Excavations on Yeronisos island, Cyprus
During the 1st century BC, vast resources were invested in the small uninhabited islet of Yeronisos off western Cyprus. With the support of the A. G. Leventis Foundation, New York University has undertaken a full digital survey of Yeronisos and its architectural remains and has brought a large group of senior scholars to Cyprus for the study and publication of material unearthed across the past 25 years. This material provides a rare window onto the final years of Ptolemaic rule in Cyprus, precisely during the reign of Cleopatra VII. Finds include: the only Ptolemaic ostraka found in Cyprus; a stone parapegma with monthly calendar; limestone amulets showing traditional Cypriot and Ptolemaic Egyptian motifs; and a circular platform that may be a dance floor. Pinakes, stone trays, amulets and a scarab are among objects reflecting to cult ritual. An ostrakon reading “Apollo” points to the divinity worshipped on “Holy Island”.
Grants given:
2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
