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Archaeologists digging at the ancient site of Amathus have uncovered what is now considered the oldest known Iron Age palace in Cyprus, dating back to the late 9th century BC. The summer excavation, led by a team of international experts, revealed the full layout of a ceremonial gallery and its annex, offering new insights into early royal life on the island.
The dig, carried out between June 16 and July 4, was led by Professor Thierry Petit from Laval University in Quebec and Jean-François Guay of the French School of Athens. Their team focused on two newly opened areas, zones 35 and 36, where they uncovered large sections of limestone flooring and the original footprint of the palace walls, now mostly reduced to bedrock.
Even though much of the stone had been stripped away over the centuries, the team was able to trace the original layout thanks to the carefully carved rock foundation, which still marks where the palace walls once stood.
“This excavation allowed us to piece together the earliest ceremonial part of the palace,” Petit explained, calling the discovery a major milestone for Cypriot archaeology.
Meanwhile, from June 16 to July 18, a separate study campaign was underway to analyze the treasures uncovered in previous digs at the site. Among the most remarkable finds: an extraordinary collection of Attic black-figure and red-figure pottery, dated between 570 BC and the mid-4th century BC.
Louise Detrez, a curator at France’s National Library, confirmed that the pottery, some of it resembling the famous François Vase, is the most significant of its kind ever found in Cyprus.
Experts also studied a wide range of other materials, including amphora ceramics, building techniques, soil samples, ancient plant remains, and even textile tools. The research drew from specialties across Europe, including contributions from Maria Roussou of the American School of Classical Studies in Athens and textile expert Lise Lévêque from the University of Rennes 2.
Together, the excavation and study campaigns are rewriting what we know about early Cypriot civilization—revealing a rich, royal past that has literally been carved into the island’s bedrock.
*Source: Cyprus Antiquities Department post
