Archaeologists Were Searching For a Lost Sanctuary—and Re-Discovered a Treasure Trove of Ancient Statues
After its original discovery in 1885, an ancient statue sanctuary in Cyprus was subsequently covered in sand and lost to time yet again.
However, a recent archaeological effort rediscovered the sanctuary, and uncovered historical finds from the seventh century B.C.
Statue fragments found buried in the sand can now complete statues on display in museums in Cyprus and Canada.
A team of German archaeologists recently uncovered an ancient statue sanctuary in Cyprus dedicated to Apollo. Known as Frangissa (due to its location in the remote Frangissa Valley), the site was originally discovered in 1885 but was subsequently covered in sand and lost once again. The archaeologists on this team not only rediscovered the Frangissa site, but excavated it, exposing the walls of the dedication courtyard and over 100 statue bases.
The site features hundreds of statutes—some shockingly large—and the remnants of some of those have been found for the first time, according to a translated statement from the Cyprus Department of Antiquities and the Deputy Ministry of Culture. The team also recovered statue fragments not cataloged in the 1880s, some of which will help complete partial statues taken from the site and displayed in the Cyprus Museum and the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, restoring those statues to their original design.
Additionally, the team found entirely new types of statutes previously unknown to have existed in Frangissa. 'The discovery of clearly larger-than-life feet, for example, means that the existence of colossal male limestone figures from archaic times can now be proven,' according to the statement. 'Such larger-than-life figures were previously only known here in Frangissa made from terracotta, including the famous 'Colossus of Tamassos' in the Cyprus Museum exhibition.'
The site also contained marbled glass beads and Egyptian amulets made of faience—materials that show cultural exchanges. 'A preliminary evaluation of the finds showed that the area had been in use since the Iron Age and was used throughout the archaic, the classics, and Hellenism,' according to a statement from the University of Frankfurt.
The inscriptions on the bases of two statues help tell that story. One features local Cypro-Syllabic characters, while the other refers to the Ptolemies—the Hellenistic rulers of Egypt who also controlled Cyprus at one time—in Greek. The inscriptions show that the sanctuary was not only popular during the seventh and sixth centuries B.C., but through the end of the royal period.
'In fact,' the Cyprus statement said, 'the place of worship even underwent an explicit expansion phase during this time, which can be seen in the architecture.' During the expansion, a peristyle courtyard—likely used for banquets—was built next to the votive offering room, highlighting how the site evolved to serve as both a religious and social center.
Other marquis finds in the sanctuary include small chariots, horsemen, and warrior figures made of terracotta, as well as large-format hollow terracottas that could be as big as life-size. Limestone statues also feature horses and riders on horses.
While the larger pieces were captured by German researcher Max Ohnefalsch-Richter in 1885—and have ended up in museums in Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, Cyprus, and possibly even Russia—numerous fragments of limestone figures and large-format terracottas were left behind.
'It was a surprising realization that not only the pedestals for votive statues were found in the 19th-century backfill, but also vast quantities of statue fragments themselves,' according to the Cyprus statement. 'Apparently, in 1885, in the rush to find impressive discoveries, they were not recognized as artifacts.'
Luckily, today, we see them for the treasures they are.
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