Destinations: Kourion, Cyprus

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Cyprus has long been associated with Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. Legend has it that she was born of the sea foam and then swept ashore—at a site called Petra tou Romiou, 13 miles east of the ancient city of Paphos on Cyprus’s southern coast.

Another 15 miles east, along the scenic littoral, a bluff rises abruptly from the sea. This is Kourion, a magnificent, well-preserved city whose history stretches back 3,000 years.

Cyprus was probably first settled by mainland Greeks in the 13th and 12th centuries B.C. It fell to the Assyrians in the seventh century B.C., the Persians in the sixth century B.C., and then the Ptolemies of Egypt, who ruled the island from the fourth to the first century B.C. In 58 B.C. it became a province of Rome. Julius Caesar and Mark Antony both presented Cyprus as a gift to Cleopatra. The queen enjoyed her present only briefly: In 30 B.C., Cyprus reverted to the Romans, who controlled it for over 300 years.

Kourion flourished under its various overlords until Arab raids, in the mid-seventh century A.D., obliterated the site.

This was the second major disaster to befall the city. Early in the morning of July 21, 365 A.D., an earthquake produced thunderous tidal waves that flattened countless cities throughout the Eastern Mediterranean—including Kourion. According to the fourth-century Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus, “The firm and stable mass of the earth trembled and shook, and the sea withdrew.” In the 1980s, University of Arizona archaeologist David Soren discovered physical evidence of the earthquake at Kourion: the skeletal remains of two families, crushed by massive blocks of stone sent toppling by the shaking of the earth.

One of Kourion’s most imposing structures rose from the rubble of destroyed buildings: an early fifth-century A.D. Christian basilica, perhaps constructed under the aegis of Bishop Zeno of Ephesus, on the Aegean coast of modern Turkey. By this time, Christianity had sunk deep roots into Cyprus. According to the Bible, the apostle Paul sailed to Salamis, on the eastern coast of Cyprus; he trekked along Cyprus’s southern coast as far as Paphos, preaching the Christian message in Jewish synagogues along the way. Indeed, archaeological evidence suggests that Christianity was spreading before the earthquake: Soren found the skeleton of a man with a bronze ring carved with a Christian symbol.

The basilica’s large nave was enclosed on three sides by a wide corridor, separating the basilica from other ecclesiastical buildings on the site. Adjacent to the basilica was a courtyard with a hexagonal fountain and a baptistery featuring a deep cruciform baptismal font lined with marble and a mosaic floor (see photo of mosaic floor).

Beyond the basilica lie areas of Kourion currently under excavation and consequently closed to visitors. (If you peer through a wire-mesh fence, you can watch archaeologists busily at work, trying to uncover Kourion’s Roman remains.) But along the western edge of the excavation area are two buildings with beautiful mosaic floors. One Roman building, the House of the Gladiators, has two mosaic panels depicting fighting gladiators; inscriptions even identify the combatants names: Margaritis, Hellenikos and Lytras. Nearby are the ruins of the fourth-century A.D. House of Achilles, with a colonnaded portico that once sheltered a mosaic depicting a scene from Homer: An armed Achilles, disguised as a maiden, confronts Odysseus.

About half a mile 063beyond the House of Achilles lie the scanty remains of Kourion’s second-century A.D. stadium, the only stadium found on Cyprus so far. It once seated 6,000 spectators, who watched foot races, boxing and wrestling matches, and discus- and javelin-throwing.

Before the triumph of Christianity, Kourion was an important religious center dedicated to Apollo. Its Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates (above) drew throngs of religious pilgrims to the city. Constructed around the eighth century B.C., the sanctuary stood for over 1,000 years until it was destroyed by the earthquake of 365 A.D. The ruins of the sanctuary are surrounded by a forest of cypresses and pine trees—a symbolic setting, for Apollo was revered as a god of the woodland; laurel, myrtle and palm trees were all sacred to him.

Among Kourion’s other Hellenistic structures is a second-century B.C. theater, which held 3,500 spectators. It, too, was destroyed by the earthquake, though the structure has been extensively restored. Today, during the summer months, spectators can watch plays performed here. The repertory consists mainly of ancient Greek drama, but an occasional Shakespeare play is also staged.

Cyprus has long been associated with Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. Legend has it that she was born of the sea foam and then swept ashore—at a site called Petra tou Romiou, 13 miles east of the ancient city of Paphos on Cyprus’s southern coast. Another 15 miles east, along the scenic littoral, a bluff rises abruptly from the sea. This is Kourion, a magnificent, well-preserved city whose history stretches back 3,000 years. Cyprus was probably first settled by mainland Greeks in the 13th and 12th centuries B.C. It fell to the Assyrians in the seventh century B.C., […]