Limassol: Department of Antiquities and Limassol Museum rescue excavations (1960–1974)

Directed by

• Michael Loulloupis1974

• Department of Antiquities of CyprusSponsor
• Limassol District MuseumHost

1. 1960

   Donated three Bichrome Red I (IV) jugs with bucranium from a looted tomb near Kourion; a Cypro-Classical I tomb at Koutsoulia (White Painted VI, Plain White VI); at Polemidhia a Hellenistic cemetery, one large tomb with antechamber and five compartments, one used, two amphorae (one with cremated ashes), late 4th c. BC.

   [1]

2. 1961

   Fifth tomb (inv. 308–309) used in Cypro-Archaic II and Cypro-Classical II with a coin of Alexander; sixth tomb recently opened with Cypro-Archaic II and Classical I pottery including a bull-headed jug; a true Samaria cup. Cypro-Classical chamber tomb with central depression and benches; White Painted VI-VII jugs, Plain White amphorae and many small jugs (museum nos. 294–295).

   [2]

3. 1962

   Contents of a Cypro-Archaic II chamber tomb of about 200 objects (an Ionian skyphos, two dozen Bichrome V and Bichrome Red amphorae), the eighth tomb from this locality, plus a nearby poorer Cypro-Classical I tomb. Another Cypro-Archaic II tomb in the known Kapsalos cemetery, pottery only (Bichrome V and Bichrome Red).

   [3]

4. 1963

   New Cypro-Classical I tomb: Plain White VI jugs, saucer lamps, a pair of silver hair spirals with gold lion-head terminals and cloisonne enamel, silver crescent earrings and a silver ring. Second large Early Cypriot III tomb (first found 1959), excavated late 1963 with difficulty after damage by a later wall: only Red Polished ware including rope-relief jugs, half a dozen incised tripod bowls, two lidded pyxides and an undecorated plank idol 34 cm high.

   [4]

5. 1964

   Tomb found in building work with at least two burials, Middle to Late Cypriot: a new local variant of Red Polished IV with incised geometric ornament, jugs with moulded mouflon heads and amphorae with face details, plus White Painted V jugs, Red-on-Black and Proto White Slip bowls.

   [5]

6. 1965

   Cypro-Archaic I-II tomb with Black-on-Red II jugs, Bichrome Red II amphorae and an aryballos perhaps imported from East Greece. Large bench-and-channel chamber tomb: two hybrid Black-on-Red/Bichrome craters, Bichrome V and White Painted V amphorae, a Samaria-ware cup, a bronze fibula; reused early Hellenistic with unguentaria, a gold anthemion diadem and moulded clay discs. Large tomb with two burials: Cypro-Classical I (much White Painted VI, Plain White VI and Bichrome VI) and Roman (cooking pots, glass unguentaria).

   [6]

7. 1966

   Two Early/Middle Bronze Age tombs: Red Polished pottery (bowl with stick handle and S-handle, incised bird-like jug), clay and steatite whorls, a three-horned steatite amulet; the second held plain Red Polished bowls, jugs and whorls.

   [7]

8. 1967

   Three tombs found in building works: Cypro-Geometric Black Slip II jug; a Cypro-Archaic I tomb with c. 70 vases and three burials in two layers; a tomb with four White Painted IV and Black-on-Red vases.

   [8]

9. 1968

   Cypro-Classical I tomb with numerous burials and local Amathus-region pottery: White Painted VI and Bichrome VI jugs and Bichrome Red II (V) amphorae. Late Cypriot I tomb with Red Polished IV vessels including fragments of large finely incised and dotted jugs, and an anciently repaired Proto-White Slip bowl resembling north-coast bowls. Second tomb, early Late Cypriot II: many Base Ring I jugs and bowls, a Base Ring bull rhyton, several White Slip I bowls and a black lustrous wheelmade jug.

   [9]

10. 1969

    Three tombs: Roman tomb with plain vessels and glass bottles; a Classical I tomb; and a large tomb used for four burials from Cypro-Archaic II to Roman with a Bichrome V jug with eyes and varied glass; 145 objects.

    [10]

11. 1970

    Emergency excavation of eleven tombs, Cypro-Archaic II to Cypro-Classical II; Bichrome V and Bichrome Red II pots; tomb 5 gave Plain White VII, alabastra, a gold bee pendant and a coiled silver snake bracelet. Large intact tomb with five skeletons: big Plain White IV, Bichrome IV and White Painted IV amphorae, Red Slip and Black-on-Red bowls, four iron knives and three pairs of perforated bronze bowls, perhaps scale pans. Sherds and architectural remains of the Early Bronze settlement matching the known necropole found during building works.

    [11]

12. 1971

    Small Hellenistic I tomb in the town with a child's skeleton, two vases, a glass bead necklace and a pair of large silver earrings. Rescue excavation of two interconnected half-looted tombs: Cypro-Geometric II and III pottery including a Black-on-Red I jug, a Bichrome III amphora and several Red Slip I bowls of a type widespread near Kourion.

    [12]

13. 1972

    Two half-looted tombs: Tomb 114 with Red Polished III and White Painted I sherds, including an incised rectangular pyxis, suggesting late EBA to early MBA use; Tomb 115 with incised Red Polished III jugs, plain bowls and clay spindle whorls.

    [13]

1. 1.V. Karageorghis, 1962, Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques à Chypre en 1961, Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 86.
2. 2.V. Karageorghis, 1965, Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques à Chypre en 1964, Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 89.
3. 3.V. Karageorghis, 1972, Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques à Chypre en 1971, Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 96.
4. 4.V. Karageorghis, 1967, Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques à Chypre en 1966, Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 91.
5. 5.V. Karageorghis, 1964, Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques à Chypre en 1963, Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 88.
6. 6.V. Karageorghis, 1971, Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques à Chypre en 1970, Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 95.
7. 7.V. Karageorghis, 1973, Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques à Chypre en 1972, Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 97.
8. 8.V. Karageorghis, 1966, Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques à Chypre en 1965, Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 90.
9. 9.V. Karageorghis, 1970, Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques à Chypre en 1969, Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 94.
10. 10.V. Karageorghis, 1963, Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques à Chypre en 1962, Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 87.
11. 11.E. Zachariou-Kaila, 2009, Personal grooming: Metal objects from Roman Cyprus, Cahiers du Centre d'Études Chypriotes 39.