Latest news with #CyprusDepartmentofAntiquities
Miami Herald
08-05-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Ancient sanctuary honoring Apollo lost for 140 years in Cyprus. It's been found
Nearly one and a half centuries ago, a German researcher ventured outside the ancient town of Tamassos in Cyprus. The archaeologist was in a remote valley in 1885 when he discovered ancient ruins that would come to be known as 'one of the most spectacular finds of his time,' according to an April 28 news release and Facebook post from the Cyprus Department of Antiquities and the Deputy Ministry of Culture. There was a 'richly furnished' sanctuary, built to honor the god Apollo, officials said. 'It was furnished with a lavish abundance of votive statues numbering in the hundreds, some of which were of colossal dimensions,' according to the release. But the archaeologist was hasty, careless and imprecise, officials said, and after an excavator worked through the site, its location was lost to time — until now. German archaeologists returned to the area in 2021 hoping to find the sanctuary again, but they were unsuccessful until the 2024 excavation season, according to the release. Then, two dug trenches revealed the location of the sanctuary, and meticulous excavations could begin, officials said. Archaeologists found the walls of the courtyard complete with more than 100 statue bases, according to the release. '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,' officials said. 'Apparently, in 1885, they were not recognized as artifacts in the rush.' Newly discovered statue pieces appear to match statues already discovered and now housed in the Cyprus Museum and the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, according to the release. There is also a completely new kind of statue that was previously unknown from the site. '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,' officials said. They also uncovered marbled glass beads and Egyptian amulets made from a glazed ceramic, according to the release. Inscribed bases found within the sanctuary show 'that the sanctuary played an important role not only in archaic times (seventh and sixth centuries B.C.), but also after the end of the royal period,' officials said. There was a time of expansion, according to the release, where the courtyard was built next to an offering room, likely used for banquets. The recent finds 'fundamentally expand our knowledge of this sacred place,' officials said. The site is in central Cyprus, an island nation south of Turkey in the Mediterranean Sea.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
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. You Might Also Like
