Introduction

This project aims to investigate the whole area of the Kouris valley in south-western Cyprus, a carbonate hilly area including the western side of the Limassol harbour, from the southern slopes of the Troodos massif to the Episkopi bay (Figure 1). This research has a double purpose:

Figure 1.

Satellite Image of Cyprus. The red arrow shows the location of the Kouris river valley.

• • The first aim is to verify the sequence of occupation and the changes of the landscape in a wider perspective and assess the settlement patterns in the Kouris area from the Neolithic onwards.

• • More specifically, the research focuses on an important historical problem concerning the location of the limits and the main centre of the Alašiya Kingdom (Reference HadjisavvasHadjisavvas 1996; Reference GorenGoren et al. 2003), a well known political entity mentioned in Egyptian and Near Eastern written sources of the second millennium BC.

The 2007 season

The 2007 expedition of the Italian Archaeological Mission in the Kouris valley took place between 4 September and 6 October 2007 as a joint project of the Universities of Florence and Chieti ‘G. D’Annunzio’, under the direction of Anna Margherita Jasink. The aim of this first season of field research was to investigate the sequence and the development of the settlement system in the Kouris river valley, mainly during the second millennium BC (Figure 2).

Figure 2.

Digital Terrain Model of the southern Kouris river valley. Natural appearance from the high definition satellite photograph overlaid on the schematic Digital Elevation Model.

A series of Bronze Age settlements with different functions (cemetery areas, workshops areas, domestic or farm settlements) has been documented and investigated. Further evidence of later settlements, in particular of the Archaic and Geometric periods, in several places within the survey area, is of relevance for verifying the hypothesis of a continuity between the Late Bronze and Iron Ages in a transitional phase. Later phases are also attested by widely diffused materials ranging from the Classical and Hellenistic to Roman, medieval and post- medieval periods.

The research methodology, as is common practice in landscape archaeology using intensive field survey, has been based on teams walking the fields along parallel lines, employing a 40 per cent sampling strategy. The results of the survey have been recorded, in part during the survey and in part during post-survey processing, in a multilayer GIS database using high definition satellite images and maps as topographic bases. This GIS database combines the data from the field survey, the Remote Sensing and the geological survey (Figure 3).

Figure 3.

Schematic Digital Model overlaid on the high definition satellite photograph of the southern area of the Kouris valley.

Ten sites located within a 2km² area have been mapped in the 2007 season. Some of them appear particularly interesting. Three sites (sites 1, 2 and 10) are located on the hilltop ridges overlooking the Kouris valley and controlling both the local road network, which passes east of the settlement, and the wider road connections on the upper eastern terrace. Further, site 3, located on the lower river terrace, has produced a huge quantities of material, mostly from the southern area of the site. It belongs mainly to the Early and Middle Bronze Age red-polished production and points to the possible presence of a small farm settlement located just along the river (Figure 4).

Figure 4.

A red- polished globular bowl from the upper terrace site.

Two rock-cut tomb areas have been also evidenced. The first (site 4) is largely damaged by the construction of a modern road on the western slope of site 1; the small quantity of material collected points mainly to a Bronze Age date (a few sherds of red-polished ware and Late Bronze Age common wares have also been recovered). The second (site 5) flanks a lower road on the western side of the river valley, north of sites 1 and 3. The pottery recovered from the surface in its vicinity is mainly related to the Geometric and Archaic periods: a few bichrome and painted ware sherds, from large amphorae and small open vessels, are of interest, as is Roman pottery for a later period.

Conclusions

The results of the 2007 season have begun to meet the two aims of the project. For the first, the investigation of the ancient peopling system within the Kouris valley area, we verified a long-lasting sequence of occupation spanning a wide range from the Early Bronze Age to the Roman period. The 2008 season will target the left (eastern) bank of the Kouris, in order to collect further evidence of the chronological phases already identified, as well as traces of the former Neolithic and Chalcolithic occupation in the area.

As to the second aim, the 2007 season has revealed an interesting series of small sites with a continuity of settlement from the Late Bronze Age to the Cypro-Geometric and Cypro-Archaic periods. This evidence may hint at a complex system which involves small-size sites and larger centres, from the Kourion harbour area up to the inner Troodos mines. It is also interesting to note the presence of many cemeteries in the same area. During this phase, the cemeteries, which have been well documented by recent excavations undertaken by the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus (Reference FlourentzosFlourentzos 1991; Reference VassiliouVassiliou & Stylianou 2004), flank most of the sites located on the upper terraces, all along the Kouris valley. This evidence points to an integrated system of small-size sites, which have to be considered as satellite settlements along a route on the western bank of the Kouris. The route itself could have linked the inner area of Alassa-Paliotaverna (Reference HadjisavvasHadjisavvas 1986; 1989; 1994; 1996) with the area of Erimi (Reference VassiliouVassiliou & Stylianou 2004; Reference BelgiornoBelgiorno 2005) the area of Episkopi-Bamboula and the Kourion gulf coast (Reference BensonBenson 1972; Reference WeinbergWeinberg 1983; Reference LeidwangerLeidwanger 2004; Reference Leidwanger2005; Reference SwinySwiny & Mavromatis 2000) of Episkopi-Bamboula in particular.

This sketch may be compared with the contemporary Late Bronze Age settlement pattern along the main river valleys of southern Cyprus, even if the Kouris valley appears to possess its own peculiarities (in particular the presence of an important foothill town, Alassa, does not find direct parallels in the nearby valleys). It will prove particularly interesting to consider our evidence with respect, eastward of our area, to the two cases of the Vasilikos (Reference ToddTodd & South 1992; Reference SouthSouth 1995; Reference ToddTodd 1996) and Maroni (Reference ManningManning 1998) rivers, where small sites have been evidenced next to the main centres of Kalavasos-Aghios Dhimitrios (Reference SouthSouth 1992; Reference South1996) and Maroni-Vournes (Reference CadoganCadogan 1996).