The Department of Antiquities of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works announces the completion of the 2022 excavation survey at the Kissonerga-Skalia[/I] site in Paphos District, under the direction of Dr Lindy Crewe, Director of the American Archaeological Research Institute in Nicosia (CAARI). This archaeological site preserves remains from a chronologically wide range of the Bronze Age as well as evidence of occupation during the Chalcolithic period, prior to 2,500 BC.
The site appears to be associated with the nearby settlement of Kissonerga -Mosfilia of the Neolithic period-Filias phase. The settlement at Kissonerga -Skalia was abandoned around 1600 BC,
Research in the area has revealed that the settlement at Kissonerga -Skalia was founded at the beginning of the Filia phase of the Bronze Age, around 2500 BC and flourished until the end of the Middle Bronze Age, around 1750 BC.
Research in the area has revealed that the settlement at Kissonerga -Skalia was founded at the beginning of the Filia phase of the Bronze Age, around 2500 BC and flourished until the end of the Middle Bronze Age, around 1750 BC.During this period, the older residential structures were abandoned and a large-scale building program was carried out, which included the demolition of previous structures and the construction of a building complex occupying an area of 1200m2.
During this period, the oldest residential structures were abandoned and a large-scale building program was carried out, which included the demolition of previous structures and the construction of a building complex occupying an area of 1200m2. The building complex comprised a series of open and covered spaces consisting of large walls up to 1.2m wide in various directions and a floor of well compacted clay or plaster. This phase has been called the 'Final Phase of the complex' which was in use for only a few generations before it was finally abandoned around 1600 BC. The complex retains no evidence of residential use since the activities noted seem to have been of an artisanal nature, such as the large hearths, grinding and material processing areas and the many storage vessels.
During the excavation period of 2022, the uncovering of the remains of the complex continued in order to identify evidence of the use of the site. At least two building phases can be discerned, and it is clear that the complex began to decline, with various activities declining, some sites probably slowly abandoned and others violently destroyed.
Figure 1 shows the northern area (Section P/B2), where two parallel walls define an elongated space leading to an inner courtyard that had been investigated in previous excavation periods. Fallen building material was identified on the inner surfaces of the two parallel walls and it appeared that this space may have been roofed and with the collapse of the roof the two walls leaned inwards. The collapse layer was further investigated in 2022 and another activity area was revealed with whole pots shattered under the fallen building material. This is an indication that the site was suddenly destroyed and was not abandoned as the users of the building in the event of abandonment would have had time to leave and take their belongings with them.
An interesting arrangement is illustrated in Figure 1 (top right corner) where two large stone rubbings are listed opposite two stone platforms to support a pile or vessel and two small pits or peg holes filled with ash. In addition, Figure 1 shows a mortar or base for supporting a vase embedded in the floor (top left) and a pitchstone embedded in the floor was recovered in the hole shown in the centre of Figure 1. The pithe, which would have been approximately 1.2m high, is of an unusual type and dates to around the end of the Middle Bronze Age. Figure 2 shows the pit during its excavation.
[BR][BR]The discovery of fragments of the rim and a handle low at the base of the wall is an indication that it was empty or contained only liquid when it was crushed.
The Kissonerga -Stairs site is a good example of a phenomenon that occurred during the transition to the Late Bronze Age, when people began to build large-scale buildings and produce goods on a larger scale at a time when maritime trade was flourishing in the Mediterranean. Since the complex was abandoned early on and the remains have not been destroyed as a result of later human activity, we are able to study this phenomenon in detail.
Figure 1 Section P/B at the end of the excavation period
Figure 2 Excavation of a Middle Bronze Age pithos, shattered by the wall collapse in the P/B area
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