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Archaeologists working in the Larnaca Salt Lake region have identified surface finds dating to the Late Roman era during the 2025 season of the Hala Sultan Tekke Hinterland Project.
According to Cyprus’ Department of Antiquities, the research took place over three weeks in October and November and focused on the area surrounding the Late Bronze Age settlement of Hala Sultan Tekke in Larnaca District. The project began in 2021 and is led by Prof. Dr. Ralf Vandam, Dr. Jan Coenaerts, and Prof. Karin Nys of Vrije Universiteit Brussel together with international collaborators.
The latest campaign combined archaeological field survey with geophysical investigation techniques in an effort to better understand how settlements, production areas, and land use developed around Larnaca. Researchers recorded artefacts across the Salt Lake region as well as in Pyrga, helping specialists date known locations more accurately while also pointing to additional sites that may require excavation.
Earlier investigations in Pyrga had already identified numerous heaps of copper slag. During the recent campaign, researchers documented substantial concentrations of Late Roman material close to several of these slag deposits, indicating that the area may once have been linked to industrial or metallurgical activity during that period. A ground-penetrating radar study had also been carried out there in 2024 in cooperation with the University of Cyprus under Prof. A. Sarris.
In 2025, Dr. I. Medarić of the University of Ljubljana and the University of Zurich directed a magnetometric survey covering around 8,000 square metres. The high-resolution scans detected buried linear structures, strongly magnetised zones, and organised patterns connected to human activity beneath the surface.
Some of the anomalies appear consistent with furnaces, slag accumulations, and other infrastructure connected with metal production, while others may be linked to natural geological formations typical of the area.
The Department of Antiquities stated that the findings from the 2025 season improve understanding of how activity was distributed around Hala Sultan Tekke and provide a basis for future excavation and multidisciplinary study.
