Epochs

Prehistoric Cyprus

We begin before kings, temple inscriptions and familiar cities: with the first permanent settlements, round houses, stone tools and images whose meanings can only be reconstructed.

before 2500 BCE

Historical context

The island’s position between Anatolia, the Levant and the Aegean allowed people, technologies and ideas to move across the eastern Mediterranean. For a family journey, this is an excellent way to discuss the transition from hunting and gathering to farming and settled life.

Question for discussion

How can archaeologists reconstruct the life of a society that left no written texts?

Connections with world history

Anatolia · the Levant · the first farmers · the origins of settlements

Prehistoric CyprusVisited

The Pomos Idol: a Chalcolithic cruciform figurine

This cruciform picrolite figurine is kept in the Cyprus Museum and appears on Cyprus’s €1 and €2 coins.

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Prehistoric CyprusVisited

The round houses of Choirokoitia and Kissonerga

The island’s earliest architecture is represented by round houses; reconstructions of ancient dwellings can be seen beside the excavations.

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Prehistoric CyprusPlanned

Kalavasos–Tenta

We include Tenta as a second key to the Neolithic period: its distinctive modern shelter makes the archaeological site immediately recognisable.

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Prehistoric CyprusPlanned

The Cyprus Museum: the island’s chronology under one roof

We recommend beginning or ending the historical journey in the island’s principal archaeological museum, where separate sites form one continuous timeline.

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Prehistoric CyprusPlanned

Choirokoitia: a UNESCO site in its own right

We treat Choirokoitia as a separate stop because it is one of the best places on the island for imagining the daily life of the first farming communities.

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