ANCIENT Cypriots were worshippers, not only of the Greek gods and goddesses, but also of faceless male and female deities, latest finds at the Idalion site have revealed.
According to the Antiquities Department the ancient Cypriots borrowed religious symbols from many nations to represent their own native gods.
Announcing the end of this year’s excavations at Idalion, the Department said yesterday: “With the removal of several years of accumulated rain wash, extraordinary vessels were revealed sitting on what appeared to be the last used floor of the sanctuary.”
It added: “These finds indicate that the sanctuary was in use until the first century BC. The cluster of whole vessels on a floor covered with mud brick detritus may indicate that the sanctuary was abandoned in something of a hurry.”
The Department said that of great interest was the discovery of the limits of the Hellenistic altar in the Adonis Temenos. It said the western corner of the southern edge of the altar was found approximately eight metres west of the eastern corner.
“The huge size of this altar indicates the continuing importance of the cult of the consort of the Great Mother at Idalion in the Hellenistic period. Evidence of votive terracottas continued in the area of the altar,” said the announcement.
“In the area known as the “Sanctuary of the Paired Deities” the [American] team continued to uncover the eastern area last used in the Roman period. It was discovered that, in addition to worshipping a pair of aniconic [faceless] deities, a male and a female, ancient Cypriot worshippers donated numerous limestone votive figures.”
The season’s work, which has just be completed, revealed more of the Roman installations in the eastern portion of the sanctuary, including a large cistern or basin lined with hydraulic plaster. Very near this basin was an impressive set of massive, carefully hewn paving stones set in a line, possibly to mark a ceremonial pathway.
“There is little doubt that this extremely ancient Temple, going back to the Cypro-Geometric period, was dedicated to the Great Goddess of Cyprus, the Wanassa, or “Mistress of Animals,” sometimes represented as Artemis, and her consort who came to be called Adonis in later centuries,” the Antiquities Department said.
“That he [Adonis] was known as the ‘Master of Animals’ accounts for his representation sometimes as Heraklis, sometimes as Pan. Numerous sculpture fragments were also found at what is known as the Hellenistic industrial area to the East of the Lymbia Road, which is directly down-slope from the Adonis Temenos
“These statuettes were clearly washed down from the sacred grove above,” said the announcement.
It appears the Hellenistic industrial installation existed possibly for the processing of textiles because at each end of the basin, which measures close to six metres long by 2.7 metres wide, there are depressions, apparently for the insertion of wooden rods, “presumably for the rolling of cloth or wool through liquid for dying or producing felt”.
The seven-week long field work was led by Dr Pamela Gaber of the Lycoming College in Pennsylvania.
Source: Cyprus Mail [August 24, 2010]
