The Eastern Settlement Area (Site KD/TE, KB, TSR)

Excavations and surveys in the Eastern Settlement Area (Site KD/TE, KB, TSR) proved that Palaipaphos was one of the island's important economic and artistic centres already in the Late Bronze Age (16th - 11th century BC). The Late Bronze Age chamber tombs, which yielded precious burial gifts, were situated within the living and working quarters (Site KD/TE), as in other Cypriot cities of this period. Broken household goods from wells (Site TE III) and pits demonstrate the technical skill and artistic imagination of potters and vase painters, metal workers and ivory carvers. (Fig. 4, Fig. 5, Fig. 6)

In the Archaic and Classical Periods the Eastern Settlement Area was again densely populated. Potters continued to produce storage jars, cooking vessels and table wares, spinners and weavers mannufactured textile fabrics. Besides the locally made pottery, imported Attic vessels were used (Fig. 7), as shown by the fill of the wells TE I and TE VII. Amongst private houses and workshops rose a number of important public buildings, such as a large Late Classical peristyle house (Site KD/TE, Fig. 1) and a remarkable palatial building with Achaemenid features (Site KB, Fig. 2) at Hadji Abdullah which most likely represents a Royal residence.

Not far from it two Paphian kings of the 4th century BC, Echetimos and Timocharis, were buried in the "Spilaion tis Regainas" (Site TSR, Fig. 3). This only true Royal tomb in the Paphos area, well preserved and of impressive dimensions, was thoroughly investigated 1991-92. Inter alia, it yielded copious evidence of its re-use in the Late Roman period, including beside fine glass vessels the largest single group of decorated Roman lamps (Fig. 8) discovered thus far in Cyprus.

directed by: Franz Georg Maier  † and  Marie-Louise von Wartburg
contact: Cheyenne Peverelli (cheyenne.peverelli@unibas.ch)
https://unibasel.academia.edu/cheyennePeverelli
Marie-Louise von Wartburg (ml.v.wartburg@gmail.com)