Europe

[Visited: August 2020]

After paying my ticket, I drive the last few hundred metres up the plateau on which the ruins of the ancient city of Kourion are located. Like other main attractions around the island, I find the ruins almost empty, despite it being high season: the impact of Covid-19 can be felt everywhere. In the small entrance building, I see a model of the city-state as it once must have been, helpful for the imagination. I walk down to have a look at the amphitheatre, originally built i Hellenistic style, but modified by the Romans. The seats are largely intact, but the stage is almost completely gone, meaning that now, spectators have a direct view of the Mediterranean: it is still used as a venue. Next door, I find the House of Eustolios, what must have been an extensive building the size of a palace. Eustolios had it built after a previous building was destroyed by earthquakes in the 4th century CE.
On the signboards, I read that there should be a welcome message engraved in the floor, but no matter how intensely I look for it, I cannot find it. You can clearly see the outline of the building, which had many rooms. I find the famous mosaic with pheasants, fish, and a reference to the Christian faith of Eustolios: an early sign of the religion here. A little higher up, I see the thermal baths, and a large mosaic depicting Ktisis, creation. I head west, and arrive at the so-called earthquake house. I see the ruins of a residential house, in which skeletons were found when excavations took place. These ruins serve as an example of the destruction suffered by the various heavy earthquakes that shook the region in the 3rd and 4th century. From here, I walk to the edge of the plateau, for the views over the Mediterranean, before I continue further west, where I arrive at the vast agora.
This once was the centre of public life in Kourion, or Curium for the Romans, and was constructed at the end of the 2nd century CE, destroyed by the earthquake of 365. I roam the open area, see pillars at the sides, the outline of what once must have been shops, and arrive at Forum, the Nymphaeum, and the inevitable Roman baths. The sun is sinking fast, and I still have more to see, so I continue walking to the House of the Gladiators, where I see vibrant mosaics of gladiators. Next door, I find the House of Achilles, and a very interesting mosaic depicting Odysseus and Achilles, hidden among women by his mother Thetis so as to avoid him going to war. Unfortunately, large parts of the mosaic are missing. I walk back, and explore the large episcopal basilica, once the seat of the bishop of Kourion. The very construction of the basilica, and the simultaneous decline of the nearby temple of Apollo, marks the rise of the new religion at the time (early fifth century). I watch the sun go down behind the still standing pillars, until I am summoned to leave: closure times are strict, and do not accommodate people wanting to enjoy the beautiful soft light on the marvellous ruins of Kourion.

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Kourion (Cyprus)

Kourion > Cyprus > Europe

[Visited: August 2020]

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