Hellenistic and early Roman levels at Idalion

A change of identity

Bibliographic Data

ID19425373
AuthorsPamela Gaber (Lycoming College, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume54
Pages309-326
Publication date2024-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCahiers du Centre d Etudes Chypriotes (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0761-8271 • E-ISSN: 2647-7300
PublisherOpenEdition (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.4000/12ls7
OpenAlexW4403983287
LanguageEN
References cited19

Substantial parts of the Idalion city-kingdom site from the first millennium BCE were excavated under the direction of Dr Pamela Gaber from 1987 to 2017. These excavations revealed physical changes in the layout of parts of the ancient city that allow us to identify the cultural change that occurred in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The American expedition began excavations on the terrace of the eastern acropolis in a sacred grove that later became known as the “Adonis Temenos”, revealing late Hellenistic and early Roman structures just below the topsoil. These structures were oriented more or less N‐S / E‐W. When further excavation reached the underlying Hellenistic, Classical and Archaic levels, it revealed a different orientation. The earlier structures were oriented N‐W / S‐E. Excavations in the Lower City South “City Sanctuary” from 1998 to 2017 revealed a much more marked change in structural orientation. The question of when the transition took place became clear during the 2017 season of excavations in the “City Sanctuary,” Lower City South, revealing continuous occupation from Hellenistic to Roman levels, but a striking shift in orientation towards N‐S / E‐W structures in the 1st century BCE

Aesthetics · Ancient history · Art · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Classical Antiquity Studies · History