(In)Tangible Aphrodite
Her Famous Sanctuary at Idalion in Cyprus
(Α)πρόσιτη Αφροδίτη
Το διάσημο ιερό της στο Ιδάλιον της Κύπρου
An exhibition at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in the frame of the Presidency of the
Council of the EU by the Republic of Cyprus
5 May – 6 June 2026
Opening Hours: tba
Admission: Free
The exhibition aims at featuring the long-lasting and extremely fruitful cooperation between Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the University of Cyprus resulting in the joint excavation of a sanctuary of a female goddess at ancient Idalion in central Cyprus, the Berlin-IdalionProject. These activities take place under the umbrella of the Department of Antiquities and the Deputy Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus. We are, therefore, extremely proud to be able to present this exhibition in the frame of the Presidency of the Council of the EU by the Republic of Cyprus (1st half of 2026).
Taking advantage of recent developments regarding technical and methodological aspects within (classical) archaeology, the exhibition presents the results of the Berlin-Idalion-Project (BIP) using almost exclusively 3D-reconstructions and 3D-generated objects (prints) of finds from the sanctuary.
3D printer printing one of our objects
Hence, the ground plan and a plausible reconstruction of the sanctuary, as far as excavated since 2018, are presented in 3D-print as well as on computer screens, allowing the visitors to explore the sanctuary by their own. The same is true for a representative selection of finds from the sanctuary.
Interest in the specific find spot, situated on the eastern acropolis of ancient Idalion, the hill of Idalion-Moutti tou Arvili, started already in the 19th century, resulting in numerous illegal and legal digging activities. The BIP documents these activities as well and aims at identifying objects from previous excavations in museums and collections all over the world, some of which are shown in the exhibition. The excavation activities by the BIP did reveal a particular interesting way of presenting the votive offerings, mainly dozens of terracotta and limestone statues and hundreds of statuettes, in the open-air space of the sanctuary. They were directly put on (terracotta) and fixed in (limestone) the natural bedrock. Following meticulous observations and documentation work, we are able to present a life-size reconstruction of this specific mise en scène within the exhibition.
 Image of the excavation site of the BIP 2024 |
 Reconstruction of the Sanctuary (© Steven Götz) |
The sanctuary at Idalion-Moutti tou Arvili operated, according to our actual knowledge, from the Cypro-Archaic (7th c. BCE) to the Roman period. It clearly shows all the aspects of a place of worship of the great female Cypriot goddess, especially manifold aspects of fertility. While for several centuries this goddess did not bear a specific name, from the period of Alexander the Great (late 4th c. BCE) onwards, she was identified with the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Indeed, in 2024 we found a sherd inscribed with the name “Aphrodite” in Greek alphabetic script. We are, therefore, sure that the sanctuary excavated by the BIP corresponds to the famous cult place of mighty Aphrodite/Venus sung by Hellenistic and Roman poets.
Image of the sherd with the inscription “Αφροδ”
Therefore, the intangible great Cypriot goddess became tangible and obtained a specific name. In the same way our exhibition makes her sanctuary and her cult tangible for visitors: While in the original setting in Antiquity her statues were worshipped and admired from respectful distance and nowadays the originals are exhibited in museums with high security standards, in our exhibition and thanks to modern technology and methods, the statues and other objects can be approached and touched, allowing for a more hands on experience of Antiquity.
Since all the exhibits and the entire setting of the exhibition can be very easily transported, it is our aim to show the exhibition also in Cyprus at a later moment.
Parallel to the exhibition will be published a A5 book presenting the results of our excavations in both an English and a Greek edition.