The field season 2024 of the Berlin-Idalion-Project (BIP), carried out in collaboration between the Department of Archaeology of Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin (Germany) and the University of Cyprus, and under the auspices of the Department of Antiquities of the Republic of Cyprus, lasted from September 10 to October 10 2024. As in past seasons, our activities took place in the framework of an Erasmus+ teaching mobility and were further founded by Studia Cyprologica Berolinensia. Important support in kind came from the Photos Photiades Group (Dali).
As in previous years, work under the directon of prof. Stephan G. Schmid focused on the upper plateau of Idalion-Moutti tou Arvili, the so-called eastern acropolis, and more specifically on an area where since the late 19th century a sanctuary of the great Cypriot goddess is supposed to have existed. Seven students of BA-, MA-, and PhD level from Humboldt-Universitaet, one PhD-student from the University of Kiel as well as five BA- and MA-students from the University of Cyprus did participate (fig. 1).
Fig. 1: Idalion-Moutti tou Arvili. Participants from Cyprus and Germany on the excavation site. (© BIP, S. G. Schmid)
During this year’s excavations, the remains of quite substantial architecture were discovered (fig. 2). A well-built wall, oriented in an East-West direction, that we have been able to follow over roughly 20m of length in the past years and that we think corresponds to the northern limit (temenos) of the sanctuary, forms the corner of a building in this year’s excavation area, that we call building 1 for the time being (fig. 2). In only about 1m distance, we started excavating another building (building 2 on fig. 2), that shows a very slightly different orientation. While originally there was a small open space between the two buildings, a kind of small alley, in a later phase it was closed by a substantial adobe wall (fig. 2), henceforth becoming an internal corridor between the two buildings. In this area, several consecutive walking layers and ashy layers containing substantial amounts of pottery, mainly of the Hellenistic period, were discovered. In some cases, we even found remains of animal bones in pottery vessels, indicating that the corridor must have been used either for preparing, consuming, or storing food – or as a deposit after cleaning or destruction of an area with one of the aforementioned functions.
Fig. 2: Idalion-Moutti tou Arvili. Part of area excavated in 2024 with remains of two buildings belonging to a sanctuary of the great Cypriot goddess. (© BIP, S. G. Schmid)
In the last rooms in the NE angle of building 1 and especially aligned immediately along the temenos wall, a lot of limestone and terracotta figurines were discovered, all of very good workmanship. Interestingly, at a certain moment, that – according to the results of previous years – we can date roughly around 500 BCE, a new floor level was created in that area, incorporating complete limestone statuettes of the Cypro-Archaic period, packed in a hard layer of mortar. While in other areas of the excavation the corresponding floor layers contained small fragments of heavily broken Archaic sculpture, in the specific zone excavated this year, several complete or nearly complete statuettes were found in the floor layer, as if they were intentionally deposited. In a next destruction horizon, some 10
centimeters above the floor layer containing exclusively Cypro-Archaic sculpture, we found again (almost) complete statuettes made of terracotta and limestone, but this time they contained sculptures from the Cypro-Archaic to the Hellenistic period (fig. 3). One of the most remarkable objects from this horizon is a limestone statuette with a preserved height of 40cm (fig. 4). It shows a woman wearing a chiton and a himation with vivid red colours at its respective ends. The himation covers also the back of the head, leaving visible the front curls of the hair and the ears with earrings. The left arm is bent towards the left breast
and with her left hand she holds the himation and an oval object, possibly an egg. Either trapped by of hanging from her left forearm is a flat, round object, maybe a mirror. The right arm hangs down the right flank of the body and originally held an object that is now lost, but remains are visible on her right thigh, shortly above the knee. Her right wrist is adorned by a bracelet. In the general posture and outline, the statuette shows similarities with a Hellenistic life-size statue found at the same spot in the 19th century and now in the Louvre in Paris (inv. N III 3278). Like the Louvre statue, our smaller example should date to the Hellenistic period and represent either the goddess Aphrodite herself or an adorant.
Fig. 3: Idalion-Moutti tou Arvili. NE angle of building 1 with temenos wall and votives from the Cyproarchaic and Hellenistic periods. (© BIP, S. G. Schmid)
Fig. 4: Idalion-Moutti tou Arvili. Hellenistic limestone statuette of a woman, representing either the goddess Aphrodite or an adorant of her cult. (© BIP, S. G. Schmid)
As far as the divinity of the sanctuary under study is concerned, we can add a few additional elements issued from this year’s excavation. For the Cypro-Archaic period we dispose of some iconographic information such as crowns from terracotta statues with lunar and solar symbols, but also figurines of the type of the naked woman holding her breasts (fig. 5). As has been pointed out by other scholars, this type is more likely representing a divinity than worshippers, indicating, therefore, a cult of the great Cypriot goddess, including aspects of the near eastern Astarte. The figurine represented on fig. 5 was also found in the NE angle of building one, but in a disturbed layer without relevant context. For the Cypro-Classical II and the following Hellenistic period, the iconography of the votives, such as the statuette on fig. 4, would indicate a cult of Aphrodite, but as is well known, the cult(s) of the Cypriot great goddess are rich in variants and names. Her we can rely on a potsherd from this year’s excavation, showing the remains of an incised Greek alphabetic inscription, apparently applied before firing (fig. 6). The preserved parts shows the letters ᾼΦΡΟΔ[…], hardly leaving any doubt as for the main deity of the sanctuary.
Fig. 5: Idalion-Moutti tou Arvili. Cyproarchaic terracotta statuette of a woman, representing the great Cypriot goddess. (© BIP, S. G. Schmid)
Fig. 6: Idalion-Moutti tou Arvili. Potsherd with the name of the goddess Aphrodite in Greek alphabetic script incised. (© BIP, S. G. Schmid)
Therefore, after more than 130 years of research, the hypothesis that placed the sanctuary of the great goddess of Idalion, sung in Hellenistic and Roman poetry, on the top of the hill of Moutti tou Arvili, seems confirmed.
As in past seasons, our activities in Idalion created a lot of interest within the local, regional and international community. Testimonies of this interest are the subsequent visits on the excavation site by Dr. Lina Kassianidou, Deputy-Minister of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus (fig. 7), Dr. Giorgos Georgiou, Director General of the Department of Antiquities of the Republic of Cyprus (fig. 8), and H.E. Anke Schlimm, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Cyprus (fig. 9). Very precious for us is the continuous support by the local community, more specifically by the municipality of South Nicosia – Idalion. We are especially grateful to Dr. Stavros Hadjigiannis, mayor of by the municipality of South Nicosia – Idalion for logistic and practical support. In the framework of an international conference jointly organized by German and French scholars at Dali, prof. Stephan G. Schmid was presenting a 3D print of one of the most beautiful finds of our 2023 season, a life-size limestone head of the god Apollon, to Dr. Hadjigiannis in recognition of the continuous hospitality (fig. 10).
 Fig. 7: Idalion-Moutti tou Arvili. Visit by Dr. Lina Kassianidou, Deputy-Minister of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus, to the excavation site. (© BIP, S. Götz) |
 Fig. 8: Idalion-Moutti tou Arvili. Visit by Dr. Giorgos Georgiou, Director General of the Department of Antiquities, to the excavation site. (© BIP, S. Götz) |
 Fig. 9: Idalion-Moutti tou Arvili. Visit by H.E. Anke Schlimm, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Cyprus, to the excavation site. (© Embassy of the Federal Republic of German in Cyprus, A. Schlimm) |
 Fig. 10: Dr. Stavros Hadjigiannis, mayor of the municipality of Nicosia South – Idalion (right) and Stephan G. Schmid with a 3D print of a limestone head found at Idalion-Moutti tou Arvili. (© A. Hamatsou) |