New findings from the 2025 excavation season in Cyprus’s ancient city of Nea Paphos have shed fresh light on some of the site’s earliest urban phases, dating back to the late Hellenistic period.  The research forms part of a long-running joint expedition led by Professor Ewdoksia Papuci-Władyka of the University of Warsaw, in collaboration with the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. The project also involves specialists from institutions in Poland and Germany, reflecting its interdisciplinary scope.  Fieldwork in 2025 combined excavation with detailed post-processing of earlier discoveries. While a smaller team worked in spring to prepare material for publication, the main excavation campaign took place in September, bringing together around 30 researchers, students and volunteers.  Investigations focused on two key areas: the Maloutena district and the city’s Agora. In Maloutena, west of Fanari Hill, archaeologists continued work on layers first identified in 2022. These deposits, unusually well preserved and lying less than a metre below the surface, have survived despite extensive earthquake damage and later Roman construction elsewhere on the site.  Excavations revealed a section of stone-paved street and evidence of small-scale industrial activity, including crucibles fashioned from amphora fragments, suggesting local metalworking. In a nearby structure, likely residential, researchers uncovered a stamped Rhodian amphora handle bearing the name Aristombrotidas, enabling the building to be dated to around 117 BC.  Meanwhile, work in the Agora – the city’s principal public space – uncovered further insights into ancient infrastructure. In the eastern portico, archaeologists identified a shallow water reservoir connected to an earlier well via a ceramic pipe, indicating a managed water system in use during the 2nd century BC.  Elsewhere in the Agora, fragments of a previously unknown colonnade were discovered, including parts of a stylobate and column drums. Although their exact date remains uncertain, they are believed to belong to an earlier phase of the portico, predating its final form in the Roman period.  Alongside excavation, researchers conducted extensive analysis of architectural fragments and artefacts. Around 350 decorative elements were catalogued, while specialists conserved coins, metal objects and ceramics recovered from the site. (ICE BEIRUT)

Fonte notizia: Cyprus Mail