Cyprus-Forum.com

[Get Real!]

The great Tseri under attack by unscrupulous Strovolos rivals!

[kurupetos]

Well STUD If Homo sapiens first went to Cyprus 12000 years ago How come none have managed to find their way to Tseri yet???

Only neanderthals in Tseri.

Proves your point...

[repulsewarrior]

Howarth turns somber when taking visitors to a back room for a closer look at the unblemished skull (and perfect teeth) of a deceased soldier believed to have been French. "I'm a soldier. People should see these things, I think. It's why we're here." He's a relatively old casualty by the site's standards, thought to be in his early 20s.

Doyle and head archaeologist Simon Verdegem both alluded to some public resistance as the Dig Hill 80 team sought to foster support. "Some people did say 'Why don't you let them rest?'" Verdegem said.

But for Doyle and the rest of the team, the more than 130 fallen soldiers would have found little rest as part of the foundations of a new housing estate. Instead, the remains found at the Wijtschate during the Dig Hill 80 operation will receive proper burials.

"This isn't vanity, it's a rescue," Doyle said.

https://www.dw.com/en/crowdfunded-archa ... newsletter

...lest we forget

[repulsewarrior]

In 2009, UNESCO added Lefkara laces to their list of intangible cultural heritage.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-0 ... 341447.htm

Traditional Cyprus craft faces uncertain future

...you got to love xinhua, for the features they write on Cyprus.

[repulsewarrior]

One of the last missing pieces of Byzantine art stolen from Cyprus in the 1970s has been handed back to the country by a renowned Dutch art investigator.

The investigator, Arthur Brand, said on Friday that he handed back the sixth-century depiction of Saint Mark during a private ceremony at the Cypriot embassy in The Hague.

For Brand, dubbed the "Indiana Jones of the art world" because of his exploits to recover stolen works, the handover was a high point in his lifelong interest in the Byzantine saint, and the result of a nearly two-year chase across Europe.

"This is a very special piece that's more than 1,600 years old. It's one of the last and most beautiful examples of art from the early Byzantine era," said the art sleuth.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/11/ ... 48230.html

...good news.

[supporttheunderdog]

Why was Cyprus settled so late? (compared to Crete or Australia, for example)

The earliest evidence for human activitiy on Cyprus dates back to about 10.000 BCE. Which I find to be incredibly late, considering that the earliest evidence for (pre-human, even) activity on the other big mediterranian island of Crete dates back to around 130.000 years ago. And even Australia, which seems to be quite remote has been settled since 40.000 years ago at the latest.

Compared to Crete, Cyprus is in the same region and it doesn't seem to be much further off shore. Compared to Australia, Cyprus is much closer to the origin of the species in Africa and also to the Middle East, where humans appear to have lived for a 100.000 years or so. Also it's closer to the next shore... so how come it was settled so late?

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/ ... _to_crete/

...an interesting question i think; any answers?

Climate, sea level and Island hopping:
Crete plainly had pre Homo-sapiens visitors about 130,000 YBP but then the last ice age occurred and Crete was likely not visited let alone settled until Neolithic times, say about 8000 ybp while Cyprus was plainly visited in the Mesolithic, some 4000 years earlier, then settled. As for Australia, the Ice age, mentioned above, likely would have kept humans well south and promoted Paleolithic and Mesolithic travel towards Australia, and at at time when sea levels were likely lower and Australia was Eg connected to Papua New Guinea, Island hopping would enable travel from Sundaland to Sahul, .

[Get Real!]

The notion that Man settled in Crete before Cyprus is ludicrous… not even worthy of discussion unless you enjoy nonsense.

Not finding evidence of earlier human activity simply tells us that you didn’t look hard enough or that for some reason it has not been preserved...

[repulsewarrior]

The department said this history has thus far been grounded on only two excavated shipwrecks: the Ma’agan Michael in Israel, dated to the end of the 5th century BC and Cyprus’ Kyrenia shipwreck, dated to the beginning of the 3rd century BC.

“Thus, the Mazotos shipwreck, dated to the 4th century BC, fits right between these two and covers a gap in the development of naval technology in antiquity,” it added.

https://cyprus-mail.com/2018/12/12/new- ... seafaring/

“After careful study of the excavated timbers, a very important element of shipbuilding technology has already come to light: both ligatures and mortise-and-tenons were used to join the garboard, the stem post and the keel,” the Cyprus antiquities department said.

Evidence found on the ship, which went down carrying jars of wine, was linked to two prominent seafaring people, the Greeks and the Phoenicians, the department said in a statement.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/ ... BHGRItKhdh

[yialousa1971]

Important Christian Monument Discovered in Cyprus



An important Christian site has just been discovered in Cyprus with mosaics which bear clear inscriptions in Greek, according to an Athens Macedonia News Agency (AMNA) report.

The excavation, conducted on the Akrotirio peninsula by the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus, began in 2007. The twelfth round of excavations has now been completed, and its findings are being recognized for their great historical significance.

The recently-uncovered mosaic, which is in excellent condition, bears the Greek inscription, “Lord, help those who fear Thy Name”.

The archaeological site includes a complex of two temples, totaling about 100 meters (300 feet) in length, on either side of an atrium, with areas to the south and east remaining to be investigated.

However, a second atrium has begun to be uncovered to the north side of the eastern temple.

The first temple, which was unearthed between 2007-2010, belongs to a three-aisled basilica with a transverse aisle, and is 36 meters wide and 29 meters long. It does not have the prominent arch which forms part of a central elevated platform.

All the interior floors are completely covered in mosaics.

Also important is the “presence” of Byzantine Emperor Heraclius (610-641), who had been connected with the island and with Cyprus Patriarch Ioannis personally. Also, a bust of Alexander the Great on a plaque indicates the influence of Hellenism.

The unique nature of the entire complex in its architectural layout, as well as its wealth of decoration, confirm that “this is a top monument of Christianity, of the times of Emperor Heraclius, when the empire was fighting a fierce war against Persia” according to its lead archaeologist.

Dimitris Triantafyllopoulos, former professor of Byzantine archeology at the University of Cyprus, told AMNA that “this is a monument of martyrdom, a site of burial and worship of holy persons, similar to the site of St. Minas of Egypt.”

https://greece.greekreporter.com/2018/1 ... in-cyprus/

[repulsewarrior]

Hidden women of history: Caterina Cornaro, the last queen of Cyprus

http://theconversation.com/hidden-women ... rus-108495

...a good read.