Evidence of the urban planning of New Paphos brought to light by archaeologists
New data on the urban organization of the city of Nea Paphos and the width of its insula were brought to light by an excavation research of the archaeological mission of the Universities of Warsaw and Krakow in Nea Paphos (Kato Paphos) with the Department of Antiquities of the Deputy Ministry of Culture, announcing on Tuesday the completion of the work.
As noted, the joint expedition of the University of Warsaw (UW) and the Jagiellonian University in Krakow (JU) operating in Paphos in consortium with the Warsaw University of Technology (WUT) completed the fourth research season implementing the project: “MA-P Maloutena and Agora in the layout of Paphos: modelling the cityscape of the Hellenistic and Roman Capital of Cyprus” (MA-P). The collaborating institutions are the University of Hamburg (UH), the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts (WAFA), and the Wrocław University of Science and Technology (WUST).
During the campaigns, not only were excavation works undertaken, but also conservation works at the site, geophysical prospections, processing of previously discovered ceramic and glass material, as well as, the documentation of architectural details discovered in previous years, the press release added.
It furthermore said that the excavation works focused on searching for relics of streets to confirm the hypothetical layout of the insula in Nea Paphos. In the Maloutena area, the intention of the work on the TT.X was to attempt to capture the width of the insula between meridional streets 10 and 11.
It is mentioned that, among other things, two perpendicular walls were uncovered, separating the corner of a room (perhaps a house), presumably from the Hellenistic period. To the east of this structure, relics of two (not of the same chronology) canals were found, which gives rise to the conclusion that the remains of Street 11 were discovered and the width of the insula between streets 10 and 11 was confirmed to be 105 m.
As indicated the second area examined in the 2023 season was located around the Agora and in the square itself. Survey trench TT.XVI was located at the presumed intersection of latitudinal street P and meridional street 4. Street P was previously captured in the research of the Paphos Agora Project (in trench TT.VIII), it flanks the city’s Agora from the north. Relics of this street were also discovered during Australian research south of the theatre and the nymphaeum.
Therefore, it can be said that it is a road of great importance for the city, connecting the Fanari Hill, the Agora, the theatre and the western gate of the city.
It is indicated that documentation of architectural details discovered in previous years continued. Geophysical prospection was also carried out near the above-mentioned TT.X trench on Maloutena.
Finally, it is stated that a great substantive and administrative success was the organisation and implementation of a two-week International Summer School, entitled Augmented Archaeology, with the participation of 10 students from Cyprus, Germany, Lebanon, Poland, and the UK. The financing was provided by the Excellence Initiative Programme in the UW.
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