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and Paphos archaeological museums, although
the Paphos collection is far smaller than that on
display in Nicosia.
Second, there remain stone carvings with
inscriptions from the Hellenistic period,
mostly funerary stele, such as the one in the
museum in Polis.
Third, we have finds from the tiny island of
Geronisos, 280 metres from the harbour of
St George on the southwest coast of Paphos.
Pot shards with writing in cursive Greek
script, coins, seals, wine jugs, glass objects
and Ptolemaic measuring units for foundation
blocks have been discovered here; it is also
believed a temple in honour of the birth of
Caesarion, the son of Cleopatra VII and Julius
Caesar, was built here.
At Kourion and at Salamis several remains
from the Hellenistic period can also be found,
as is the case at many excavations of ancient
sites all over the island.
The most significant example of Ptolemaic
(Hellenistic) remains on the island, however, is tobe
found at Kato Paphos at the site now known as the
“Tombs of the Kings”. Consisting of the remains
of the tombs of aristocrats from the Hellenistic
period, these well-preserved burial chambers are
very similar to Egyptian tombs of the period.
New remains from the period have been
uncovered recently, both in Kato Paphos on
Fabrika Hill and on the east coast. As more
sites are discovered, the formative influence of
this period on the Greek character of the island
becomes clearer. The current Greek script, for
instance, which is still used in Cyprus today, was
introduced during the reign of the Ptolemies.
This important and often neglected period in
the establishment of the Greekness of Cyprus
certainly demands more attention and study.
This stele displayed in the Polis museum dates from the early 3rd century BC. Photo: JohanAdler