Description : This site is located in the Vasilikos River valley just over 3 km from the Mediterranean coast. It sits on flat and gently sloping terrain to the west of the now seasonal river and is well situated for communication and trade, commanding the crossroads of the natural route that links central and eastern Cyprus with the western part of the island, and the north-south route that links the copper mines in the Troodos Mountains to the sea (South 1980: 23-6). Since 1976, this region has been the subject of survey and excavation work by the Vasilikos Valley Project, directed by Ian A. Todd (1977, 1986, etc.). Excavations directed by Alison South from 1979-1998 were initiated in advance of the construction of the (then) new Nicosia-Limassol highway, which runs through the center of the site. South’s work revealed an urban center dating mainly to the Late Cypriot (LC) II period (c. 1450-1200 BCE), reaching its zenith in the Late Cypriot IIC before being abandoned (South 1980, 1988, 1997). Looking north from the highway, the site sits less than 200m south of famous Neolithic site of Kalavasos-Tenta (easily recognizable in the landscape by its large tent-like covering) (Figure 1). Based on the extent of surface finds and architectural remains, the site likely covered about 11.5 ha (Figure 2). In spite of intensive earlier occupation elsewhere in the Vasilikos Valley (Todd 1996, 2004), significant occupation of this site does not seem to have been earlier than the LC IIA:1. At this time it was at least used as a cemetery and, by the LC IIA:2/LC IIB, there is evidence for more extensive constructions (South 1997: 173).
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