Kourion

Κούριον

United Kingdom · Island of Cyprus, Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area

Ancient cityUnknown
Approximate period1,100 BCE — 700 CEArchaic, Hellenistic, Roman and Early Christian periods See on the map ↓

In brief

Kourion is an ancient city-kingdom that developed on a hill on the southern coast of Cyprus. The excavation site within the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area is managed by the Cyprus Department of Antiquities; a theatre, houses, baths and a basilica can be seen here.

What was found?

  • 1Mosaics of the House of Eustolios

    Mosaics and inscriptions decorating the building's floors were found. Eustolios's name is also known from an inscription.

  • 2Mosaics of the House of the Gladiators

    The mosaics around the courtyard depict gladiatorial contests. They show how Roman spectacle culture was reflected in residential decoration.

  • 3Mosaics of the House of Akhilleus

    The principal mosaic depicts the story of Akhilleus's identity being revealed by Odysseus. It documents the place of mythological narratives in floor decoration.

  • 4Greco-Roman theater

    The theater, built in the Hellenistic period, was expanded during the Roman period. It shows that the same performance building was developed and used in different periods.

  • 5Early Christian basilica

    A separate baptistery stands north of the basilica. The building complex documents the spatial organization of Christian worship in the city.

What does it point to?

The mosaics show that mythological narratives and spectacles had a place in the inhabitants' visual world. The baths and basilica point to the importance of communal spaces and religious buildings in urban life.

What did it teach us?

  1. Documented the transformation of the Eustolios building from a private residence into a center opened to public use.
  2. Showed that mosaics could depict both mythological narratives and gladiatorial spectacles.
  3. The theater's expansions revealed that public buildings were reorganized over generations.

Images

Mosaic depicting gladiators being separated by a referee, late-3rd century AD, House of th
Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Kourion Greco-Roman theatre, Cyprus (PPL3-Altered) julesvernex2
Jules Verne Times Two · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Kourion BW 2023-09-22 08-44-04
Berthold Werner · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Ancient Cypriot, Ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine
Team / historical
Department of Antiquities, Cyprus
Coordinates
34.6642°, 32.8877°

Sources

  1. visitcyprus.com
  2. culture.gov.cy
  3. en.wikipedia.org
  4. Kıbrıs Turizm Müsteşarlığı — Kourion Mosaics

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12.000

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