Ancient Kition, Larnaca, Cyprus

Kition was a city-kingdom located in present-day Larnaca, established in the 13th century BC. The first inhabitants of Kition were the Achaeans, the first Greek colonists to go to Cyprus. They settled with the purpose of exploiting copper but the settlement eventually faded two centuries later.
The town was later rebuilt on a larger scale and there is some evidence of Phoenician presence at the beginning of the 10th century BC.
The kingdom was under Egyptian domination for a short period in the 6th century BC and Persia ruled Cyprus from 545 BC. In 499 BC Cypriot kingdoms joined Ionia's revolt against Persia, whose rule over Cyprus eventually ended in 332 BC. However, in 312 BC Ptolomy I from Egypt conquered Cyprus, which was later annexed by Rome in 58 BC. Strong earthquakes in the 4th century destroyed Kition making the population move closer to the sea.

Opening hours: mid-Sep. to mid-Apr., Mon. to Fri. 8.30 am to 5 pm; mid- Apr. to mid-Sep., Mon. to Fri. 9.30 am to 5 pm.
Entrance fee: 2.50€








Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing these photos with us! Being honest there's very little to see, because what's left is mainly the foundations and base of the ancient temple. But it still looks so mysterious and beautiful! You may check this to find more information about the best archaeological sites of Cyprus.

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  2. Thank for your nice comments and for the link. I hope to go back to Cyprus someday, there's still a lot to visit :-)

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