Kato Paphos, Cyprus. This year’s excavations at Fabrika Hill in Kato Paphos have provided new insight into how ancient Nea Paphos was defended and developed over centuries. The work was completed by a French archaeological mission.
Excavation focus
The excavation was led by Professor Claire Balandier of Avignon University in collaboration with the French School at Athens and the antiquities department. It focused on the acropolis of ancient Nea Paphos and sections of the city’s Hellenistic walls.
Defensive tower identified
Among the most significant findings was further evidence confirming the location of a major defensive tower that formed part of the ancient city’s fortifications.
Archaeologists identified the remains of a large square tower carved into bedrock near the church of Ayios Agapitikos. They concluded that it formed part of the Hellenistic defensive wall that protected the city more than 2,000 years ago.
Researchers also uncovered part of the final preserved floor inside another defensive tower near the city’s north-west gate.
Underground water system investigated
One of the most important discoveries came from the investigation of an underground water system near the ancient theatre.
Archaeologists found that a rock-cut channel discovered last year extended further than previously known and had once carried water above an underground storage gallery dating to Hellenistic times.
The team said the system was later altered during the Roman period, when a well was dug to redirect water into underground storage before it was transported to a nearby cistern.
Recovered material
Fragments of a large terracotta pipe were recovered during the excavation.