The fieldwork proceeded in September 2005 concurrently in two locations within the area of

our concession.1 Emphasis was placed upon investigations of the northern part of the House

of Aion (=HA), rooms nos 24-32, including 24E and 24N, and in the area immediately

south of the central part of the Villa of Theseus, i.e., inside the Hellenistic House (=HH),

rooms 9E, 10E, 14 and 15

Daszewski, Wiktor Andrzej

English

The fieldwork proceeded in September 2005 concurrently in two locations within the area of
our concession.1 Emphasis was placed upon investigations of the northern part of the House
of Aion (=HA), rooms nos 24-32, including 24E and 24N, and in the area immediately
south of the central part of the Villa of Theseus, i.e., inside the Hellenistic House (=HH),
rooms 9E, 10E, 14 and 15

Jagiellonian Univeristy Repository

393NEA PAPHOSCYPRUSNEA PAPHOSSEASON 2005Wiktor Andrzej Daszewskiin cooperation with Henryk Meyza and Eudoksia Papuci-W³adykaThe fieldwork proceeded in September 2005 concurrently in two locations within the area ofour concession.1 Emphasis was placed upon investigations of the northern part of the Houseof Aion (=HA), rooms nos 24-32, including 24E and 24N, and in the area immediatelysouth of the central part of the Villa of Theseus, i.e., inside the Hellenistic House (=HH),rooms 9E, 10E, 14 and 15. 1 The Mission, directed by Prof. Dr. W.A. Daszewski, excavated from September 5 to 28, and included Dr. MeikeDroste, archaeologist and documentalist; Dr. Barbara Lichocka, numismatist; Dr. Henryk Meyza, archaeologist; andMs Alexandra Brzozowska, student of architecture. Prof. Dr. Stanis³aw Medeksza, architect, and Prof. Dr. EudoksiaPapuci-W³adyka, archaeologist, participated for a stretch of two weeks each. The project provided training inexcavation and archaeological documentation for a group of 15 students and doctoral candidates from WarsawUniversity and Jagiellonian University in Kraków. NEA PAPHOS394CYPRUSFig. 1.Plan of the northern part of the House of Aion after excavation in 2005(Drawing A. Brzozowska, S. Medeksza) 395NEA PAPHOSCYPRUSExcavations east of the Villa of Theseus, inthe northern part of the House of Aion,were carried out in 1984-1998.2 In 2005,excavations in the northeastern part of thearea were again undertaken in three latitu-dinal rows of rooms beginning with theeasternmost rooms 20, 22 and 28 respec-tively. Most of the southernmost row start-ing in the east with room 20 was uncoveredduring earlier campaigns [Fig. 1].3 Thewalls proved to be for the most partplundered by ancient and modern stone-robbers, so that nothing but the mosaic andpaved floors remained in place to bearwitness to the size and plan of these rooms.The floors also preserved the occupationallevel of these buildings. Later alterationsand squatter activity in the ruins were alsoresponsible for some damages to the pavedfloors. Exploration of the western part of Room23 completed the clearing of this unit,which turned out to be large (5.55 m E-Wby 4.00 m N-S) and furnished with a geo-metric mosaic floor. The only fragment ofwall not plundered by stone-robbers wasTHE NORTHEASTERN AREA OF THE HOUSE OF AIONFig. 2. Rubble layer over Room 25 and the southern part of Room 27 with squatter structures in thenorthern part of the House of Aion. View from the east (Photo W.A. Daszewski) 2 W.A. Daszewski, in: "Chronique des fouilles à Chypre en 1984", BCH 109 (1985), 954; 111 (1987), 687-689; 115(1991), 823; 116 (1992), 823; 117 (1993), 743; 122 (1998), 691; id., RDAC 1992, 254; id., EtTrav XVI (1994), 313-315; id., PAM II, Reports 1990 (1991), 80; III, Reports 1991 (1992), 67; IV, Reports 1992 (1993), 85; VII, Reports 1995(1996), 99; IX, Reports 1997 (1998), 127, Figs 5,7; X, Reports 1998 (1999), 171-173, Fig. 7; Daszewski et all, PAMXV, Reports 2003 (2004), 297-300, Figs 9-10; B. Lichocka and H. Meyza, EtTrav XIX (2001), 169-178, Tables 2,5(note different interpretation of individual house divisions). 3 PAM X, op. cit., 172 f., Fig. 7. NEA PAPHOS396CYPRUSfound in the northwestern corner [Figs 3, 4].The stratigraphy was deeply disturbed inmodern times and probably also before that.Unfortunately, about three-fourths of thecenter of the floor was damaged. The mosaicin grey, white and black consisted ofa square central panel with geometricdecoration, of which only the opposite twocorners have been preserved. Survivingelements suggest a pattern of four inter-secting circles and checkered ornaments inconcave squares, surrounded by a doublegrey band and black serrated saw-toothpattern. The rest of the space around thepanel (on the east, south and west) was filledwith an adjusting frame consisting of a bandof white on grey reticulatum (double rows ofwhite poised squares outlined by serratedfilets and small white serrated squaresinscribed in their centers on three sides anda zigzag of serrated fillet on the north). Both in this room and the next Room11, only the north walls were preserved toany height (maximum of 0.68 m). Built ofstones of various size (e.g. 0.35 x 0.19 m;0.30 x 0.35 m; 0.15 or 0.10 m thick), thesewalls were 0.50 to 0.52 m thick (plastercoating included). The masonry becamemore regular at the doors, where largerstones were used, e.g. threshold betweenRooms 11 and 24N, measuring 0.42 by0.33 m and 0.23 m thick. The central partsof these walls were made of small, roughlyworked stones (0.09 x 0.11 to 0.10 x0.14 m). Excavations in the central part of Room11 (4.32 m E-W by 4.12 m N-S) revealeda mosaic with geometric panel [Fig. 5],asymmetrically situated nearest to thenortheastern corner of the room. The panelis filled with intersecting circles in threecolors (forming saltires of quasi-tangentwhite spindles with centrally inscribedsmaller claret-red spindles on alternatingwidthwise light grey, dark grey and claret-red background), surrounded by saw-toothand banded border, grey or claret-redrespectively. The background field was setin four strips of varied cubes. The rarestalabaster cubes were 1.5 x 2.5 cm in size.West of Room 11 there was Room 9(4.70 m N-S by 2.65 m E-W), partlyuncovered during earlier excavations in1990.4 No mosaic floor was found there anda large part of the daub floor (Floor I)corresponding to the mosaics in Room 11was damaged by a robber's pit. Severalcoins, the latest ones of the Constantines,were found.5 The foundation leveling courseof the east wall was built of large but narrow(0.42 m) blocks, although little of itremains, as it was severely plundered. Thewest wall (0.50 m wide) is better preserved,but it must be from a late phase, as itsfoundation is very shallow, barely reachingbelow the daub floor. Further west another room, 12E, wasexcavated in its northern part, uncoveringa fragment of daub floor similar to the floorin Room 9 and on the same level. In thenortheastern corner there was a box orcupboard (0.33 m wide inside, 0.28 m high,0.60-0.63 m deep), built of stone slabs andcovered with two slabs, 0.70 m long and0.30 m wide. Inside the cupboard therewere fragments of a bronze pentagonalstand on spherical feet, found together witha plain casserole in a grey ashy layer. The easternmost room in the next row tothe north, Room 22, was partly uncoveredin 1998.6 The remaining northwestern partwas excavated this year and was found to be4 Daszewski, in: "Chronique des fouilles à Chypre en 1990 BCH 115 (1991), 823. 5 H. Meyza, B. Lichocka, EtTrav XIX (2001), 184, Table 2, 203, Table 5: 717,718. 6 PAM X, op. cit., 173, Fig. 7. 397NEA PAPHOSCYPRUSFig. 4. Northern part of the House of Aion, Rooms 24E, 24, 23 and 11. View from the north (Photos W.A. Daszewski) Fig. 3. General view of the northern part of the House of Aion from the east after excavations in 2005 NEA PAPHOS398CYPRUScompletely robbed out. The dimensions ofthis room (c. 2.50 m E-W by 2.40 m N-S)are approximate as only the south wall hasthe foundation leveling course preservedover a longer stretch. The west wall, 0.35 mwide, is preserved only in the southern end,0.55 m long. On the east and north,nothing but the lower fill of the foundationsremains. Further west, the extent of thedamage is even greater, since we cannot besure if the area marked as Room 25 actuallybelonged to a single, relatively long room ortwo rooms. Remnants of a floor-mosaicborder by the north wall in the eastern partand close to the south wall in the westernpart are on the same level and made oftesserae of the same size. The western part ofthis area was refurbished by squatters whoarranged it for domestic use, buildinga primitive compartment of column drums,slabs and blocks, approximately oval inplan, directly upon a rough pavement madeof large reused slabs. Later, the area wascovered by a very thick layer (up to 0.90 m)of rubble, consisting of large blocks,irregular stones, etc., which had to be exca-vated with extreme care in order to identifyany primitive, squatter structures [Fig. 2].A bronze stylus, 10.8 cm long [Fig. 8],  wasfound together with 4th/5th centurypottery, such as a rim of Phocaean Hayesform 1A plate, on the mosaic bedding pre-served east of the squatter enclosure.These later modifications extendedfurther west and encroached onto theeastern part of Room 24E(2), separated fromRoom 24E(1) by a late wall 2.46 m long,0.52 m thick, preserved 0.50-0.76 m high,and built upon the original mosaic floor,across its central panneau [Fig. 7]. Themosaic east of this wall was completelyremoved together with its bedding anda mere 2-3 rows of tesserae can still be seenunder the late wall all along. The east wallof the original Room 24E was completelydismantled, and therefore the dimensions ofthe room are in doubt, but the floor shouldhave been approximately symmetrical. Thesurviving part of the mosaic in Room24E(1) is 2.46 m long and 1.37 m wide.The frame is monochrome, made of grayish-blue cubes, and decorated with a typicalpattern consisting of a row of white poisedlinear squares outlined by serrated filets,containing small white serrated squares intheir centers with a single grey cube in themiddle. The central square had a doublegrey border surrounding an orthogonal pat-tern of four contiguous squares, separatedby truncated lozenges, adjoining a centrallozenge. The claret-red squares containedobliquely set serrated and checkered whiteand light claret-red squares with a centralcube of dark claret-red.The entrance from that room to Room24 led through a 2.05 m-wide entrancewith stone threshold between two antaesupported on large blocks. The orthostatblocks of the antae were c. 5 cm wider thanthe threshold. Room 24 was partly uncovered duringthe excavation of test pits for roof supportscompleted in 2003 (trench A14).7 It was2.40 m long N-S and 2.85 m wide E-W.The mosaic floor consisted of a grey frameenclosing a square with an inscribed four-pointed white star around a violet-redsquare in the center [Fig. 6].  The rubbleoverlying the mosaic contained sherds ofAfrican Red Slip forms 50 and 67 foundbetween the blocks.A large modern trench had damagedcompletely the northwestern corner ofRoom 24, its north wall and the7 PAM XV, op. cit., 299, Figs 9, 10.399NEA PAPHOSCYPRUSFig. 6. Mosaic panel from Room 24 in the northern part of the House of Aion(Photo W.A. Daszewski) Fig. 5. Central part of a mosaic pavement with rectangular geometric multi-colored decoration, fromRoom 11 in the northern part of the House of Aion (Photo W.A. Daszewski) NEA PAPHOS400CYPRUSFig. 7. Mosaic floor panneau from Room 24E in the northern part of the House of Aion  (note latewall cutting across the middle) (Drawing A. Brzozowska) 401NEA PAPHOSCYPRUS8 The floor of Room 29 was already noted in 2003, PAM XV, op. cit., 300. southwestern part of Room 24N to thenorth [Fig. 4]. As the position of the westwall is pure conjecture, the exact dimen-sions of this room cannot be ascertained.The floor in Room 24N is different, havingbeen made of rectangular slabs (measuring0.75 x 0.60; 0.60 x 0.50; 0.55 x 0.40 m onaverage); this suggests its use as a courtyard.It is 3.17 m wide E-W and 2.85 m N-S.Crushed but intact pots were discovered bythe north wall, including seven cookingpots of various sizes, one amphora of typeAgora V 334 and a pithos [Figs 9, 10],a slab of porphyry 0.35 x 0.22 x 0.04 m, anda bronze pin with twelve-faceted head.A bronze coin of Constantius II was alsodiscovered.  The entrance to the next room to theeast was situated in the north corner, withthe door jamb still in situ. (A bottle ofBlack&White whisky found between thestones blocking the entrance is proof ofconsiderable disturbance of layers also inmodern times.) The next two rooms (26and 27) to the east of Room 24N werepartly uncovered in the northernmost row[cf. Figs 1, 3] with Room 28 farthest to theeast. Room 26 (1.45 m E-W and at least2.20 m N-S, the northern extent to beestablished with further excavations in thisarea) had a virtually totally destroyedmosaic floor. The bedding could be seen andin the southeastern corner, a largecylindrical altar was found upside down.The fill here yielded an iron fibula (FR2/05) and hook, possibly froma polykandylon. Other small finds includeda Late Roman lamp and a bronze coin ofValentinianus I/Gratian/Valens of AD 364-381. The next Room 27 with a surface pavedwith large slabs could have been an openspace used for domestic purposes. Itmeasured 3.28 m E-W and, like thepreviously described unit, more than2.20 m N-S. This area was reused bysquatters, at that time forming a singlespace with Room 25. The damaged centralpart of the pavement in Room 27 was pavedover with smaller slabs, and an enclosurewas built of upright slabs and otherelements. East of Room 27, its south wall,very damaged, extends further to the east,delimiting another large room or two, withtraces of a mosaic floor preserved at itseastern end (Room 28).West of Rooms 24 and 24N, a group ofrooms was uncovered on a level higher by0.22-0.25 m compared to floors further tothe east.8 The wall separating rooms 29-32Fig. 8. Bronze stylus (FR 9/05) found in the House of Aion, Room 25, on the mosaic bedding(Photo W. Jerke) NEA PAPHOS402CYPRUSFig. 10. Mended Late Roman pottery from the deposit in Room 24N of the House of Aion(Photo H. Meyza) Fig. 9. Deposit of pottery in situ in Room 24N in the northern part of the House of Aion(Photo W.A. Daszewski)  403NEA PAPHOSCYPRUSon the higher level was plundered by stone-robbers, making it impossible to recon-struct the exact room dimensions. Thewidth was probably about 0.52 m. In sucha case, Room 29, which is immediately tothe west, extended 2.35 m E-W. Its lengthwas probably 5.30 m, but its northernmostpart is yet to be uncovered. The mosaic flooris preserved northward only 3.85 m fromthe south wall. The entire northern part ofthis room had been damaged by the samemodern trench, which had disturbed thenorthern part of Room 24 and the westernpart of Room 24N. The west wall of Room29 was 0.51 m wide. The mosaic floorconsists of large blue and white tesserae,c. 2-3 cm in size.Room 31, found further west, extends1.80 m E-W; no more than c. 1.50 m of itslength has been excavated so far. A similarplain mosaic floor was preserved at thesouthern end of this room. Further west, thesoutheastern corner of another room (32)was partly excavated, but no floor wasfound. A long narrow corridor, Room 30, ex-tended between Rooms 31 and 12E; it wasa mere 1.37-1.40 m wide N-S. Almost 4 mof its length were uncovered, but it seems tocontinue to the west, possibly joining a nar-row space uncovered north of Room 12W. Ifso, it would measure 8.85 m E-W. A test pitdug in its eastern part uncovered a Romanwall and floor with traces of fire and belowit, a Hellenistic stratum, yielding a virtuallyintact unguentarium of the Aegean type. The layout explored so far suggests non-residential function for this part of theHouse of Aion. The structure appears tohave been auxiliary with regard to theRoman palace (Villa of Theseus); it couldpossibly have been a school (?). Excavation in the area south of the Villa ofTheseus [Figs 11, 12]   have shown that theruins of the Hellenistic House wereremoved in the northern part when the Villaof Theseus was erected over it and north ofit on a lower level. Much later, a Byzantineenclosure wall was built to the south of theVilla and above the Hellenistic House.9 Thesouthern face of the Byzantine wall wasuncovered and a long block c. 0.75 m long,visible in the south face, interpreted as anentrance threshold 0.52 m wide. It wassituated 1.20 m above the floors of theHellenistic House. The foundation of theByzantine wall is of the fill-in type, 0.90 to1.00 m deep, and is much wider than thewall (c. 0.52 m). The layer, which containedLate Roman pottery, was limited to thetopmost 0.40-0.60 m, including humusand top fill. Pottery included Cypriot RedSlip Ware forms H2, H9/10, Phocaean RedSlip Ware Hayes forms 1 and 3, andamphora fragments of the 4th century; someprobably medieval coarse pottery was foundin the top layer. Two rooms of the Hellenistic House(9E and 10E), south of the Byzantineenclosure wall, were excavated. Room 9E issituated behind Room 6S (both are 4.75 mlong N-S, while 9E is narrower on thenorth (2.60 m) compared to the south(2.95 m). Room 10E lies east of Room 6N.Both were 5 m long N-S, and again thenorthern side of Room 10E was narrowerEASTERN PART OF THE HELLENISTIC HOUSE9 BCH 111 (1987), 683-685, Figs 34-38.NEA PAPHOS404CYPRUSFig. 11. General view of the eastern part of the Hellenistic House from the southeast(Photo W.A. Daszewski) 405NEA PAPHOSCYPRUSFig. 12. General view of the eastern part of the Hellenistic House from the southeast(Photo W.A. Daszewski)  (2.55 m) than on the south (2.65 m). Thenorthern part of this room was alreadyexcavated in 1986, when the first floorsbelonging to the Hellenistic House werefound south of the apse of Room 39 of theVilla of Theseus.10 The south and eastwalls of Room 10E preserved a coating ofwhite plaster rising in places to 1 m abovethe floor; the fill of the room containedmuch plaster debris [Fig. 14].  Parts of units further to east were alsocleared, belonging respectively to Rooms14 and 15. The floors of these rooms weremade of tamped earth mixed with lime,while the preserved height of the wallsranged from floor level to almost 2 m. Thenorthern ends of all longitudinallyoriented walls were dismantled to theHellenistic/Early Roman floor level withinthe Byzantine enclosure [Fig. 15]. The fill between the Late Roman/By-zantine stratum and the Hellenistic/EarlyRoman floors of the Hellenistic House washomogeneous and contained mainlypottery dating to the end of the 1st andbeginning of 2nd century AD. The best10 Loc. cit.NEA PAPHOS406CYPRUSFig. 13. Mould for printing relief decoration (FR 6/05), found in the upper layers of fill in theHellenistic House, Room 15 (Drawing M. Droste) 407NEA PAPHOSCYPRUSFig. 15. Byzantine enclosure wall seen from the north, with underlying walls of the Hellenistic House(Photo W.A. Daszewski) preserved example is a complete bowl ofCypriot Sigillata form P22B (AR 6/05),measuring 12 cm in diameter. Two volutelamps, dating from the second half of the1st or early 2nd century AD were found inthe fill, below the tops of surviving walls,together with a mould for printing reliefdecoration. The ornamental motifs includeda chapel with closed doors, birds, leaves andgrapes [Fig. 13]. A small Chalcolithic axewas also found there. Lower in the fill, therewas a thymiaterion in the form of a mini-ature rectangular altar made of white lime-stone. Another object retrieved from thelower part of the fill was a stamped am-phora handle with fragmentary inscription: . On the floor itself, therewere two Egyptian ribbed beads of blue-glazed faience and a bronze Hellenistic coinof Ptolemy VI. Fig. 14. Hellenistic House, Room 10E, southand east walls with preserved plaster(Photo W.A. Daszewski) 

Nea Paphos : season 2005

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Nea Paphos : season 2005

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