Summer has turned into a season of surprising discoveries in Cyprus, where two rare ancient mosaics have been uncovered in a span of weeks. Most recently, archaeologists working near the capital of Nicosia revealed a well-preserved fourth-century Roman scene depicting a chariot race at the Hippodrome on Tuesday, 9 August. And earlier in July, a crew working on the sewers in the coastal city of Larnaca found a second-century floor showing the labours of Hercules.
The 26m-long chariot scene is one of seven of its kind in existence around the world, and the only example in Cyprus, according to the site’s lead archaeologist Fryni Hadjichristophi. “It is an extremely important finding, because of the technique and because of the theme,” the director of the Department of Antiquities Marina Ieronymidou told journalists at a press conference in front of the mosaic this week. “It is unique in Cyprus since the presence of this mosaic floor in a remote inland area provides important new information on that period in Cyprus and adds to our knowledge of the use of mosaic floors on the island.” The floor mosaic is believed to belong to a villa owned by a wealthy citizen when the island was part of the Roman Empire, and excavations are due to continue at the site.
Meanwhile, in July, construction crews in Larnaca uncovered a 20m-long mosaic in what appears to be an ancient baths. The faded tiles depict Hercules performing his feats of strength as penance for killing his wife and children in a rage. “Such discoveries are made only once every hundred years,” Giorgos Philotheou, an archaeological officer with the antiquities department told the Cyprus Mail. Few Roman-era artefacts remain intact in Larnaca because of earthquakes in the fourth century that destroyed the ancient city-state of Kition, on top of which the modern city is built.
