Pyrgos (Lm)
The Early-Middle Bronze Age Necropolis
by
Maria Rosaria Belgiorno
Edited by
De Strobel Publisher
Nicosia 2019
Geomorphology.
Pyrgos is located on the Southern coast in Limassol district, one of the six districts in which the island was divided before the 1974.
Furthermore, the region includes some of the most ancient pre-Neolithic sites: Akrotiri Aetokremnos (the earliest site of Cyprus associated with extinct endemic Pleistocene fauna), Parekklisha Shillourokambos (at 3 km West of Pyrgos, where was found the most ancient cat buried with a human, 9th millennium BC) and Ayios Tychonas Klimonas (9th millennium BC, 5 km West of Pyrgos), and a number of Neolithic and Chalcolithic small sitse located 1-5 kms West of Pyrgos during the survey made by the France Archaeological Mission at Amathunte in 1989 . More Neolithic sites (Early and Middle Neolithic) are along the line of the river Kouris, which descends from the Olympic mountain, crossing the Western territory of Limassol district. Most important is Erimi where Porfirios Dikaios in '30 years excavated a late Neolithic site, whose pottery typology underlines a chronological step in the evolution of Cyprus culture. Among the others, there is the chalcolithic site of Souskiou, famous to produce picrolite pendants shaped as anthropomorphic cruciform idols (Fig.1).
Fig. 1: South West Neolithic sites close to the Pyrgos village
Occupation.
However, numerous are the sites of Bronze age distribute in correspondence of modern villages, demonstrating the uninterrupted continuity of occupation of comfortable places to inhabit, thanks the mineral wealth of the territory, the natural resources, and the presence of hydrological facility.
Water is the driving element in the past that justifies the presence or absence of a settlement. If it is true that the presence of wells indicates an advanced level of human organization, the complete absence of wells or pipes indicates that the site had natural water resources in close proximity. The archaeological evidence indicates that since the Neolithic villages were on the sides of the rivers flowing down from the Troodos. Many of them are now dry, because the water has been intercepted before reaching the valley, and is collected in dams of different sizes, built in the last century to create drinking water reserves.
In antiquity, the problem of scarcity of rain was less severe than today, and the Greek geographers describe the island covered by a blanket of forests that reached the sea. In the case of Pyrgos, the settlement was developing along the confluence of three arms of a stream (Pyrgos), which joins other streams before reaching the sea after 4 km. The water catchment of Pyrgos in fact includes a vast array of streams that descend from the Troodos passing through one of the richest areas of the island for mineral and natural resources.
Considering the geographical position of Pyrgos and the geomorphology of its territory, we found that the site, in terms of metal ore possessions, is in a privileged position.
The prehistoric site is situated in the heart of the Limni large alluvial cone, positioned between the Pharmakas and Kalavassos villages . The geological structure of the Pharmakas - Kalavasos area is one of the richest in minerals of the island for its mineral formations and rare morphologies, studied by many researchers (Fig. 2). Since Maestrichtian a long history of lifting and erosion of soil has shaped the land. Many cycles of sedimentation, formed by running water, have produced special coastal morphologies.
Among them, the most debated is the Monì Formation , which occupies a belt of 2 km between the villages of Armenochori and Monagroulli. Pantakis described in detail the geomorphology of the area in 1978. Gaudry in 1862, Bellamy and Jukes-Brown (1905), Henson, Browne and McGinty (1949) published previous geological maps. Moussoulos (1957) and Schmidt (1960) have studied the geological composition and distribution of minerals. In 1963, Bear completed a detailed geological map of Cyprus including all available geological information at the time about the Pharmakas-Kalavasos zone.
The area is the lowest of the Troodos Mountains close to the southern coast; minerals morphologies composed of many litho-outcrops form it. The region is located where the Troodos Ophiolite complex combines Circum Troodos sedimentary succession. Its formation dates to the middle Cretaceous, beginning with the oldest Arakapas Ophiolite sequence. While the final formation of sedimentary levels slips back to upper Miocene. Millenarian erosion of rainwater left a sedimentary area between the mountains and the sea, principally composed of quartziferous serpentine sandstone and clay matrix.
The Millenary erosion made by the very aggressive waters of the numerous seasonal streams is particularly marked around Pyrgos, whereas mineral outcrops of copper and iron surface in the deep cuttings left by running water
Fig.2: Pyrgos geological map, including the alluvial Limni cone
Anchorages.
The Monì cement factory, which is located at the mouth of Limni, faces the coastal limestone rocks of Monì formation. The tributaries of Limni worked as lines of communication between the ancient villages and the sea during the dry season. Even today, the road that runs from the village of Pyrgos straight to the sea follows an ancient path bordering a stream, which originates from the western branches of Pyrgos.
At the end, there is a small port, a luxury marina for private yachts, which worked until a recent past for fishing port. Other two anchorages are still in use; one is a terminal for the oil supply of the "Monì power station" that provides electricity to the Limassol district; the second is the support base of the Lofitis fishing farm (Fig. 3). Along the coast, some remains of marshes formed by ancient flows are still visible. Meanwhile, a stone arch (almost hidden by the new coastal road) points the place where one time there was a structure for the bath of sheep before shearing.Fig. 5: Position of anchorages at 4 km far from Pyrgos/Mavroraki
The sheep baths were organized around some freshwater pools formed near the sea by the waters coming from the Troodos Mountains. According to the memory of old people, wool clipping was a traditional event and the opportunity to organize a kind of an agricultural fair. This event gave people the opportunity to buy seasonally and sell fish, livestock, agricultural products, and tools. The old tradition corresponding to the morphology of the territory, justifies the existence, within walking distance of three anchors on the coast. It is highly probable that one of the three was an ancient trading port, which began working after the prehistoric economy of Pyrgos/Mavroraki.
Fig. 3: Position of anchorages at 4 km far from Pyrgos/Mavroraki
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