TOMBS OF KINGS

This 32-hectare archaeological site (Τάφοι των Βασιλέων/Tafi ton Vasileon, Tombs of the Kings) is home to eight superb ^3rd-century BC hypogeum tombs and several tumuli. It lies on the seafront, slightly to the north of the archaeological site of Nea Paphos, with which it is jointly listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. But the name "Tombs of the Kings" is misleading: majestic as they are, these underground tombs were not built by kings. The tradition of burying the rulers of Nea Paphos in hypogeum tombs was abandoned in the ^4th century. At a pinch, only tomb^no. 8 could have housed the remains of a Greek ruler from Egypt. The 2 km circuit is well-designed and takes in all eight tombs, as well as a tumulus containing three large tombs covered by a mound of earth. Not to be missed are tomb^no. 3, the most beautiful, and tomb^no. 5, the largest (390^m2).

Dromos, atrium and loculi. The tombs are designed in much the same way, with a layout similar to that of a house. Access is via a dromos, a "path" that in this case consists of a staircase descending underground. Next is theatrium, a central room originally covered by a roof that no longer exists. Theatrium gallery is made up of pillars or columns, most often Doric. A fountain or well is usually located near the entrance, for the preparation of bodies and ritual ceremonies. The gallery leads to one or more burial chambers for important figures. Within the burial chambers themselves, the gallery and/or the dromos, we also find three other types of burial chamber carved out of the rock: caisson tombs for people of second rank, loculi (funerary niches, loculus in the singular) for children or people of lesser rank and, finally, ossuaries. As these tombs were destined to be used many times, older bodies were removed from the graves, prepared again and the bones placed in the ossuaries. The tombs were used in this way for centuries, from the Hellenistic to the Roman period, including by early Christians. They were abandoned following earthquakes in the ^4th century. Most were damaged, used as stone quarries for new buildings and/or emptied of their precious objects by looters until the Middle Ages.