Filenews 16 August 2022 - by Pavlos Neophytou
"We still do not know in detail the extent to which the Amathusians were a maritime people, but it is remarkable that at least during the archaic period in Amathus the largest number of effigies of boats have been found, mainly in ancient tombs. Also from archaeological evidence we know that during the archaic and classical period there was an active community of Phoenicians in Amathus, which may have had in its hands part of the trade", the archaeological minister Giannis Violaris tells philenews.
We are in the Archaeological Museum of Limassol and specifically opposite the showcase with the theme for the ancient port of Amathus, which recently emerged as the first underwater archaeological park in Cyprus, serving diving tourism – in fact the thread of the first dive to the jettys and meadows of the Posidonia plant, which attracts a multitude of marine life, composing all together a mosaic of colours, cut by the Minister of Transport himself, Giannis Karousos.
The purpose of our visit to the Museum was to extract from the exhibition "Amathus – City of Cyprus Ancient", curated by Yiannis Violaris himself, whose theoretical knowledge can make a visitor of the underwater park quite equipped for an unforgettable experience. But also the hiker, the swimmer, even the one who from one of the dining areas of the area reminisces towards the hill of the ancient kingdom, untouched by the surrounding of construction, so that they can be mentally transported from the scene of the entrance and exit of the ancient ships, "watching" not only the goods and the faces come and go, but also the ideas and myths that influenced and gave character to the predecessor city of Limassol.
- The "trireme" of Amathus
In the showcase impresses the effigy of a warship of the archaic period. It is a trireme, consisting of the piston on the bow, the dome on the stern and the shields of the warriors on the side. Also, small boats or boats can be seen, as one would see in today's times. Next to them, the exhibits of Euboean vases devour the trade relations of Amathus with Evia, which controlled the trade between the Aegean and the Syrian-Palestinian coast in the early Geometric years. At a later stage, the Amathousians will imitate the style of the Euboean vases in their own way, emphasizes Giannis Violaris, as he shows in the showcase this passage on the exhibits themselves.
On the route of sea trade routes
Amathus was founded after the end of the 11th century. BC, at a point that is in the centre of the southern coastline of Cyprus. According to Yiannis Violaris, this position is located on the course of maritime trade routes, which connected the West with the East, that is, the Aegean with the Syrian-Palestinian coast. And it seems, he emphasizes, that Amathus played a role in this scheme. "It is no coincidence that compared to other Cypriot kingdoms, in Amathus there are the earliest and most imports of vessels from the Aegean during the historical period, and especially from Evia. We also have imports of vessels from other areas, such as eastern Greece, Crete, Corinth and Attica", he says respectively from the Syro-Palestinian coast.
 |
| The archaeological minister Yiannis Violaris curated the exhibition "Amathus – Polis of Cyprus Ancient", which is located at the Archaeological Museum of Limassol. |
Copper
Apart from being a receiver of people and goods, the port of Amathus also supported the export trade of copper. "In the wider area of Amathus - a kingdom that stretched approximately from the area of the current community of Maroni to about Agia Fyla, Limassol and to the north included the southeastern foothills of Troodos - there were, and were used throughout antiquity, some of the most important copper mines on the island, such as those of Kalavasos. Therefore, like other kingdoms, Amathus needed a port for copper exports, where the king's seat was located," says the archaeological minister.
Hellenistic port
At this point he clarifies that the port that the visitor of the underwater archaeological park will explore is not related to the Archaic and Classical years, that is, the periods of prosperity of the Cypriot kingdoms. The port was then probably a natural bay that gradually came to an end and which was located between the Roman market and the sea, that is, near the current ticket office of the archaeological site. The ruined port was built around the end of the 4th century BC and seems to be related to the struggles of the successors of Alexander the Great, Antigonus monophthalmus and Ptolemy, for dominance in the eastern Mediterranean. According to the excavators of the French expedition, when for a period of about 10 years Antigonus Monophthalmos prevailed, his son, Demetrius the Besieger, began to build it. "It was probably intended to become a naval base, which is why it has a narrow entrance to the southeast, just 20 metres, so that an enemy ship would not easily enter and be able to close with a chain," says Giannis Violaris, referring to an impressive, but short-lived public port project of the Hellenistic period. "And when Ptolemy finally regained sovereignty over Cyprus, either the work did not continue, or was ordered to be swallowed up, or fell into disuse by a combination of political decisions and natural phenomena. The excavators, however, claim that the basin was deliberately deposited, because one does find a large amount of material in it, resulting in the water in the port basin being very shallow," he adds.
On the jetties, Posidonia and the fish
He points out that today, with the cleaning and promotion of the port, the visitor can admire an untouched, large, public, port work of antiquity. He can enjoy a unique monument throughout the eastern Mediterranean, which did not undergo any interventions in later years (it may have been used in the Early Christian period, but not by large ships, but by fishing boats and boats). The three jetties, consisting of large boulders of local hard limestone, are preserved. Above all, however, the southern jetty is preserved in a very good condition, where the entrance of the harboir is located (at the corner formed by the south with the eastern jetty), and one can distinguish and palpate the elbows of the boulders, that is, the protrusions, which were used for lifting and installing them with cranes during construction. Of course, in the ruins of the port, meadows of the sea plant Posidonia have also developed, which attracts fish and marine life in general. The jettys, Posidonia, fish and other marine organisms provide, in the crystal clear waters of Amathus, an exquisite spectacle for the visitor.
 |
| One can distinguish and palpate the elbows of the boulders, that is, the protrusions, which were used for lifting and installing them with cranes during construction. © French School at Athens |
Ariadne and Cyprus
A port is a timeless channel for the movement of people and products of course, but also of ideas, religious perceptions and myths. Yiannis Violaris notes that ancient Cypriot cities, such as Amathus, were open to loans in art, iconography and religion. "Among the deities who were worshipped in the city, with whom the Cypriot goddess, the later called Aphrodite, is the mythical Ariadne, is initially identified, at least in iconography. In Amathus, the Cypriot variant of the myth of Ariadne is preserved: Theseus, leaving Crete, ran aground due to a storm in Amathus, where he left the pregnant Ariadne. When she returned and learned that the mythical princess of Crete died without giving birth, she established annual sacrifices and feasts in her honour. According to Plutarch (1st-2nd century AD), who is based on the work of the Amathusian historian Paion (5th century BC), the inhabitants of Amathus called the sacred grove where Ariadne was buried ''Ariadne-Aphrodite grove'' and displayed her tomb there." The oldest human activity in the area of the sanctuary, on the top of the city hill, is evidenced by a tomb carved into the rock (probably of the 11th century BC) at the northern end of the hill, which the French archaeological expedition - with it began in 1975 for the first time the systematic excavations in the area - understandably conventionally called the "tomb of Ariadne", says the archaeologist.
*Days and times of the visit of the exhibition "Amathus – Polis of Cyprus Ancient" at the Archaeological Museum of Limassol: Monday - Friday, 8:00 - 16:00
