Image Credit : NKUA
A defensive tower measuring approximately 7.4 by 7.3 metres has emerged from excavations at ancient Palaepaphos in Cyprus, providing new evidence of how the settlement was protected during the Late Bronze Age. The discovery also helps date the earliest known phase of its fortifications, a long-standing question surrounding this important ancient centre.
The Discovery
Archaeologists from the Department of History and Archaeology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) uncovered the remains during the August–September 2026 excavation season at Marchello, near the village of Kouklia in south-western Cyprus.
The site lies less than one kilometre north-east of the Sanctuary of Aphrodite at Palaepaphos, a major religious centre associated with the worship of the goddess. Earlier excavations by British, German-Swiss and University of Cyprus teams had revealed an extensive defensive rampart, a monumental gateway and other substantial architectural remains.
Despite these discoveries, researchers had not fully established when the fortifications were first built or how their design changed over time.
Since 2021, an NKUA team directed by Professor Konstantinos Kopanias has investigated the site's architectural development. The latest findings provide evidence that the earliest phase of the rampart dates to the Late Cypriot IIC–IIIA period, towards the end of the Late Bronze Age.
This places the origins of the known defensive system in a period when the settlement was developing substantial monumental architecture.
What Archaeologists Found
The excavation produced two particularly important sets of evidence: material associated with the earliest rampart and the remains of a defensive structure that underwent several building phases.
Beside a newly exposed section of the rampart, archaeologists identified an undisturbed deposit containing pottery from the Late Cypriot IIC–IIIA period. A concentration of marl lay on the deposit's surface. Researchers suggest that this material was prepared for construction.
Marl appears to have been spread across the stone foundations to create a level base for the mudbrick superstructure above. The association between this material, the pottery and the foundations helps establish the chronology of the rampart's earliest known phase.
The principal architectural discovery was a rectangular bastion projecting from the defensive wall. Built during Late Cypriot IIIA, the bastion was later enlarged by adding a three-sided structure to its front. This alteration produced an almost square tower measuring approximately 7.4 metres by 7.3 metres.
Its thick walls enclosed an internal chamber of around nine square metres. The combination of the square plan, substantial masonry and enclosed space supports the interpretation that it served a defensive purpose. Archaeologists also consider it possible that the tower carried additional levels.
Only the foundations survive, however, so the structure's original height remains unknown.
The tower was subsequently reinforced with a wall approximately 2.7 metres thick along its north-western side, probably during Late Cypriot IIIA. These additions indicate that the defensive complex developed through successive construction and strengthening rather than a single building campaign.
Further changes came centuries later. During the Late Cypro-Classical period in the fourth century BC, another reinforcing wall was built along the tower's north-eastern and south-eastern sides. Pottery from its foundation trench helps date this modification. The main rampart was also widened during a later phase, possibly around the same period.
Historical Background
Palaepaphos was an important ancient settlement closely associated with the Sanctuary of Aphrodite. Its religious significance makes the relationship between the sanctuary and the settlement's surrounding architecture an important subject for archaeological investigation.
The newly documented fortifications add a defensive dimension to that picture. Their substantial foundations, projecting bastion and later tower demonstrate that the site contained carefully constructed architectural features during the Late Bronze Age.
The sequence of modifications also indicates that the defensive complex was altered over an extended period. Its Late Bronze Age structures were followed by at least some later reinforcement during the fourth century BC.
Yet the interval between these phases remains uncertain. Within the area excavated by NKUA, researchers have not identified a securely established Cypro-Geometric or Cypro-Archaic construction phase.
Consequently, the evidence does not establish whether the fortifications remained in continuous use between their Late Bronze Age construction and the later Cypro-Classical alterations.
Scientific Analysis
The dating of the earliest rampart depends on the relationship between the architectural remains and the archaeological deposits associated with them.
The pottery found beside the newly exposed wall provides chronological evidence, while the marl concentration offers clues about construction methods. Its position over the stone foundations is consistent with the preparation of a level surface for a mudbrick superstructure.
The tower's successive architectural additions provide another way to reconstruct the site's development. Changes to the bastion, the construction of the north-western reinforcement and the later walls demonstrate distinct stages of alteration.
Pottery recovered from the foundation trench of the fourth-century BC reinforcement helps place that work within a later chronological phase.
Nevertheless, the surviving evidence has limits. The foundations cannot establish the tower's original height, and the absence of securely identified intervening construction phases leaves a gap in the site's architectural sequence. Further study will be needed to refine the chronology and test how the different building stages relate to one another.
Why This Discovery Matters
The Department of Antiquities describes the find as the first Late Bronze Age fortification system identified at Palaepaphos. Its significance lies not only in the newly recognised defensive tower but also in the clearer dating of the settlement's earliest known rampart.
The evidence provides a firmer basis for understanding how monumental defensive architecture developed at this location. It also demonstrates that the complex underwent several phases of construction, reinforcement and expansion, extending into a much later historical period.
The tower's plan and thick walls support a defensive interpretation, although its precise function and original appearance cannot be reconstructed from the surviving foundations alone.
One important question remains: does the gap between the Late Bronze Age and fourth-century BC construction phases reflect a break in the use of the fortifications, or could future excavations reveal evidence of activity that has not yet been identified? Readers can share their thoughts in the comments.
The answer matters because the chronology of the walls is central to reconstructing how the settlement's built environment changed over time.
What's Next?
Further investigation of the recovered archaeological material is expected to help clarify the sequence of construction at Marchello and establish the wider significance of the defensive complex.
The research may also help determine how the earliest rampart, the bastion and the later reinforcing walls fit into the longer development of Palaepaphos.
At the end of the 2026 excavation season, the exposed architectural remains were covered with protective ground-cover fabric to reduce weathering. This measure will help safeguard the structures while archaeological research continues.
Conclusion
The 2026 excavations at Marchello have identified the earliest known phase of Palaepaphos's fortifications as dating to the Late Bronze Age and revealed a substantial tower that was modified over successive periods. Although the site's full defensive history remains unresolved, the discoveries provide new architectural and chronological evidence for understanding this important Cypriot settlement.
FAQ
1. Where were the Late Bronze Age fortifications discovered?
They were found at Marchello in Kouklia, Cyprus, less than one kilometre north-east of the Sanctuary of Aphrodite at ancient Palaepaphos. The excavations are conducted by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
2. How old are the newly identified fortifications?
The earliest known rampart phase dates to Late Cypriot IIC–IIIA, towards the end of the Late Bronze Age. The evidence does not establish a more precise construction date.
3. What did archaeologists discover in 2026?
The team uncovered evidence dating the early rampart and a defensive tower measuring approximately 7.4 by 7.3 metres. The tower developed from an earlier bastion and was subsequently reinforced.
4. Was the fortification system used continuously?
That remains uncertain. No securely identified Cypro-Geometric or Cypro-Archaic construction phase has been found in the area excavated by NKUA.
