The port of the kingdom of Amathous

Topography

The ancient town of Amathous was the capital of the ancient Cypriot Kingdom of Amathous, which was located on the south coast of Cyprus. It is found at the southeast part of the new city of Limassol, between the old and the new road that connects Limassol with Nikosia and Larnaca. Human presence in the area is attested to from the eighth millennium BC, and in Amathous specifically, human activity is evident from 1100 BC.

The site was developed as the capital of the kingdom, in which the native "eteocypriot" population centralized after the colonising Mycenaean-Greek element on the island ascended as the dominant culture. From archaeological evidence it is clear that the Amathous Kingdom developed, and conceeded to the fate of all the Cypriot Kingdoms, with the advent and obeisance of Cyprus to Alexander and afterwards the Ptolemeys. The city existenced until the seventh century AC when, after the second Arab raid (653-654 AD), it was completely destroyed and failed afterwards to recover. During the Historical period the city’s administrative center, sanctuaries, and some residences, were located on a hill that was both naturally and artificialy fortified, and that overlooked the territory and the sea to the south. The city was concentrated to the southeast of the hill where a small natural bay formed a natural anchorage, and was most likely used as the city’s harbour from its founding.

Ancient Written Sources

Pseudo-Skyllax (mid 4^th c. BC) mentions Amathous as one of the cities with a deserted port. Similarly, Strabo and Stadiasmos mention the city, as well as other authors as Pausanias, Pliny, Ptolemy, Stefanos Vizantios, however without any comment on the harbour.

Research

The French Archeological School of Athens investigated the port of the town from 1984 to 1986 and has conducted archeological research in the district of Amathous from 1975.

Moles

The submerged artificial harbour is still visible and includes three moles that extend into the sea. Two of the moles, almost 100m in length each, are almost perpendicular to the coast in a north-south direction. The third is approximately 180 m. length, with an east-west direction, thus creating a closed harbour basin by effectively shieling the port from the south wind. Approximately 5000 ashlars blocks were used for the construction of the moles at a height of at least eight levels, seven of which still survive. These ashlars are 3m long, 0.70m. wide, and weigh approximately 3 tons each. The blocks comprised the internal façade of the mole, wereas rough worked stones constituted the exterior face of the breakwater. The quarries that existed in the area supplied all the material used to concstruct the harbour.

Cranes

For their placement on the mole a form of crane must have been utilised as U shaped cuttings along the length of each one indicates.

Fortifications

The entrance of the port, located at the southeast corner, was 20m wide, with a wall that was constructed on the moles provided protection.

Basins

A second entrance at the northwest may have led to an existing earlier port that, during the Hellenistic construction, was included in the overall plan. Arial photographs and electromagnetic readings at the base of the hill have revealed a silted circular harbour. This harbour most likely served the city of Amathous when it was founded until Classical times, which Pseudo-Skyllax refers to as deserted, and Aupert suggests was used in the summer season. This interior basin was probably natural, suggestive of the western Phoenecian harbours of the Classical Period, which indicate similarities with the geographical position of the kingdom and town of Amathous.

Chronology

The research of the port indicated that the it was constructed at the end of the fourth century BC and abandoned almost immediately during the first years of the third century BC, probably before construction was completed. This is indicated by the quantity of native and imported pottery dating to the latter part of the 4^th century BC found at the base of the lower level of the ashlars of the breakwaters.

Summary

The construction of the harbour may have been necessitated by the need of a naval base by Demetrius, and also Ptolemy, during their dispute for Cyprus. The most probable senario is the construction of the harbour by Demetrius who wished to utilize the port as the base for his naval fleet, whilst at the same time being able to consolidate and control Cyprus.

The fact that the port is mentioned as deserted could be explained in two ways. Firstly, Pseudo-Skyllax may have obtained the information from an earlier source, suggesting that the port was already deserted at the end of the Archaic or the early part of the Classical period. Alternatively he may have been refering to the existing state of the harbour in the mid 4^rd Century BC, by which time it was already deserted or of limited use, something which would explain the neccessity at the end of the century for the construction of a monumental Hellenistic harbour, also bearing in mind the naval requirements of Demetrios and Ptolemy.

Bibliography

Author

Θεοδούλου Θ. / Theodoulou, Th.