Ancient Erimi dig reveals large building with game-board carvings

Local archaeologyculturehistoryLimassolTop News Ancient Erimi dig reveals large building with game-board carvings Erimi 2026 Press Release Fig. 1 2 1 1536x1152 Relevant News AMANI by Amby Brings Well-Being Living to Limassol 2 September 2026 Ancient Erimi dig reveals large building with game-board carvings 2 September 2026 Minister says contributions issue on table if pension fund struggles 2 September 2026 newsroom 2 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Archaeologists have gradually uncovered the shape and layout of a large central building at ancient Erimi, one of the most significant finds of this year’s excavation season. New research has revealed six rooms in the building’s east and west wings, a central courtyard, and evidence pointing to a second storey. The Department of Antiquities announced the end of the Italian archaeological mission’s 2026 excavation season. An Italian-led team of archaeologists, researchers and students carried out the work at Erimi-Laonin tou Porakou between July 27 and August 21. The research is being conducted under the scientific direction of Professor Luca Bombardieri, as part of a programme led by the University of Siena, in close cooperation with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Department of Antiquities of the Deputy Ministry of Culture. The building covers approximately 250 square metres and appears to have incorporated earlier structures, revealing successive phases of the settlement’s use. Among the notable finds are a series of carvings on the wide threshold of one of the rooms, which excavators have identified with ancient senet-type board games. The dig focused on the hilltop, where the large central building stands, alongside research in part of the southern funerary complex. Researchers have now fully revealed the central building’s boundaries south of the textile-processing complex. Built with large perimeter walls, the building appears to be accessible via a narrow passage running east to west, and further findings have detailed its floor plan and internal layout. A narrow, four-sided corridor or antechamber (Sector 1) features a double entrance with monolithic thresholds that are not aligned, suggesting an angled route into the large central courtyard. To the east and west of the courtyard, researchers found a row of six symmetrically arranged rooms, all fully excavated, forming the building’s east wing (Sectors 5, 6 and 8) and west wing (Sectors 2, 3 and 7). Only one room in the east wing, Sector 6, allows direct access from the courtyard, through an entrance with a wide threshold; the successive carvings on its surface are the ones identified with senet-type games. In the southernmost part of that same room, researchers found a large, deep underground storage space with an estimated capacity of about 2.8 cubic metres. Research in the building’s south wing uncovered an earlier construction phase with a different orientation, marked by massive walls and an elongated floor plan. At this point, the central building appears to have adapted these pre-existing structures. Researchers found evidence of a staircase that would have provided access to a second floor, as well as to three adjoining rooms in the west wing. The research further found that this section of the building was not connected to other rooms on its eastern side. A relatively large open area lay there instead, containing installations and probably light or temporary wooden structures, indicated by circular carvings identified as post holes. A series of covered spaces extends further east, where researchers found the remains of at least one four-sided building section, likely used for housing (Sector SA VII). Excavators also examined a small part of the southern necropolis outside the settlement’s walls (Area E) this season. They fully investigated three chamber tombs with vertical dromoi, numbered T.2656 to T.2658. Tomb T.2656 is particularly significant for its funerary architecture. It connects to an elongated vertical dromos and has a bench at the back of the chamber, facing the entrance. A secondary internal entrance links it to a second chamber extending to the west. These findings point to a complex funerary programme dating to the site’s final phase of habitation, at the end of the Middle Bronze Age. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News AMANI by Amby Brings Well-Being Living to Limassol Minister says contributions issue on table if pension fund struggles Bluetongue virus confirmed in sheep in Larnaca and Paphos Medical Association to review doctors over prison sick leave cases Cyprus doctors trapped by Brexit as UK qualifications go unrecognised Seven stops through Cyprus’s history, from Troodos to the coast The Freehouse: a spritzeria in Limassol’s old town Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.