Now, almost 140 years later, the sanctuary is once again exposed and available for modern archaeological research. With the support of AMRICHA, a team of German archaeologists from the Universities of Frankfurt and Kiel/Würzburg has resumed excavations at Frangissa. Following the localization of the old excavation site through two limited test trenches last year [as detailed in the linked 2023 report], the sanctuary was extensively excavated in 2024. The nearly 2‑meter-high fill of soil and stones was removed by hand and carefully sifted. It became evident that this fill consisted of the spoil heap from the 1885 excavation, possibly containing ancient artifacts that were overlooked or deemed unimportant at the time.

During the labor-intensive work, the surrounding wall of the votive gift courtyard and over 100 statue bases of varying, sometimes colossal, sizes were uncovered. Remarkably, the 19th-century backfill not only contained the bases for votive statues indicated in the plan but also a vast quantity of statue fragments, many of significant size and extraordinary quality. The new finds from 2024 have profoundly expanded our understanding of this sacred site. Not only can many of the statues discovered in 1885, housed in museums in Nicosia and Toronto, now be completed with newly found fragments to restore their original appearance, but entirely new statue types previously unknown in Frangissa have also been documented. For example, the discovery of oversized feet in a walking stance has confirmed the existence of colossal male limestone figures from the Archaic period (7th–6th centuries BCE). Until now, such life-sized figures in Frangissa were only known in terracotta, such as the famous “Colossus of Tamassos” displayed in the Cyprus Museum. Additionally, evidence of other votive offerings not previously documented has emerged, including marbled glass beads and Egyptian faience amulets.

A particularly spectacular discovery was the unearthing of two inscribed bases. One features several local Cypriot syllabic script characters, while the other is adorned with a delicate Greek alphabetic inscription referring to the Ptolemies, the Hellenistic rulers of Egypt who controlled Cyprus from the early 3rd century BCE. This dedication demonstrates that the sanctuary played an important role not only in the Archaic and Classical periods (7th/6th and 5th/4th centuries BCE) but also after the end of the so-called royal era.

Indeed, the cult site underwent significant expansion during this later period, as evidenced by its architecture. During this time, a large peristyle courtyard, likely used for ceremonial banquets, was constructed adjacent to the votive gift room. In Ohnefalsch-Richter’s excavations, only an outer wall of this four-sided colonnaded structure was revealed, and it was not recognized as part of a larger building complex. As a result, the area of this building has remained undisturbed by modern interventions, offering a rare opportunity to examine undisturbed stratigraphic layers and gain direct insights into the building’s use. In the 2024 campaign, the dimensions of a northern-facing entrance, partially identified in 2021, were clarified. Moreover, the complex apparently included two additional doors on the west side, which were previously unknown. Although this building was not extensively excavated, targeted test trenches have now allowed its structure to be fully documented. The unexamined areas are being preserved as a kind of archive, in line with modern excavation practices, allowing future generations to conduct further investigations using new methods.

The 2024 excavations at Pera-Frangissa garnered significant attention, attracting numerous visitors from politics, academia, and the church. Notable guests included Cyprus’s Minister of Culture, Dr. V. Kassianidou, the Director of the Department of Antiquities, Dr. G. Georgiou, the German Ambassador to Cyprus, Dr. A. Schlimm, Bishop Porphyrios, and representatives of Cypriot and international universities. Alexander Malios, chairman of AMRICHA, also visited the excavations and the excavation house.

The campaign, led by Dr. Matthias Recke (University of Frankfurt) and Prof. Dr. Philipp Kobusch (University of Kiel), lasted from September 5 to October 14, 2024. Participants included students from the universities of Frankfurt, Kiel, Cologne, and Stuttgart, as well as students from Cyprus University in Nicosia. The analysis of animal bones was conducted by Dr. Angelos Hadjikoumis (Cyprus Institute), and ceramic analysis by Dr. Anna Georgiadou (University of Cyprus). A new team member, Laura Lipcsei, a conservator from the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto (Canada), oversaw the professional conservation and restoration of this year’s excavation finds. With her extensive experience working on the Frangissa finds in Toronto from 1885, she brought invaluable expertise to the project. Heartfelt thanks go to all participants.

Excavations at Frangissa are planned to continue in 2025. Future investigations promise to yield important new findings and insights that will revive the ritual practices of past eras. The large-scale studies of the sanctuary initiated this year will allow the cult site to be understood within its original spatial context. Research at Frangissa is thus of immense significance not only for the specific site but also for the entire ancient Cypriot landscape and our contemporary understanding of ancient cult practices.

Der Beitrag Pera-Frangissa • Season 2024 erschien zuerst auf Amricha.

Important steps towards the localisation and recovery of the Frangissa sanctuary, which was discovered in 1885, have already been achieved in previous campaigns, as can be read in the reports linked here: After the analysis of finds from the preparatory 2020 survey campaign had made it clear that there must have been an ancient sanctuary in the area under investigation, the first architectural remains were found right at the start of the excavation in 2021. However, despite their good preservation, the walls could not be reconciled with the plan of the 1885 excavation. The fact that the site of the famous Apollo sanctuary of Frangissa had indeed been rediscovered was confirmed in 2022 by the discovery of terracotta fragments that matched the breakage of votive statues that Ohnefalsch-Richter had excavated in 1885. At the same time, however, it became clear that the extensive architectural structures belonging to an extensive building measuring at least 14 x 20 metres were undisturbed by modern interventions and that a previously unknown complex had been discovered here, the investigation of which offered the opportunity to gain unique insights into the structures of the ancient sanctuary.

Based on this level of knowledge, the research objectives for 2023 were clearly defined:

(a) the precise localisation of the walled votive courtyard excavated in 1885,

b) in-depth research into the newly discovered architectural complex — particularly with regard to its exact appearance and function

c) To clarify the spatial and functional relationship between the two architectural complexes.

The campaign, led by Dr Matthias Recke (University of Frankfurt) and PD Dr Philipp Kobusch (Kiel University), lasted from 6 September to 7 October 2024 and involved students from the University of Frankfurt and Kiel as well as students from Cyprus University in Nicosia. The team was complemented by an archaeologist from Cyprus, Dr Thea Christoforou, as well as the experienced team of conservators Irene Pamer-Gatzsche and Alexander Gatzsche (AMRICHA Leipzig); the latter also supported the work with his technical expertise (drone photography; 3D scanning). The animal bones were identified by Dr Angelos Hadjikoumis (Cyprus Institute) and the pottery by Dr Anna Georgiadou (University of Cyprus). Our sincere thanks go to all those involved.

One of the most important successes of the 2023 campaign was the uncovering of a wall section running diagonally to the previously uncovered building remains. The discovery of a massive statue base at the head of this wall, with its unique, characteristic shape with a profiled recess and lateral projections, finally enabled the long-awaited correlation with the 1885 excavation: the base is marked in its unmistakable shape on the stone plan by Ohnefalsch-Richter at exactly this point. This means that it is now possible to correctly align the old plan and plan the next steps to uncover the statue courtyard. Uncovering the area that had already been excavated turned out to be more time-consuming than expected, as Ohnefalsch-Richter — as he also stated in his reports — had parts of the masonry torn down in search of inscriptions. Numerous remains of votive statues and terracottas were found in the rubble of the walls and the backfill of the old excavation area, meaning that a very careful approach was also required when uncovering the site.

The evaluation of the information known to date now reveals the following picture: the sanctuary, which was much larger than previously assumed, consisted of two directly adjoining areas that fulfilled completely different functions. The open courtyard, documented by Max Ohnefalsch-Richter in 1885, served as a place to display the votive offerings in the form of statues made of limestone and terracotta — some of which were much larger than life. There was also an enclosed cult chamber and the altar where sacrifices were made to the god Apollo. A surprising discovery was the observation that the densely packed votive offering statues on the south-facing hillside, which was partially encased by the enclosing wall, stood partly on brick steps that rose upwards and presented themselves to the visitor as if in a theatre. This created the image of a dense staggering of the votives without restricting their visibility and effect. Ancient votive offerings from the Archaic period (7th-6th century BC) were evidently placed next to votives from the Classical or Hellenistic periods (5th-1st century BC). The extent to which this was the result of a successive placement of the statues or possibly the result of a rearrangement in the Hellenistic period will be answered by the complete uncovering of the area.

To the east of this sacred courtyard is a large building with four surrounding halls which, according to the finds, was used for ritual banquets in honour of Apollo. The halls, which were open to the courtyard and regularly supported by pillars, also offered visitors to this rural sanctuary protection from the sun and rain. It is also conceivable that visitors could spend the night here under the shelter of the roofs.

Analysing the finds from the 2023 excavation campaign also yielded surprising results. In addition to the famous “Colossus of Tamassos”, which is one of the most monumental exhibits of the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia and was found in situ in 1885 in the Apollo sanctuary of Frangissa, another figure of a similar size has been found. So far, only a few fragments of it have been found in 2023, but they can be augmented by matching finds from the 1885 excavation.

In a research project by German archaeologists closely linked to the excavations, most of the pieces from the 1885 excavation in international museums were digitally scanned in March and April 2024. This will make it possible to identify related pieces more quickly in future, especially the new votives found in the coming years, and to obtain a comprehensive picture of the range of votives and votive art of the period in general instead of a wealth of individual fragments. For example, it is now possible to provide physical evidence of the affiliation of individual heads and bodies by matching 3D replicas with original artefacts The continuation of the work promises a variety of in-depth insights into the ritual and social life of ancient Cyprus. The excavation project makes it possible to understand the functional structure of such a sanctuary in a special way. The work will therefore continue this year. The research has so far been generously funded by the AMRICHA Research Institute Leipzig, whose director Alexander Malios has once again pledged substantial support for the current year.

Der Beitrag Pera-Frangissa • Season 2024 erschien zuerst auf Amricha.