Anavargos are connected by a very extensive cemetery of the Hellenistic and Roman times with several samples of carved tombs, most of which were captured in the distant past. Three of the captured tombs under the name Hellenospilioi, right at the foot of the village, which have special architectural features and which constitute three consecutive and interrelated monumental burial ensembles, were declared ancient monuments of the first painting by the Department of Antiquities and were protected with a metal fence, because for many years in the past they were used as sheep and goat yards. Some samples of frescoes with crystal clear cross shapes testify that the tomb was used in later periods as a chapel by Christians."
