ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF KALAVASOS-TENTA

This site (Αρχαιολογικός Χώρος Καλαβασός-Τέντα, Archeologikos Choros Kalavasos-Tenta) is well organized for tours. It was unearthed in 1947 by the Cypriot archaeologist Porphyrios Dikaios (1904-1971), trained in Lyon and Paris in the 1920s. They are the remains of a Neolithic village that was inhabited 7000 years ago. They are located at the top of a hill, near Kalavasos, at a place called Tenta which means "tent" in Greek. The name comes from the local tradition that St. Helen, mother of the first Christian emperor Constantine, set up camp here when she landed on the island in 327. As a nod to this, the top of the site has been protected since 1995 by a large white conical tent with twelve sides, which provides shade for visitors. Beneath this tent are visible circular masonry structures that served as dwellings, warehouses, and outbuildings for a population estimated at 150-250 people. Structure^#11 preserves an ochre mural depicting a figure with raised hands. In total, about fifty of these "round houses" have been discovered on the entire site, as well as 18 burials. The hill was occupied in two distinct periods between 7500 and 5200 B.C. In addition to the strategic choice of a hill, the location offered other advantages. Just next door, the small Vasiliko River provided a water supply and numerous volcanic rocks provided building materials.