Neolithic period · seventh to fourth millennia BCE
Choirokoitia is one of Cyprus’s most important Neolithic sites and a UNESCO World Heritage property. The settlement occupied a hillside above the Maroni River, and its inhabitants built round dwellings from stone, mud brick and timber. The dense layout and defensive wall show that this was an organised community rather than a few isolated houses.
Five cylindrical dwellings have been reconstructed near the entrance. Inside are copies of objects found during the excavations, while plants known in Cyprus since Neolithic times grow around them. We first examine these reconstructions, count the houses and roof beams, and then climb to the authentic foundations.
This sequence helps a child distinguish an archaeological remain from a modern reconstruction. In an ancient house, mainly the lower stone section survives; the mud-brick walls, timber roof, hearths and household objects are reconstructed from finds and traces studied by archaeologists.
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