Important antiquities discovered recently on the islet of Geronisos near Paphos in Cyprus point to extensive trade between the Mediterranean island and the Middle East.
Geronisos is a small island off the west coast of Cyprus, some 18 kilometers north of Paphos. Uninhabited since the 15th century, recent excavations have revealed it once held a sanctuary dedicated to Apollo in the late Hellenistic period.
The Department of Antiquities announced the completion of New York University’s Geronisos Island Expedition, conducted at Maniki Harbor and on the island of Geronisos while an archaeological survey was continued at the Meletis Necropolis.
The NYU team excavated two trenches at Maniki Harbor, unearthing vast deposits of late Roman amphorae dumped at the water’s edge.
Quantities of Late Roman 1-type amphorae of local Paphian manufacture were recovered, together with so-called “Palestinian bag-shaped amphorae” and “Gaza Jars,” attesting to significant maritime connections between Cape Drepanum and South Palestine in the 6th century AD.
Walls from the late Ptolemaic period
Excavation in two small trenches atop Geronisos revealed significant walls from the late Ptolemaic period. Professor Jolanta Mlynarczyk of the University of Warsaw processed and studied the Hellenistic and early Byzantine pottery found within these trenches.
Philip Ebeling of the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster continued his study of the abundant Hellenistic roof tiles recovered from Geronisos in past seasons. Through careful mending of thousands of fragments, he has established the original dimensions of Laconian and Corinthian pan-tiles, as well as Corinthian cover-tiles.
These show widths of 53 centimeters (20 inches), the length an Egyptian ell and the preferred unit of measurement during the Ptolemaic period.
Dr. Mariusz Burdajewicz of the University of Warsaw completed his documentation of glass finds excavated by the NYU team in a late Hellenistic-Roman period tomb at Meletis in 2022 and 2023.
Geronisos in Cyprus was first excavated in 1982
The island which lies 280 meters (about 920 feet) off the shore of western Cyprus has been uninhabited since the 14th or 15th century. It has an area of 26,000 square meters and rises 21.65 meters from sea level. Geologically, the island consists of a hard calcarenite crust of Pleistocene marine terraces overlying a soft marl core.
The island was first excavated in 1982 by Sophocles Hadjisavvas following a proposal for the construction of a hotel on the island. He established the presence of Hellenistic remains on the island, which halted all further attempts to build on the island.
In 1989, Joan Breton Connelly from New York University heard about the project and, impressed by the range of material, joined the excavations which have continued since then.
The excavations have established three periods of occupation on Geronisos, namely the Early Chalcolithic (3800 BC) period, the late Hellenistic (80-30 BC), and the Byzantine (6th-7th century and 13th century) period. The most intense era was the late Hellenistic period. This was when Cleopatra ruled Cyprus.
Artifacts include coins, pottery, glass, and inscriptions. Limestone amulets, identical to those used in Cypriot sanctuaries of Apollo, point to ritual activity and the worship of Apollo.
The island was apparently abandoned following a devastating earthquake in 1st century AD.
Related: Ancient Inscription Unearthed at Cyprus Archaeological Site
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