Date:

Archaeologists discover ancient banqueting site carved in bedrock

Archaeologists excavating the ruins of Nea Paphos in Cyprus have discovered a 2,000-year-old rock-cut banqueting site.

Nea Paphos was founded on the south-western part of Cyprus during the 4th century BC, and was occupied throughout the Hellenistic period where it was the island’s capital under the Ptolemies, and later during the Roman period.

- Advertisement -

Since 2017, a multinational team of researchers from Poland and France has been studying the southern part of Fabrika Hill, where they recently uncovered the open-air banqueting site next to the hills highest point, where a temple is also located.

The outline of the banqueting site was carved in rock, and was probably used for the consumption of animals sacrificed to the gods on an adjacent monumental altar. Feasting in honour of the gods, sometimes combined with the consumption of sacrificial meat, and always with drinking alcohol, was a common ritual not only in Cyprus, but in many Mediterranean cultures.

Similar sites are found in Jordan from the Nabatean kingdom of Petra, where they accompanied both tombs and places of traditional worship. Archaeologists told PAP that “this is the first site of this type unearthed in Cyprus, where the ramp leading from the temple adjoined a multi-step bench carved in the rock.”

Prof. Jolanta Młynarczyk from the Faculty of Archaeology at the University of Warsaw stated: “It was a place for open-air religious banquets, the characteristic semi-circular outline of which is referred to in archaeology as a stibadium. Its central point was a circular depression with a drain, used for libations in honour of a deity.”

- Advertisement -

According to the research team, the temple and the place of libation were in use between the 2nd century BC and the mid-2nd century AD, but was likely abandoned due to an earthquake around 150 AD.

Archaeologists are yet to identify the deity worshiped on the hill, but they assume that it was the patroness of Nea Paphos – Aphrodite Paphi.

“Our archaeological team is currently facing further tasks related to the comprehensive examination of the sacred area on Fabrika Hill, leading to the final identification of the cult of deities or deities worshiped here in the Hellenistic and early Roman periods” – emphasizes Prof. Młynarczyk.

PAP

Header Image – View of the entrance ramp to the temple with the stibadium in the background (right). Image Credit : Anna Kubicka)

- Advertisement -

Stay Updated: Follow us on iOS, Android, Google News, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, TikTok, LinkedIn, and our newsletter

spot_img
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan is multi-award-winning journalist and the Managing Editor at HeritageDaily. His background is in archaeology and computer science, having written over 8,000 articles across several online publications. Mark is a member of the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW), the World Federation of Science Journalists, and in 2023 was the recipient of the British Citizen Award for Education, the BCA Medal of Honour, and the UK Prime Minister's Points of Light Award.
spot_img
spot_img
spot_img

Mobile Application

spot_img

Related Articles

Archaeologists discover burials from the Iron Age and Viking Era

Archaeologists from the State Historical Museums and Arkeologerna recently completed an investigation of a significant burial site in Linköping, Sweden.

Hidden fortune discovered in Czech countryside

A 7-kilogram treasure hoard has been discovered by hikers on Zvičina Hill, located in Třebihošť-Mostek, Czechia.

Pre-war Jewish district uncovered in Lublin

Archaeologists from the Lublin Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments have uncovered traces of Lublin’s pre-war Jewish district during construction works at Zamkowa and Podwale streets.

Ornately decorated sarcophagus unearthed in “City of Gladiators”

Excavations in Stratonikeia, located in the Yatağan district of Muğla in southwestern Türkiye, have unearthed a 2,000-year-old sarcophagus from the Roman Imperial Age.

The mystery of a 1940’s Ford Woody discovered on USS Yorktown shipwreck

During a recent expedition aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer for the Papahānaumokuākea ROV and Mapping project, NOAA Ocean Exploration and its partners discovered a 1940s Ford Woody on the wreck of the USS Yorktown.

Roman phallus found at frontier fortress

Excavations at Vindolanda near Hadrian’s Wall have unearthed a miniature phallus pendant.

Ancient underground chamber discovery in Cnoc Ard

A construction project in Cnoc Ard (Knockaird) on the Isle of Lewis has revealed a stone-built underground chamber, later identified by archaeologists as a Late Iron Age souterrain.

Caral burial unearthed at Áspero: Elite woman found remarkably preserved

Archaeologists from the Caral Archaeological Zone (ZAC), led by Dr. Ruth Shady Solís from the Ministry of Culture, have discovered a well-preserved burial at the Áspero archaeological site in Barranca Province, Peru.