The Department of Antiquities of the Deputy Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus announces the completion of the excavation by the French Archaeological Mission of Avignon University, in collaboration with the French School of Athens, under the direction of Professor Claire Balandier. The excavation was conducted on Fabrika Hill in Kato Pafos, the northeastern acropolis of ancient Nea Pafos, as well as along the perimeter of the ancient city walls, based on the collaborative research programme established between the French Archaeological Mission in Pafos and the Department of Antiquities of the Republic of Cyprus, with the support of the French School of Athens. The works are funded by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French School of Athens, the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS – Research Unit 5189 HiSOMA), Avignon University and the Municipality of Pafos.

The aim is to conduct a comprehensive study of the Hellenistic city walls of Nea Pafos by new excavations and by publishing the results of earlier excavations carried out by the Department of Antiquities on different parts of the city wall in the 1980s. The Hellenistic and Roman pottery found by Prof. Demetrios Michaelides on the harbour of Pafos in the 1980s was studied by Prof. Jolanta Młynarczyk (University of Warsaw). In the north-west gate area, the bottom of towers was cleaned. Lionel Fadin from the École Française d’Athènes completed the general topographical drawing of the city wall: here on the foundation of the wall found by the Department of Antiquities (leaded by Dr Eustathios Raptou) to the north of the church Panagia Theoskepasti.

Two trenches were opened on the city wall in collaboration with Dr Sophocles Hadjisavvas Excavations, one in the fill of the south tower of the north-west gate, at its northwest corner (the faces of this tower were first cleared by himself in 1982 and then by D. Michaelides in 1989): the last floor of the tower was found, partially preserved, with a large ashlar blocks lying against the northern wall. On Fabrika Hill, at the foot of Agios Agapitikos church, the massive square cut into the bedrock and linked to the upper terrace could be identified as the northeast tower of the Hellenistic defensive wall: the blocks of the faces were partly looted by the Romans or reused at the base of the church which was created inside the remains of the tower.

Few metres to the west of the church, to the north of Fabrika Hill, the excavation of the large Roman house continued in the room located in the southeast corner of this large building, at the junction between the south and east wings (room 9): the last floor of the room uncovered in 2025 and the upper part of the fill of the room, after the house was abandoned, has been excavated, revealing the southern wall, well preserved: it is made of nice reused ashlar blocks as well as rubble stones.

The excavation of the well and of the underground gallery at the top of the hill, to the north of the theatre, continued too. It showed that the channel carved in the bedrock found in 2025 continued to the southeast: in its first phase it was flowing northward, above the underground gallery which was storaging water in Hellenistic times. The canal was cut by the digging of the well, intended to collect the canal waters in the underground gallery and carry them towards the Roman cistern to the south. At the bottom of the gallery were found fragments of a large terracotta pipe.

A trench was opened against the external western wall of the hydraulic gallery cut into the bedrock to try to find the ancient floor outside the tunnel. No floor was found yet, but the wall shows a severe crack, probably made by an earthquake. It explains why the hydraulic gallery was abandoned: it was losing water on the top from the crack. Perpendicular to this wall was found a circa 3 m height wall whose foundation and floor still have to be reached: it may be Roman or even Hellenistic. It is very important, because it confirms that the circulation level in antiquity was much deeper than in ancient times than today. We will try to reach the foundation next year.

Finally, on Fabrika Hill, the excavation of chamber 5 (one of the 15 underground spaces inventoried by the French Mission) was completed. It showed that it was first a quarry in early Hellenistic times. This underground chamber, with its regularised ceiling and walls, and carved-out niches, must have been intended to be a tomb, but it was abandoned before it could be used, probably when the hill was included in the city area with the construction of the city wall in the second half of the second century BC. In Roman times, it was partly filled and in early Byzantine times, it was used as a church.