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Excavations at a prehistoric settlement in Erimi Pamboula have revealed evidence of human activity dating to the early third millennium B.C., Cyprus’ Department of Antiquities said Friday.
The discoveries mark the end of the first excavation season at the Chalcolithic site, carried out in July by a team from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens under the direction of archaeology professor Giorgos Vavouranakis.
Researchers say the site, part of a settlement that thrived between 3500 and 2900 B.C., lies within the modern village of Erimi. It was first investigated by Cypriot archaeologist Porphyrios Dikaios, whose work laid the foundation for later digs.
The new excavations uncovered the floor of a house with a pit and built platform, the wall of a circular structure, part of a rectilinear feature, and a pit containing burned deer bones and antler fragments. Pottery fragments found in layers covering what appears to be the settlement’s final phase include monochrome sherds typical of the Late Chalcolithic period, pointing to human presence in the first half of the third millennium B.C.
Other finds include large quantities of decorated pottery, ground and chipped stone tools, deer bones, and artifacts made from picrolite, such as unfinished jewelry pieces, pendants and part of a cruciform figurine.
The team involved researchers and students from Athens, Berlin and Strasbourg, as well as archaeologists from Cyprus. The project also incorporated an Erasmus educational program in partnership with the Cyprus Institute, whose environmental archaeology group collaborated on the excavation.
