Amathus

Αμαθούντα

Cyprus · Limassol

Ancient cityExcavation ongoing
Approximate period1,100 BCE — 700 CEIron Age, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and Late Antique periods See on the map ↓

In brief

At Amathus, the palace area, acropolis slopes and coastal areas have been the subject of archaeological research. The 2024 excavations expanded knowledge of the early palace's layout, while work on the West Terrace in 2025 yielded Late Antique building remains and figurines.

What was found?

  • 1Main building of the first palace

    The almost complete plan of the first palace's main building was established. According to researchers, the careful stonework, plastered floors, and column base support its ceremonial character.

  • 2Classical-period storerooms

    Walls and floors made it possible to identify the southeastern boundary of the storerooms. This clarified the plan of the storage areas around the palace.

  • 3White Slip pottery fragment

    A vessel fragment dating to the Late Bronze Age was found in the surface layer. Because of its context, it does not by itself prove that a settlement existed in that period.

  • 4Terracotta figurines

    Numerous figurines were recovered around the West Terrace. According to researchers, the assemblage here may have come from spaces associated with royal power and cult.

  • 5Inscribed pottery fragments

    The West Terrace finds include fragments inscribed in the Cypriot syllabic script. They provide tangible material for research into the use of writing and the local language.

What does it point to?

The palace's elaborate architecture and storerooms indicate that administration and the accumulation of goods were concentrated in the same center. According to researchers, the West Terrace material also suggests a connection between royalty and cult; the buildings from which the finds originated have not yet been firmly identified.

What did it teach us?

  1. Clarified the plan and ceremonial architectural features of the first palace's main building.
  2. Established the southeastern boundary of the Classical-period storerooms.
  3. Raised a new question about the site's early past through the Late Bronze Age pottery fragment.

Images

Terracota Anthropomorphic Figurines Amathus
Catlemur · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Amathus
de Oude Grieken · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

In 2025, well-preserved collapsed roof tiles from a building possibly dating to the Late Roman period, along with figurines of Archaic and Classical types, were found on the West Terrace.

Record

Culture
Ancient Cypriot, Ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine
Team / historical
French School at Athens and HiSoMA; Anna Cannavò for the West Terrace project
Coordinates
34.7125°, 33.1417°

Sources

  1. culture.gov.cy
  2. chronique.efa.gr
  3. en.wikipedia.org
  4. École française d’Athènes — Terrasse ouest d’Amathonte

Nearby excavations


—
—
12.000

From beneath the soil: latest discoveries

  • 2,600-year-old mudbrick structure identified beneath the city of Buto in Egypt

    The walls of a large mudbrick structure identified through satellite and geophysical surveys were confirmed by a trial excavation. According to the researchers, a layer of sand placed beneath the foundations may have helped protect the structure in the waterlogged ground of the Nile Delta.

    Heritage Daily ↗ · Excavation notebook
  • Celtic woman's grave containing jewelry and animal remains found in Germany

    A woman's skeleton, heavy bronze anklets, a sapropelite arm ring, and the remains of a lamb or kid were found in the grave in Bavaria. According to the researchers, placing the animal in the grave as a food offering represents an unusual example of Celtic funerary practices in the region.

    Arkeofili ↗
  • Cupboard containing personal belongings, childhood amulets and coins found in Pompeii

    Grooming items, 38 bronze coins and a necklace made up of at least 24 amulets were found in a cupboard in a house in Pompeii that had remained closed since the eruption in AD 79. The preservation of these objects together provides detailed information about everyday life and personal mementos in Roman times.

    Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook
  • Lead seal of a bishop named Stefan found in Croatia

    Excavations on the islet of Lukovac uncovered a document seal bearing the name Stefan and the title of bishop in Latin. According to the researchers, the seal, tentatively dated to the 6th–7th centuries, offers rare evidence of early church administration in a region with limited written sources.

    Heritage Daily ↗
  • Roman-period sarcophagus of a child buried with toys found in Romania

    A wheeled toy horse, a rooster-shaped rattle, jewelry and organic remains were recovered from a sealed child’s sarcophagus dating back approximately 1,800 years in the ancient city of Tomis. The preservation of wooden coffin fragments and the shroud also offers a rare opportunity to study child burials in Roman times.

    HeritageDaily ↗
  • Roman-period grave found in the seating area of the ancient theater in Gölyazı

    A tile-covered grave dating to the 1st century AD and containing cremated human remains was uncovered in the theater of Apollonia ad Rhyndacum. Why the burial took place in the theater despite the city having a separate cemetery remains unknown; the find raises new questions about the use of public spaces.

    Arkeofili ↗
  • Marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions found at Teos

    A marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions on reused stone blocks were found around the Temple of Roma and Augustus at Teos. The inscriptions shed light on the city’s political and legal relations, while researchers say the portrait and inscription fragments show that the temple was also connected to the cult of Antinoos.

    Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook
  • New prehistoric settlement identified on the shore of the Dardanelles

    A newly published study presented Yaylatepe Höyük, identified during surface surveys in 2024, and its pottery spanning the end of the Late Chalcolithic to the beginning of the Late Bronze Age for the first time. According to the researcher, the settlement, which has a visual connection with Asartepe on the opposite shore, contributes to understanding prehistoric coastal connections along the strait.

    Arkeoloji Dergisi ↗

    All excavation sites (385)

    Türkiye

    Kazakhstan

    Federated States of Micronesia

    Guatemala

    Honduras

    North Macedonia

    Sri Lanka