On 27 June 2016 the Rector of the Jagiellonian University Prof. Wojciech Nowak received a delegation from the Cypriot city of Paphos, where for the last five years JU archaeologists have been running a large scale excavation project.
The delegation was led by Phedonas Phedonos, Mayor of Pafos. It also inclulded Polydoros Polydorou, Municipal Councilor and Vice President of the External Relations Committee as well as Themis Filippidis, Secretary of the Municipality. The head of JU research team in Paphos Prof. Ewdoksia Papuci-Władyka also participated in the meeting.
Different aspects of mutual collaboration related to the conducted archeological research were discussed at the meeting. Particular focus was placed on the communication of research results, including the publication of a 3D printed guide as well as creating a mobile application.
The ancient city of Nea Paphos is one of the most important archaeological sites in Cyprus. Its monuments have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list. The city was founded in the western part of the island in the late fourth or early third century BC. During the Hellenistic period it belonged to the Ptolemaic Kingdom and later, after 58 BC, remained under Roman tutelage. For centuries it was the capital of the island.
The work carried out by the JU Department of Classical Archaeology is focused on the agora – the main square of ancient Paphos, which was the administrative, commercial and religious centre of the city. At the second stage, which started in 2015, the research was expanded to investigate the economy and commerce of the city in general. The studies conducted by JU archaeologists have shed new light on the character and role of the capital of Cyprus in the Hellenistic and Roman period. The project is to be continued and further developed during the years to come.
