Bronze age finds from excavations at Agios Sozomenos- Ampelia and Nikolides sites

Α Decrease font Enlarge font
Bronze age finds from excavations at Agios Sozomenos- Ampelia and Nikolides sitesView of the excavation at Agios Sozomenos, at the site of Nikolides (Photo: Department of Antiquities of Cyprus)

Cyprus Department of Antiquities, Ministry of Communications and Works, announces the conclusion of the 6th season of excavations in the framework of the Agios Sozomenos Excavations and Survey Project (ASESP) at the localities Ampelia and Nikolides, under the direction of the Curator of Antiquities Dr. Despina Pilides. This excavation season lasted from 10 September until 26 October 2018. This year our aim was to further investigate the pithos storage house on the small hillock at Ampelia, its extent and chronology as well as investigate the plan, chronology and nature of the monumental fortification at Nikolides.

Agios Sozomenos-Ampelia

Excavation continued on the east side of the building found last year, to establish whether it extended down the slope of the hillock. The cobbled courtyard, part of which was unearthed last year did indeed extend further, possibly enclosed within a very disturbed wall on the east side. The cobbled floor extended further to the south. It seems that this floor was renewed, as in some places where this was not preserved, another quite well preserved cobbled floor was found below, with strewn pithos sherds on it, some decorated with wavy lines left in situ. The pebbles of the earlier floor were set in a layer of plaster, which was then covered with another layer of plaster in which the pebbles of the new floor were set. In some places a thin layer of yellowish brown soil was found below the later floor. The extent of the floor on the south part was lost as a result of recent cultivation activities. The same activities caused the destruction of the architecture on the east side, although it seems that the building extended on this side as well. The north wall of Room 1 (the Pithos room) was not preserved and excavation on the north side, down the slope again proved fruitless.

View of the excavation at Agios Sozomenos, at the site of Ambelia (Photo: Department of Antiquities of Cyprus)

 

On the west side, traces of a floor were discovered as well as a layer of ashes, possibly from the fire destruction noted last year, as well as strewn burnt stones, possibly remains of a wall. Only pithos and storage jar sherds were retrieved. Some crevices in the bedrock seem to continue the ones noted last year. The same layer of ashes and remains of a burnt floor of plaster were noted on the SW part of the building. A broken pithos was found fallen on top of a stone basin, sunk in the floor. Inside the basin, of roughly oval shape, there were small sherds of a White Slip I bowl with a perforation, sherds from a Base Ring juglet, fragments of a Plain Ware plate and Black Slip sherds. A large storage jar with a wide fairly tall neck and a horizontal incised band on the shoulder and horizontal handles was found as well as a thumb-grip handle, most probably from another pithos.  A soft fill inside the basin contained a cylindrical perforated stone weight, a triangular stone weight, a clay weight with a central perforation and a flat grinder of diabase. The bottom layer inside the basin was darker in colour and was sampled in the hope that it may provide evidence for the activities conducted. On one side of the basin facing north, there was a perforation but if it was a drain hole, there was no outlet as it was sunk in the bedrock. A layer of packed mud around the basin was removed to reveal stones in situ that may have held the basin in place, on the south side these were placed upright. A burnt White Slip bowl, some cooking ware sherds, Plain Ware and Red slip sherds were collected in this area. At a short distance to the south another small circular pit was found, possibly for holding another storage jar in place.

Further excavation on the west side unveiled a fragment of a possible wall but nothing else was preserved. A large saddle quern of diabase, a gaming stone with depressions, a pounder and large quantities of pithos sherds indicate agrarian activities.  The house must have been consisting of at least three adjacent rooms, next to the storage room and a large courtyard to the south.

View of the excavation at Agios Sozomenos, at the site of Ambelia (Photo: Department of Antiquities of Cyprus)


Nikolides

The large building stones, some of them worked, which were redeposited to the east of the tower and hindered our work, were removed by mechanical means and retained, so as to be utilized for the study of the volume of the stone material used for the construction of the fortifications. The aim was to establish the way that the circuit wall joined the tower. Below this debris, a soft sandy fill was removed to reveal the plaster floor below, made directly on bedrock. The plaster floor was only partly preserved and, at parts, it seems to have been laid on top of a pebbly reddish substratum. No finds were recovered except for a few sherds of Black Slip or Red Slip. A cavity in the bedrock was excavated close to the circuit wall, which seems to have been made at a stage, however, because it cut through the floor of the entrance between the tower and the circuit wall, as supported by some Plain White sherds from an amphora found inside. The circuit wall was reveled for some distance, running parallel to the ashlar wall of the tower. The outer face of the circuit wall was also dressed with rectangular ashlar stones, perhaps to be in uniformity with the tower. The tower was built on top of the bedrock, which was used as a foundation; in the cases where it was uneven, small stones were used to level it to a straight line and the ashlar stones were placed on top. Only small sherds of Red Polished ware, some cooking pot sherds and the flat base of a miniature juglet were found.   

Excavation continued on the line of the circuit wall, to trace its outline and see how it joined with the tower. Huge destruction was caused by bulldozing as the cavities in the stone rubble have shown, that required laborious removal of the shifted ashlars and stones of about 0.5 m. depth until a staircase of large ashlars (1.20mx0.45m) was revealed leading from the interior of the fort onto the tower. Smaller sized ashlars were placed on either side to form a floor surface. A large worked stone with projections was found, possibly at the point of the entrance from the circuit wall into the area in front of the tower, and in the adjacent trench there were two postholes, possibly for the support of a doorway; further work is, nevertheless, necessary in order to clarify the construction at this point. As already noted last season, very little cultural material was retrieved consisting of small quantities of ceramics and no objects, a fact that needs to be taken into consideration in the interpretation of the evidence, as it is also a characteristic of the settlement (Tzirpoulos and Ampelia).

Even though excavation is slow and laborious, it is now evident that we have a monumental fort, erected initially, towards the end of the Middle Bronze Age, with an addition  of a formidable tower of fine construction, possibly in the early part of the Late Bronze Age; it is a fort of strategic importance overseeing the entire valley in all directions and a construction that could not have been built without organized labour and substantial control of resources.

 

Tornos
  1. 07/02 23:09

    Grant payments for 4 hotel investments in Paxos, Lefkada, Zakynthos and Chania

  2. 07/02 18:40

    Olga Kefalogianni in HORECA | Greece has experience in managing natural phenomena

  3. 07/02 15:06

    FedHATTA: “Opening up” of Greek travel agencies to the Iranian market

  4. 07/02 14:35

    New Head of Hotel Purchasing at alltours

  5. 07/02 13:49

    ShortStay Conference 2025 returns to Athens

  6. 07/02 13:26

    Applications for the Best Tourism Villages 2025 are now open

  7. 07/02 13:02

    Springer Reisen: 20 connections to Greek islands this summer

  8. 07/02 12:26

    Greece: Nearly 30 million international air arrivals in 2024 - Who traveled where

  9. 07/02 11:19

    Europe as a single tourist destination - A. Fiorentinos at the Destination Europe Summit 2025

  10. 07/02 06:55

    Positive prospects for tourism in 2025 but major “thorns” remain

  11. 07/02 06:14

    Donation from HEDNO for the restoration of the Ottoman Bath of Kalloni in Lesvos

  12. 06/02 18:58

    Work on the Thessaloniki Flyover is progressing at a rapid pace

  13. 06/02 18:54

    Sports Tourism | Ministerial meeting for the Euroleague Coaches Conference 2025

  14. 06/02 18:25

    29.3 million international air arrivals in 2024, with clear signs of an extended season

  15. 06/02 16:43

    Artificial intelligence in tourism: what TUI research shows

  16. 06/02 15:49

    Greece, a holiday and investment destination for Arabs

  17. 06/02 14:42

    Sotheby’s: The Athenian Riviera is first in demand for luxury properties

  18. 06/02 13:48

    More flights to Greece in 2025 from the Irish market

  19. 06/02 12:05

    Travelers are paying attention to cost and quality, few to sustainability

  20. 06/02 11:57

    Wyndham and HR Group expand into Germany, Austria and the Netherlands

  21. 06/02 07:37

    How will Naxos deal with the risk of water shortages ahead of the tourist season

  22. 06/02 07:28

    Attica Region: There is no overtourism in Athens - a warning for infrastructure

  23. 06/02 07:16

    Grant payments for 4 hotel investments in Rhodes, Chania, Itilo and Sivota

  24. 06/02 07:05

    Crete will send its visitors for greens!

  25. 06/02 06:11

    Municipality of Folegandros: Prohibition of roaming or grazing animals in tourist areas

  26. 05/02 19:57

    Milos Municipality attempts to block second investment for 5-star hotel

  27. 05/02 19:03

    National Action Plan for Cycling, with development in cycling tourism

  28. 05/02 16:51

    Curtain Call for the 2025 Rethymno Carnival

  29. 05/02 15:46

    Ryanair: New Brussels – Volos connection in summer 2025

  30. 05/02 12:41

    The first robotic restaurant with artificial intelligence at Barcelona Airport

  31. 05/02 12:40

    Athens Airport: 2025 started on a positive note,+14.5% passengers in January

  32. 05/02 12:35

    How foreign travel professionals will promote Greek destinations

  33. 05/02 11:45

    Tourism: 4 Greek islands capture Americans’ 2025 vacation interest

  34. 05/02 07:04

    Grants for a boat shelter in Halkidiki and hotels in Chania, Zagori, and Koroni

  35. 05/02 07:02

    5 new hotel investments in the Greek siland of Crete

  36. 05/02 06:53

    Conde Nast Traveller | Crete among the 29 best places to visit before summer

  37. 05/02 06:22

    The big bet of the next 10 years for Aegean Airways

  38. 05/02 06:14

    Travel agents’ introduction to Kalamata

  39. 05/02 06:13

    Holy Metropolis of Rhodes: Digital Promotion of Museums Network and Monuments

  40. 05/02 06:09

    Grand Egyptian Museum to open on July 3

  41. 04/02 22:49

    Main Patras-Pyrgos highway section due to finish July 31, open to traffic soon

  42. 04/02 20:18

    Hellenic Republic President to receive new Ambassadors of Vietnam, Ireland, and Sweden

  43. 04/02 19:53

    Celestyal: Free cabin upgrades on select cruises

  44. 04/02 17:31

    Pan-Cretan Forum | Promoting Cretan products in Cretan hotels for the 13th year

  45. 04/02 16:05

    SKY Express: Free tickets for children and teachers on Santorini-Athens flights 

  46. 04/02 14:57

    Two new flight connections to Athens taking off in February

  47. 04/02 14:40

    The allure of cruising has captivated "first-timers"

  48. 04/02 14:01

    SkyUp Airlines: Two new connections to Athens and Corfu from Moldova

  49. 04/02 11:34

    Rethymno Hoteliers head | The upcoming tourist season is predicted to be "quite good"

  50. 04/02 11:25

    European Hotels: "Stop" on single-use plastic packaging from 2030

  51. 04/02 07:13

    Greek hotels: Revenues in 2024 soar 11% above 2023 - read the latest investments

  52. 04/02 06:58

    Filming at Kallimarmaro Stadium in Athens to create an electronic map

  53. 03/02 23:01

    Promoting Greek olive oil in the Austrian market

  54. 03/02 18:11

    Rhodes welcomes the first cruise ship for 2025

  55. 03/02 17:15

    Chania: Smart barriers to protect the Venetian port and its visitors

  56. 03/02 16:02

    Rhodes: The season kicks off on March 28, wounds from "Bora" storm remains

  57. 03/02 15:53

    GNTO: 4 ERMIS awards for Olympic campaign in France

  58. 03/02 15:08

    Promotion of Lesvos in Istanbul - Participation in EMITT 2025

  59. 03/02 14:48

    FedHATTA: Chinese New Year Celebration in Athens

  60. 03/02 13:14

    Wyndham Hotels: Agreement with Zafido Holding for a new hotel in Piraeus

  61. 03/02 12:25

    easyJet: New connection to Thessaloniki in summer 2025

  62. 03/02 11:03

    HolidayCheck: These are the 50 most popular Greek hotels in Germany for 2025

  63. 03/02 10:29

    Cruises to Chania make a positive first impression in 2025 - 1,347 visitors daily

  64. 03/02 06:38

    iAlonissos: Digital promotion of local natural and cultural attractions

  65. 03/02 06:25

    5 new hotel investments in Lefkada, Rhodes, Ios, Karystos and Trikala

  66. 02/02 20:08

    The travel profile of expatriates from Australia - the rescue of Rex

  67. 02/02 06:48

    Spanish tourists "vote" for Greek honey

  68. 01/02 13:58

    Tourism in Turkey beats expectations - 62 million arrivals, $61 billion in revenue in 2024

  69. 01/02 07:04

    Volotea: Codeshare cooperation with Aegean to run on 13 routes

  70. 31/01 18:11

    10 new hotel investments in Corfu, Rhodes, Paros, Ios, Skiathos, Samos, Kalambaka and Kranidi

  71. 31/01 17:49

    Booking.com | Hotels: Don't leave negative guest reviews unanswered

  72. 31/01 10:18

    The Region of Crete at the FITUR exhibition - Promising prospects from Spanish-speaking markets

  73. 31/01 10:15

    ITEP Survey: Hotel Performance stagnant in Greece in December

  74. 31/01 07:03

    Municipality of Agrinio reacts to photovoltaic plant in Kremaston Lake - threat to tourism

  75. 31/01 06:54

    Explosion of Turkish tourists in Lesvos, Chios, and Samos

  76. 31/01 06:07

    Mitsis Group: Donation of an architectural study to enhance a beachfront in Crete

  77. 31/01 00:02

    Commission: First comprehensive European strategy for tourism coming

  78. 30/01 23:08

    Greek Culture Ministers to attend European conference in support of Ukraine's heritage

  79. 30/01 18:58

    Cruise: Viking Libra to make maiden voyage in 2026 from Piraeus

  80. 30/01 17:56

    Record year in 2024 for international air transport – Now “flying” above 2019

  81. 30/01 17:50

    Accessible tourism on the beaches of the Municipality of Agios Vasilios, Crete

  82. 30/01 16:40

    Travel | London is now the top destination for Greeks abroad

  83. 30/01 16:23

    Aegean: 40% increase in available seats from Saudi Arabia in 2025

  84. 30/01 16:04

    UK Tourism | Lesser-known destinations and experiential travel the main trend in 2025

  85. 30/01 14:35

    Pancretan Association of Hotel Managers Seminars underway for 2025

  86. 30/01 13:22

    Airbnb is “sweeping” Europe - Demand is growing faster than supply in Greece

  87. 30/01 11:17

    Airbnb | 76 billion euros in revenue for hosts in Europe in 2024

  88. 30/01 11:09

    Investments | Lifestyle Hotels with branded residences and alternative accommodations in focus

  89. 30/01 10:30

    Greece's Ministry of Tourism honors Sir Stephen Fry

  90. 30/01 06:52

    3 new hotel investments in Rhodes, Chania and Arachova

  91. 30/01 06:45

    Tourism Observatory in the Region of Thessaly in Central Greece

  92. 30/01 06:40

    Networking of the municipality of Aristotle with the municipality of Valletta in Malta

  93. 30/01 06:16

    What will the exciting diving park in Stalis of Hersonissos be like

  94. 29/01 23:59

    Dynamic promotion of the Greek city of Thessaloniki in the Irish market

  95. 29/01 22:59

    Why France hits record high of 100 million international arrivals in 2024

  96. 29/01 22:48

    Celestyal extends inaugural Arabian Gulf season

  97. 29/01 19:18

    Conde Nast Traveller | Milos and Paros are the top Greek islands

  98. 29/01 17:49

    Thessaly: Innovation, experience, digitalization lead to lengthening of tourist season

  99. 29/01 17:04

    The Canary Islands present their new strategy as a sustainable destination

  100. 29/01 16:44

    Rethymno Carnival | “Come to the Light” with a rich program of events