Cyprus. Kouklia (Paliapaphos), Temple of AphroditePhoto by Sabina Tariverdieva
The Temenos of the Late Bronze Age Building.
Cyprus.
Kouklia (Paliapaphos), Temple of Aphrodite.
The entrance in the western Temenos wall, from which steps lead down into the Temenos, is possibly a medieval structure. Yet the hollowed limestone slab opposite the entrance, discovered underneath a later Roman pavement, dates from the Late Bronze Age. This shallow basin, set into the floor of the Temenos, may have been used for ritual ablutions by worshippers or for the deposition of votive gifts. A battered limestone block between the basin and the Hall is also still in its original position and may have served as a base for horns of consecration or a square capital with stepped sides. Both types of votive monuments, common to the Late Bronze Age sanctuaries of Cyprus, were found on the site (the best preserved specimens are displayed opposite the Temenos wall). The Temenos must once have housed one or several altars of which no traces survive.
© 2004 Text: Maier F. G. “Guide to Paliapaphos (Kouklia)”. Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation. Nikosia. PP. 41—43.