The harbour of the kingdom of Paphos

Topography

The Kingdom of Paphos occupied the west and north-west coast of Cyprus, having borders with the kingdom of Marion to the north, and the kingdom of Kourion to the south-east. The capital of the kingdom, called Παλαίπαφος, was located at the modern day site of Kouklia, at a distance of approximately one kilometer from the coast. In the 4^th century BC the capital was transferred northwards, by King Nicocles, to an already existing town which boasted an anchorage. The new capital was named Nea Paphos and is located in the area known today as Kato Paphos. This grandiose plan to transfer the capital included the construction of a large harbour facility at the new site. It is possible that the two rivals who vied for supremacy on Cyprus at the end of the 4^th century BC, Ptolemy Soter and Demetrius the Besieger, contributed to the harbour works in order to benefit from the safe harbour at the west coast that would latter be afforded to them (Daszewski 1987, 171-175, Hohlfelder 1995, 194).

Ancient and medieval writers often confused the new capital, which featured as a primary stopover on the sea route between Egypt and the Near East, with the older capital of the kingdom (Palaepaphos). Strabo, for instance, mentions Palaepaphos and the harbour, and distinguishes it from Paphos (Nea Paphos), however he confuses the founding myth, which he attributes to the Trojan War hero Agapenor, when in all probability this myth concerns the founding of Palaepaphos. Specifically, Strabo states, "Palaepaphos, which last is situated at about ten stadia above the sea, has a mooring-place and temple… Then the promontory of Zephyria, with a landing-place, and to another Arsinoe, which likewise has a landing-place… And at a little distanced from the sea is Heirocepis. Then to Paphus, which was founded by Agapenor, an has both a harbour and well-built temples…".

The position of Paphos on the protected north-west and south-west region of Cyprus had as a result the geographical benefit whereby ships would pause on their journeys from the beginning of maritime contact between Cyprus and the outside world (Hohlfelder 1995, 194). During the Hellenistic period the city of Paphos became the capital of Cyprus, replacing Salamis, and a large port was constructed whose remains may still be seen at the site of the modern harbour. According to Strabo the Hellenistic city of Paphos ascended to become the first city on Cyprus due to the port that offered three harbours which were protected from all wind directions, with easy access to the timber forests ideal for shipbuilding, and with the ports of Alexandria and Rhodes within easy reach, and during which time the harbour of Salamis had become so silted as to render it useless.

Ancient Written Sources

The harbour of Paphos was not mentioned by Pseudo-Skyllax who wrote during the mid 4^th century when the city of Paphos had not been moved, although he also failed to mention Palaepaphos which lay inland from the coast. Strabo, on the other hand, as well as Stadiasmos, state, "a triple harbour safe in all winds" (…ἔχει λιμένα τριπλοῦν παντὶ ἀνέμῳ…). Further accounts are related include the Acts of the Apostles where it is mentioned that the Apostle Paul set sail from Paphos for Perge, and John for to Jerusalem.

The city continued to be the capital of Cyprus during the Roman Period with the same prestige and glory that it had enjoyed in the Helenistic Period. Earthquakes that struck the region during the 1^st century AD (15, 77 AD) resulted in renewed additions and reconstruction of the harbour complex. Earthquakes struck the area once again at the end of the 4^th century AD with the result that the city of Paphos fell into decline, as did the harbour complex, which gradually began to silt up. The glorious Roman provincial capital was reduced to a small town which is mentioned in Byzantine and later medieval texts, however the ancient harbour had become completely disused and was considered an unsafe anchorage. Due to this factor the area south of Paphos, called Moulia, was used as an anchorage.

Research

An amateur diving team of the British Army between 1959 and 1961 first surveyed the ruins of the ancient harbour of Paphos. Unfortunately the results of the survey were never published. A second survey was undertaken by the Polish professor Daszewski in 1965, however detailed plans and photographs of the site were never published (Daszewski 1981, 327-336). Even so, the survey provided valuable information of the ancient facilities before the construction of the modern harbour at the same site buried and destroyed most of it. Finally, the American University of Colorado, directed by Hohlfelder and Leonard, undertook underwater surveys of the site between 1991 and 1992. In 1996 the same programme made a geological survey of the harbour area with enlightening results (Leonard 1998, 141-157).

Moles

The harbour can be classified as the Hellenistic "closed harbour". Two breakwaters enclose the external basin, the western having an NE-SE orientation, and an eastern breakwater with an orientation of NE-SW.

The western breakwater is today covered by the constructions of the modern harbour. According to Daszewski the breakwater has a width of 10-15m and a length of 270-280m, with a submerged section measuring 50-70m and a southerly orientation, which is still visable today. This extention was probably constructed in order to protect the entrance to the harbour from the west winds.
The eastern breakwater had a length of 600m with a width of 10-15, whereas Hοhlfelder comments that the width had a length of 20-25m. A section of the western breakwater was destroyed during the dredging of the modern harbour entrance. The ancient entrance to the harbour had an opening of 52-55m. A purposly constructed opening on the eastern breakwater, and possibly others that have not yet been discovered, may have been used to combat the effects of silting due to sea currents at the harbour entrance. A second mole to the south of the opening, which extends for 199m parallel with the breakwater and has a width of 5m, may have functioned for the same reason.

Chronology

These two breakwaters were most likely constructed during the Hellenistic period, whereas the additions, such as the extension of the western breakwater, and the second mole to the south of the eastern breakwater, may be Roman works most probably constructed after the earthquakes of 15 and 77 AD.

Fortifications

A modern sea-wall, which existed until 1980, and was located behind the medieval castle at the point where the western breakwater begins, reached a height of 4.5m. This wall, which did not afford complete protection from the elements allows the estimation of the minimum height of the fortified protective wall that would have extended the length of the breakwaters. A small section of masonry located at the middle of the modern mole it is the so-called Frankish Fort. Witnessing also the medieval fortifications is the Castle at the west end of the mole. Also discovered at the ends of the ancient breakwaters were architectural remains possibly belonging to fortified towers at the entrance to the harbour, or even remains of a facility, which regulated the port and the tarrifs that were paid. On the eastern breakwater ruins are also visible which belong to part of the breakwater fortifications.

Basins

Geomorphological surveys in 1996 revealed that the basin of the harbour was far larger than it seems today. It was believed that this was due to tectonic movements from the seismic activity of the 1^st and 4^th centuries AD. The survey, however, revealed that the tectonic movement in the basin was relatively small, and that the actual construction of the port hindered the free flow of a silt laden current from the east. This factor caused the silting of the harbour to occur and thus encouraged the corrective works that are visible today.

Finally, the shape of the triple harbour that Stadiasmos relates has been interpreted in different ways. For instance, it has been suggested that there was a tripple internal division with the main basin formed inside the breakwaters, and at the same time the use of the bays to the north and south. The geophisical surveys revealed that the bedrock of the basin is divided into two uneven parts upon which remains of construction can be identified, in effect creative two basins. The placement of a warf in the western part of the basin could in theory create a harbour with three sections. The plans of the surveyors reveal remains of building material at two points at right angles to the beach in the west harbour. A tripple sheme could also be envisioned using the natural separation in the eastern harbour from the stream that exited into this section of the harbour. Similarly, the tripple harbour may have consisted of the division of the eastern and western sections of the port, and also utilised the natural bay that exists to the south, which was also used in medieval times when the main harbour became too silted.

Analysis

The history of the harbour of Paphos may be summarised as follows: The site contains a natural anchorage however it is uncertain as to when it first began to be used. The area, however, certainly had a Classical settlement, as Mlynarczyk has proven. It is probable that this settlement utilised the anchorage and a natural basin slightly to the south of the Hellenistic harbour, at the site where Nicolaou in1966 and Raban in1971 noted a marsh area. At the end of the 4^th century the old capital was transferred to this site and the two breakwaters enclosed the harbour. It is possible that the breakwaters did not extent to the length that we see today if the funds available came only from the kingdom. However, the harbour was extended and completed with the funds provided either by Ptolemy or Demetrius who vied for control of Cyprus. The conditions that were formed due to the constructions had a detrimental effect on the harbour. An interrupted sea current deposited large quantities of silt, as did the stream that fed into the harbour basin, and the silting of the harbour was intensified after the earthquakes of the 1^st century BC. As the provincial capital during the Roman Period, the harbour of Paphos underwent renewed construction to combat the problem of silting. The earthquakes of the 3^rd century, and the geopolitical change of Roman Empire into the Byzantine Empire had as a result the overal neglegt of the harbour and its facilities. The harbour was still in use during the Arab raids of the 7^th-10^th centuries AD. The continued neglect of the harbour eventually led to the complete silting and dereliction of the port. Construction during the 20^th century resulted in the demolition and covering of large sections of the ancient harbour. Similarly, the modern changes to the morphology of the coast, and the pace of constructions in and around the harbour area have as a result hindered the possibility of further analytical surveys. The task of the surveyors now is to undertake underwater excavations of the harbour area to discover the exact morphology of the ancient port, and to date the various phases of construction that were undertaken.

Bibliography

Author

Θεοδούλου Θ. / Theodoulou, Th.