larnaca and ruins

January 19, 2007

Neolithic Site and Amathus, Cyprus
Luxor, Egypt

Today we woke up pretty early and went downstairs to a nice Greek breakfast which consisted of some cold cut meats, cheese, tomatoes, and (luckily for me who enjoys none of these things for breakfast) some cereal and hard boiled eggs. After getting ready, we took the bus to a Neolithic site on Cyprus, where we hiked up a mountain trail to visit the sites of these houses called tholoi, small round structures with flat roofs. I was struck at the similarity between these and some Indian sites that I visited this summer. What is it about the circular shape that attracts people? And the use of ledges near the top of the building for storage and sleeping. One interesting thing that Dr Toumazou mentioned was that the dead were usually buried underneath the floors of these buildings, which caused the ceilings to be raised after several generations. But the most impressive things about this place were the very impressive views from the top.

The next stop was the bronze age site of Amathous, which was settled on the top of this big hill, very close to the sea. As we made the hike to the top, amid rocky arid terrain, the views got more and more spectacular. Rolling mountains plunged into the ocean, and the browns, greens, and greys contrasted spectacularly with the limestone ruins. The agora of the ancient site was situated below, and the acropolis above. The top was a ruin of rocks and pillars, and some of the sites had the etchings from where they were placed in the ancient temple, as perfect as could be. We could see a big city from the top of this mountain, as we ourselves were cut out in brilliant silhouettes against the sky. I loved the feeling of the sun and the dry air as it blew against my face. To one side of me I could see Brad also basking in the perfect Mediterranean atmosphere. I could see Amberis sketching away, and everyone else was taking mad amounts of pictures.

On the top of the mountain, one of the friends who had accompanied Toumazou stopped and picked up a piece of pottery. Casually he said “6th century, Corinthian”, and labeled a one-inch piece of terracotta with white and black loops. I was stunned. No one is allowed to remove any pieces from the site, but you can stop and pick up a piece of pottery just about anywhere.

From there, we went to a lovely little Greek restaurant and had a wonderful lunch of Sifado. Which was a hearty beef thing that kind of tasted like pot roast, with potatoes and this wonderful rice and a small salad of greens and tomatoes. YUM! After that, it was a short stop at a Mosque and we were on the plane to Cairo, and then a change to Luxor. I should mention also that while at the Mosque we noticed a rather large caravan of black vehicles with flags mounted on the front. On the way out, we ran into the Syrian Speaker of the House, who introduced himself, asked where we were from, and took a picture of us. It was really quite a surreal experience, all of us just happening to run into this really important guy from a country that the United States was not particularly friendly with. But he smiled and did the diplomatic thing, asked us where we were from and seemed impressed at us young archaeology students. It felt like it was straight out of Indiana Jones.

The hotel is really nice, each room is like a small villa and there is a metal detector at the door (kind of scary). But the atmosphere is wonderful, there is a pool that I have not sampled yet, and EGYPT to be explored tomorrow.