5(H)
THT>
I L L U S T R A T E D
L O N D O N
N E W S
SUIT.
22,
192S
CYPRUS RIVALS C R E T E AS AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL TREASURE ISLAND.
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D GREEK DISCOVERIES- A PALACE. RICH IN SCULPTURE, OF SSO
By
T
HE
Dr. EINAR
Swedish archaeological e x p e d i t i o n i n Cyprus,
whose w o r k last year a t L a p i t h o s a n d Soli was
recorded previously, has this year been w o r k i n g at
V o u n i and D a l i . The excavations of Soli have n o t
been b r o u g h t t o an end, b u t w i l l be resumed later on.
V o u n i is supposed t o be the ancient Aipeia, and A i p e i a
was the O l d Soli, whence, according t o t h e legend,
K i n g P h i l o k y p r o s moved, on the. advice of Solon, t o
found a new settlement i n honour of Solon called
Soli. Disregarding t h e etymological nonsense of the
GJERSTAD.
450
B.C.
Head of the Swedish Expedition In Cyprus.
a b u l l , a n d a s t a t u e t t e of a cow, measuring 25 c m 1.
T h e bronze s t a t u e t t e w i l l give us a n idea of M y r o n ' s
famous bronze cow.
T h e b u i l d i n g where these bronzes
were f o u n d is a sacellum, d i v i d e d i n t o three naves b y
w o o d e n walls. These, of course, have mouldered, b u t
we can trace t h e m i n t h e post-holes a n d c u t t i n g s i n
the floor for the walls, P a r t l y below t h i s sacellum
appeared
t h e foundations of
a long rectangular
b u i l d i n g , e v i d e n t l y a t e m p l e . The temple, too, had
been b u i l t u p of wood, a n d t h a t is w h y i t has been
so e n t i r e l y destroyed.
But
i t is n o t o n l y a
temple.
I n f r o n t of
it is a n open c o u r t
where some bases of
statues were
found,
a n d a t t h e southern
l i m i t of t h e c o u r t t h e
foundations
of
two
smaller b u i l d i n g s were
unearthed.
I n these
buildings we found a
series of v o t i v e offer­
ings p i l e d u p : shields,
swords, spear - heads,
arrow-heads,
and so
on. T h e b u i l d i n g s aite
treasure - houses ! V
^
temple w i t h t a B » V ^
houses, a t v t o c f c G e e k
holy p l a c e ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
of Cyprus. E x c a v a t i o n s have a l r e a d y been u n d e r ­
t a k e n there long ago.
W h a t remained for us t o do
was t o a t t a c k t h e t o p of t h e acropolis of I d a l i o n ,
where no proper excavations h a d y e t been carried
out.
T h e r e s u l t of our diggings there is of consider­
able i m p o r t a n c e t o t h e h i s t o r y of r e l i g i o n . A t t h e
b o t t o m of t h e c u l t u r e s t r a t a we f o u n d a s e t t l e m e n t
f r o m t h e latest stage of the Copper Age
(Late
C y p r i o t e I I I . , 1200-1000 B.C.).
T h e c e n t r a l p a r t of
t h i s s e t t l e m e n t is occupied b y a c u l t place, the first
p r e h i s t o r i c c u l t place f o u n d i n C y p r u s . There we
f o u n d a deposit of five c u l t bulls of t e r r a c o t t a , w i t h
other objects, w h i c h had a l l been placed on a wooden
table of w h i c h carbonised remains were f o u n d .
The
c u l t c o n t i n u e d i n t o t h e I r o n Age, a n d reached i n t h e
archaic a n d classical periods a h i g h stage of develop­
m e n t . A f t e r t h a ^ V u i y ^ a l p e r i o d t h e holy site fell
i n t o disuse.
I
Λ
T h i s c u l t ^ p m c l ^ > n t h e t o p of the acropolis of
I d a l i o n i s ^ y \ j p a j y C y p r i o t e i n c o n t r a s t t o t h e Greek
t e m p l e site on V o u n i . I t is consequently n o t a question
of i a J ^ r r e l e ^ b u T of a l a r g e o p e n c o u r t w i t h a n a l t a r
a n d surrounded b y a w a l l — i n fact, a temenos.
The
I c u h V w j J aniconic, a n d , moreover, n o v o t i v e statues
w e r e j o u n d , w h i c h is r a t h e r u n u s u a l : t h e C y p r i o t e
h o l y sites used t o be crowded w i t h statues.
The
w r t i v e offerings f o u n d i n t h e temenos w h i c h we ex­
cavated are of a q u i t e different k i n d .
Mainly they
consist of weapons. T w o of t h e shields are beautifullydecorated w i t h stamped ornaments of lotus flowers
and palmettes, a n d a cuirass of i r o n is w o r t h m e n t i o n ­
ing
as u n i q u e . B u t o t h e r k i n d s of v o t i v e offerings
were also discovered : bronze bowls, bronze lamps,
i r o n lamps, rings of bronze, i r o n , a n d silver, some w i t h
engraved signets.
A b u l l ' s head of bronze, w h i c h
h a d been used as a decoration of a wooden cist,
m u s t be reckoned a m o n g our finds of great a r t i s t i c
merit.
A question of t h e
u t m o s t i m p o r t a n c e is
t h a O l o r W i n V relation
A
CYPRIOTE
P A R A L L E L TO T H E PALACE O F MINOS:
T H E ROCK
O F VOUNI,
WHERE
b^^re^a
wie
temple
^ m o % £ h e palace.
In
EXCAVATION
HAS REVEALED
" A PALACE
OF T H E ARCHAIC
AND E A R L Y
CLASSICAL
the palace m a n y v o t i v e
P E R I O D . " W I T H MAGAZINES C O N S T R U C T E D " AS IN T H E MINOAN P A L A C E S O F C R E T E . "
^ ( f a t u e s were f o u n d : οϊι
the
t e m p l e site none, o n l y some bases. The sacellum
legend, there is no reason t o reject t h e statement of
N o epigraphic m a t e r i a l g i v i n g evidence of t h e
a n d the palace are contem]X>rary. T h e t e m p l e is c o n ­
an early connection between A i p e i a and Soli.
name of the god w o r s h i p p e d has been f o u n d h i t h e r t o .
sequently earlier t h a n the palace. I m a g i n a t i o n c o m ­
Some s i x t y years ago, however, a peasant discovered
V o u n i is a steep a n d w i l d rock rising d i r e c t l y f r o m
bines t h e archaeological evidence i n t h e f o l l o w i n g w a y :
a f r a g m e n t of a bronze object w i t h an i n s c r i p t i o n
the sea t o about 800 feet a t a distance of a b o u t four
If t h e conquest of Soli b y the K i n g of A i p e i a t o o k place
t e l l i n g us t h a t i t was a v o t i v e offering t o A t h e n a .
miles n o r t h - w e s t of Soli, T h e excavations w h i c h
in t h e l a t e j ^ k r t o f the s i x t h c e n t u r y B.C., there are
T h e v o t i v e offerings f o u n d by us, m o s t of w h i c h — a s
s t a r t e d there i n t h e m i d d l e of A p r i l have resulted i n
some c o n t e m p o r a r y events o c c u r r i n g i n A i p e i a a n d
m e n t i o n e d above—consist of weapons, also agree v e r y
a complete success. Suddenly one d a y t h e great
SoLj/thar^jeSm t o be m u t u a l l y connected.
At that
well w i t h A t h e n a ' s character of a w a r goddess. B u t
m o m e n t came. I n t h e m o r n i n g we had t h e
first
time^a t e m p l e i n A i p e i a was destroyed and a t e m p l e
i t m u s t be emphasised t h a t t h e A t h e n a worshipped
i n d i c a t i o n — f r a g m e n t s of a lifesize t e r r a c o t t a head ;
in Soli (which we excavated last year) was erected
i n I d a l i o n was i t s o l d C y p r i o t e t o w n goddess and
and soon we reached a s t r a t u m q u i t e filled w i t h speci­
^ W t h e same t i m e a palace i n A i p e i a a n d a sacellum
n o t a Greek A t h e n a i n a n A t h e n i a n helmet as a t
mens of sculpture : statues, heads, a n d statuettes of
u b o l k t h e ruins of i t s destroyed t e m p l e were b u i l t ,
Vouni.
I t was a C y p r i o t e A t h e n a — i . e . , a C y p r i o t e
stone and t e r r a c o t t a w h i c h were f o u n d fallen d o w n
^hen
the K i n g
of
the steps of a staircase leading u p t o a m o n u m e n t a l
A i p e i a conquered Soli
gateway.
Bases of statues were found s t i l l
i^jtiw
the first t h i n g for h i m
at b o t h sides of the gate. The statuettes h f l d J K Q b ^
t o do was t o b u i l d a
a b l y been placed i n niches higher u p i n t h e now^LirVJ
t e m p l e t o t h e god b y
walls
Most of the sculptures show G r e e k ^ K u J n c e ,
whose assistance t h e
a n d some are of the same t y p e as t h e ^ a i l l p u s kori
conquest
succeeded.
statues f o u n d on t h e Acropolis a t A + J i m s ^ m d else­
In
t h e place of t h e
where i n Greece. The sculptors w l r ^ K p m e d o u t these
old
destroyed t e m p l e
Greek t h o u g h t s i n stone a n d ^ W | r a c \ t t V ' l i v e d a t t h e
of A i p e i a he confined
end of the archaic and t h e ImglHMny of t h e classical
himself t o b u i l d i n g a
p e r i o d — t h a t is, about 55£t45lB^^^^
sacellum,
and
the
An
architecture quXe Λ|^Λ^\^>ί these exquisite
v o t i v e statues
were
sculptures soon began t ^ F p p l a r . Trenches were d u g
removed t o t h e palace
t o discover t h e e x t e n t a r n ^ m a r a c t e r of t h e b u i l d i n g .
w h i c h he h a d
now
Massive walls formed of w e l l - c u t , q u a d r a n g u l a r blocks
b u i l t for himself as a
extended over an area of more t h a n 10,000 square
summer residence on
metres (over 10,000 square yards), a l l belonging t o
the
cool rock
of
the same b u i l d i n g — a palace ! A palace of t h e archaic
A i p e i a . H e could af­
and early classical period ! I n t h e centre of i t we
ford i t . H e h a d be­
find a large open c o u r t , f r o m w h i c h a wide staircase
come a m i g h t y K i n g
leads u p t o the western p a r t . There we notice terraces
c o n t r o l l i n g t h e copperon different levels.
This p a r t of t h e palace had a t
mines of Soli.
His
least t w o storeys. A series of at least fifteen magazines
successor preferred t o
open f r o m a n a r r o w c o r r i d o r — i n t h e same w a y as
stay there a l l t h e year
in the M i n o a n palaces of Crete. T h e trenches c u t here
r o u n d , and therefore
traversed large magnificent rooms w i t h verandahs
the
summer
palace
and terraces descending i n different levels t o the m a i n
of A i p e i a was a b a n ­
gate where t h e statues were f o u n d . S t i l l , we have
doned.
"THE
FIRST
PREHISTORIC CULT
PLACE
FOUND
IN C Y P R U S " :
RELICS
OF A
LOCAL
o n l y a general idea of t h e palace—and scarcely even
WORSHIP O F ATHENA AS " A
CYPRIC _ TOWN GODDESS"
ON A MUCH O L D E R
SITE
that.
I t s complete excavation s t i l l remains t o be
T h i s is a conjec­
carried o u t . W h e n t h a t has been done t h e h i s t o r y of
THAN
VOUNI : PART
OF A
LATE
BRONZE
A G E DEPOSIT
AT DALI,
DATING
FROM
t u r e w h i c h f u r t h e r ex­
c u l t u r e w i l l be enriched b y a m o n u m e n t of great
1200-1000 B . C .
cavations w i l l perhaps
i m p o r t a n c e , since no other a r c h i t e c t u r e of t h i s k i n d
corroborate. W h a t wc
T h i s deposit included five cult bulls of t e r r a - c o t t a , two of w h i c h a r e illustrated on page 498.
f r o m t h e period concerned has been discovered w i t h i n
.know is t h a t t h e d e i t v
the Greek c u l t u r e area
b y whose assistance the K i n g of A i p e i a conquered
goddess called A t h e n a b y t h e Greeks a n d b y t h e m
Soli was A t h e n a : i t is a temple of A t h e n a w h i c h
But V o u n i is not o n l y a palace. On t h e v e r y t o p
identified w i t h t h e acropolis goddess of Athens.
we have excavated on the t o p of V o u n i .
The
of the rock we discovered some foundations trace­
U n l i k e the
temple
of
Athena
at Vouni, the
archaeological evidence is t h e discovery of four heads
able on t h e surface.
W e s t a r t e d excavations there,
temenos of A t h e n a i n I d a l i o n therefore affords proof
of A t h e n a w i t h i n t h e temple a r e a — A t h e n a i n an
and soon we had discovered three of the most r e m a r k ­
of t h a t m i x t u r e of O r i e n t a l a n d Greek
elements
A t h e n i a n helmet, Strictly classic
able bronze
figures
ever f o u n d i n C y p r u s — t w o
w h i c h i n Cyprus were e v e n t u a l l y assimilated i n t o a
reliefs representing respectively t w o lions a t t a c k i n g
D a l i is the a n o f t n t I d a l i o n , s i t u a t e d i n t h e m i d d l e
homogeneous c u l t u r e .