Underwater work to better illustrate the ancient port of Amathuntas begins on Thursday, 30 June, according to the Antiquities Department. This will be a part of a project to develop a diving tourism network.
The project, “Diving routes in marine protected areas of the Eastern Mediterranean - Development of diving tourism network", aims to upgrade and further promote diving tourism. The project is co-funded by the European Union and the national resources of Greece and Cyprus.
The project is expected to be completed by the 7th of July.
The Antiquities Department is urging bathers to exercise caution and avoid the areas where work will be underway.
Last August, the Department of Antiquities, Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works of Cyprus announced that the digital mapping of the ancient port of Amathuntas was completed.
The next stage, according to a report from thearcheologist.com includes the installation of signs both on land and in the sea, which will inform and guide the visitor through the ancient port of Amathuntas, as well as the development of a mobile phone application and the publication of an information brochure.
Amathuntas, Amathus or Amathous (Ancient Greek: Ἀμαθοῦς) was an ancient city and one of the ancient royal cities of Cyprus until about 300 BC. Some of its impressive remains can be seen today on the southern coast in front of Agios Tychonas, about 24 miles (39 km) west of Larnaca and 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Limassol. Its ancient cult sanctuary of Aphrodite was the second most important in Cyprus.
The Port of Amathunta was probably constructed during the period of Demetrius Poliorcetes for his fleet. Whether this project was completed as planned or not is not known as various sources suggest that the port was not used except maybe for a few years. Three moles of around 380 meters were built forming an almost closed harbor. 5000 blocks were used each having a weight of around 3 tons. Each block was 3 meters long and 0.8 m wide. The artificial harbor provided protection for the ships from the sometimes strong south wind. These blocks formed the center of each mole.
[With information from CNA and Thearcheologist.org]
