The Department of Antiquities of the Deputy Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus announces that in 2026 (30 March to 24 April), the French archaeological mission at Amathous (French School at Athens, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Laboratoire HiSoMA, MOM, Lyon) conducted its second excavation season on the west terrace of the Acropolis of Amathous. The excavation was directed by Dr Anna Cannavò (HiSoMA, MOM, Lyon) (fig. 1).

Following a geophysical survey conducted in 2024, the excavations started in 2025. The 2025 campaign had brought to light a small section of a north-south oriented wall in the central part of the terrace within Trench 1 (“sondage 1”), associated with a thick collapse layer and a series of well-preserved Late Roman roof tiles.

In 2026, Trench 1 was extended 4 m to the north, 1 m to the south and 1 m to the west of the initial sounding, thus reaching a total extent of 12 x 8 m. A larger portion of the north-south wall was uncovered on the western side of the trench, running parallel to the natural edge of the terrace and making a slight turn to the west in its southern part (Fig. 2). The wall reaches a thickness of 2 m and its elevation is preserved up to an average height of 50 cm. Its eastern face is made up of large limestone blocks, some of them partially cut to a roughly regular shape, held together by soil. The filling of the wall is composed of small and medium limestone rough stones packed together with soil.

Two probable construction phases can be identified: a first wall, 135 cm thick, was reinforced on the eastern face by a second row of large limestone blocks, separated from the original face by a filling layer of 10 to 20 cm thick (Fig. 2). A small sounding realised in the northern part of the area, to the east of the wall, brought to light its foundations. Associated to the wall is a floor, situated to the east, which was partially paved with roof tiles; a preparation layer of small, compacted gravels was exposed. Based on the material recovered, consisting mainly of transport amphorae and roof tiles, the wall and its associated floor can be dated to the Late Roman period.

The destruction layer excavated to the east of the wall included many large limestone blocks coming from the wall structure, but some of them reemployed from other buildings; a large quantity of tiles collapsed from the roof and preserved in a very good state; and consistent traces of mudbricks coming from the wall’s superstructure (Fig. 3). The western face of the wall has not been excavated, as it lies close to the terrace edge and its exposure could provoke a collapse.

A second trench was excavated during the 2026 campaign, Trench 3 (“sondage 3”), on the northern edge of the terrace, overhanging an archaic fortification wall excavated by the French mission in 1976–1977. This trench, 5 x 5 m, did not provide evidence of built structures, but its deep filling was rich in Iron Age material (Fig. 4).

The evidence brought to light during the 2026 campaign confirms the importance of the occupation on the terrace during the Late Antique period. The wall appears to have had a defensive character, thus indicating the need to protect the upper part of the Acropolis and the basilica which succeeded the sanctuary of Aphrodite. Whereas the western slope of the Acropolis is steep, it is not entirely inaccessible and therefore required additional protection in case of danger. Future research will allow to understand the layout of this defensive structure and the nature of the spaces located to its east, to which belong the paved spaces and the roof remains. It will also allow to find out if this architectural element was built upon earlier structures.