CHOIROKOITIA A Neolithic Village in Cyprus
Towards the beginning og the 9th millenium B.C., continental settlers arrived in Cyprus introducing new plant and animal species. It seems that gradually this population lost its connections with its motherland and, int he insular isolation, developed into a unique civilization, known as the Cypriot Recent Aceramic Neolithic - aceramic because the skill of pottr-making was unknown. The site of Choirokoitia provides a fine example of this cultural phase as its apogee in the second half o the 7th millenium B.C.
The site was discovered in 1934 by Porfyrios Dikaios, who conucted several excavation season between 1936 and 1946 for the Department of Antiquities. Research was resumed in 1976 by the French Archaeological Mission (National Centre for Scientific Research and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs). In 1998 the Neolithic settlement of Choirokoitia was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Neolithic village is located on the slopes og a hill partly enclosed by a meander on the Maroni river. The vigorous architectural activity of the inhabitants of Choirokoitia is evidence in the imposing excavated structures whether these were of collective or private use
One of the most important archtictural constructions, implying organized collective labour, is the wall or rather the successive phases of the wall, which enclosed the village along its occupation. The most ancient wall (100), whose outline was traced to 260m, was uncovered to a lenght of 180m. and at some points was preserved to a height of approximately 4m. The wall, reconstructed several times, was a massive earthen structure, its exterior face revetted with stones. It remained in use until the village expanded beyond its original boundaries into unoccupied territory. A new robust stone wall (284), 2.5m thick, was consequently constructed, still preserved to a Height of 2-3m. It was traced to more than 100m and was uncovered to a length of about 60m.
The extent of the exceptional technical skills of the inhabitants of Choirokoitia is evident in the construction of the complex entrance way that gives access to the village. In order to overcome the difference in height between the surface on which the village was built and the lower ground outside, and in order to have control of access to the village , a unique structure was designed, without parallel in Cyprus or the Near East: a stone staircase was constructed on a massive rectangular stone structure on the exterior of the enclosure wall, consisting of three flights of steps at right angles to each other.
The enclosed area was reserved exclusively for human habitation. There is no indication of any enclosures intended for keeping goats, sheep or pigs within the village. Apart from animal husbandry, hunting and agriculture supplemented the required food resources. Wheat, einkorn, emmer wheat and, to a lesser extent, barely as well as legume such as lentis were cultivated. In addition to cultivated products, fruit was collected from trees: pistachios, figs, olives and plums.
The basic architectural unit was a structure of circular plan with a flat roof. Dimensions are variable reaching a maximum of 10 to 11m. in exterior diameter and an interior diameter of 7 to 7.5m. The habitation unit or house consisted of a group of these structures around an open space, where installations for grinding corn were found. Materials used for construction, either singly or in combination, were earth on sun-dried mudbricks and stone. Openings in the wall in place of windows, as well as a door, allowed air and light into the buildings . Internal subdivisions or arrangements were made according to the predetermined use of each unit, such as a loft supported by massive piers, low walls, basins or hearths defining working or rest areas.
The floors of the habitations units were also used for the inhumation of dead people. The deceased were buried, sometimes with grave-goods, in pits inside the units which continued to be inhabited so that the dead remained with the living and death would not break the community cohesion.
Source: Touristic Guide
