The town of Amathus, or as it was also called Amafunt, is one of the oldest settlements in Cyprus. It was located in the southern part of the island on the Mediterranean coast.
The history of Amathus dates back over 2,000 years and its founder is believed to be Kynir, the first king of Cyprus and father of Adonis. He is also the founder of the cult of of Aphrodite on the island. According to one version, the city was named in honour of his mother Amatea (Amathus), according to another version, on the site of the city used to be a grove of the same name, where she died during the birth of Aphrodite. grove where Ariadne died during childbirth and was buried after she was abandoned after she was abandoned by her lover Theseus.
Due to its extremely convenient location, Amathus almost immediately after the Amathus became the commercial and economic centre of the island almost immediately after its emergence. В A harbour was built in a convenient natural harbour, which facilitated the development of trade with the Levant (present-day Palestine, Syria and Lebanon) and Greece, mainly trading in grain, honey and copper. Greece - they mainly traded in grain, copper and wool.
Later, the city became a battlefield more than once, and after its conquest by Alexander the Macedon gradually lost its economic importance. With the arrival of Christianity Christianity to the island, the cult of Aphrodite and Adonis also waned.
At the moment, only ruins remain on the site of this ancient city. The first excavations there were begun in the late 19th century by the American archaeologist and military officer Luigi Palma di Cesnola, who donated all of his findings to the British Museum and the the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It wasn't until 100 years later that archaeologists took Amathus more seriously. 100 years later, and the ancient city still amazes them with its treasures. treasures. Thus, the scientists discovered the temple of Aphrodite (there were two temples of Aphrodite built on the territory of the city). two temples were built in honour of this goddess, who came to be considered the patroness of Amathus. patroness of Amathus, but, unfortunately, one of them was never completed), an acropolis, a harbour, a basilica and a city wall. The treasures found were added to the collection of the Cyprus Museum, which is located in Nicosia.
