Archaeologists have uncovered new evidence of wine-making, pottery production and textile-related activities at the ancient settlement of Erimi–Pitharka in Cyprus, revealing that the site was a major workshop more than 3,000 years ago.
The 2026 excavation season also expanded the known size of a large architectural complex, uncovering previously unknown rooms, storage installations, workshops and artifacts that offer fresh insight into how the settlement operated during the Late Cypriot IIC–IIIA period.
Excavation reveals a larger production complex
Excavations focused on Area I/1A, where archaeologists discovered that the complex extends farther north and east than previously believed. Newly uncovered rooms and open courtyards significantly expand the known layout of the building, which researchers believe managed production and storage activities.
Some structures were built with carefully cut stone blocks, while others used dry-stone walls topped with mudbrick. The site’s bedrock had been deliberately carved to create basins, support large storage jars known as pithoi, provide foundations for walls, and form durable floors.
The most impressive discovery was Room 110, the largest space identified so far. Measuring about 7 by 4.3 meters (23 by 14 feet), the room contains stone work benches, entrance thresholds, a stone-lined storage installation and a large stone weight, suggesting it served an important function within the complex.
Finds point to pottery, textiles and winemaking
Researchers uncovered a deposit of raw clay alongside loom weights in different stages of manufacture, providing strong evidence that pottery making and textile-related activities took place at the settlement.
Another area, south of Courtyard 113, produced large numbers of grape seeds, pottery fragments and basins filled with waste material. These discoveries indicate that grapes were processed there, most likely for wine production.
Archaeologists also completed work in Room 101, where they uncovered an exceptionally well-preserved lime-plastered floor and a deep basin containing nearly complete pottery vessels. The collection included decorated Aegean-style pottery as well as reused vessels, including a perforated cup and a Plain White Ware vessel base that had been repurposed as a stopper.
Artifacts reveal daily life and earlier occupation
Just south of Room 101, excavators found a nearly complete clay bull figurine, a bronze buckle and a deliberately broken pottery vessel. Researchers believe these objects were linked to activities carried out during the settlement’s final phase of occupation.
Elsewhere, the team recovered additional bronze buckles, loom weights and fragments of clay animal figurines, including the head of a Ring-Based Ware wild boar.
The deepest layers also produced a small number of Ceramic Neolithic pottery fragments. Although all excavated buildings belong to the Late Cypriot period, the finds suggest people occupied the area thousands of years before the Bronze Age settlement was established.
A key Late Bronze Age center
Erimi–Pitharka, located in Cyprus’ Limassol District, dates mainly to the Late Cypriot IIC–IIIA period and was occupied at the same time as nearby settlements such as Alassa and Episkopi-Pamboula in the Kouris Valley.
Previous excavations have shown that its residents processed cereals, olive oil and wine, making it one of the region’s most important sites for understanding the economy of Late Bronze Age Cyprus.
The 2026 excavation took place from April 20 to May 22 under the direction of Dr. Laerke Recht of Denmark’s Moesgaard Museum.
Researchers say future excavations will define the full extent of the architectural complex and provide a clearer understanding of how production, storage, and everyday activities were organized within one of the Kouris Valley’s most important Late Bronze Age settlements.
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