Archaeologists excavating the Sanctuary of Apollo at Frangissa, near the village of Pera Orinis in Cyprus, have uncovered more than 20 bases of votive statues preserved in their original positions, marking one of the most significant discoveries in recent years relating to the island’s Archaic period.
The discovery is especially important because the bases appear not to have been identified during the original excavation of the sanctuary by German archaeologist Max Ohnefalsch-Richter in 1885. The newly uncovered material reveals a previously unknown section of the sanctuary’s Archaic phase and offers rare insight into the arrangement of ritual offerings within the sacred complex.
The finds emerged during the fifth excavation season at the rural sanctuary, directed by Matthias Recke of the University of Frankfurt, with fieldwork led by Philipp Kobusch of the University of Rostock. The project is funded by the Amricha Foundation in Leipzig and Argo in Frankfurt.
Several of the limestone bases still preserved the feet of the statues that once stood upon them, while fragments and feet of clay figurines were also recovered. Archaeologists say the discovery provides the first evidence in Cyprus that terracotta votive figures were displayed not only on the ground or in rock-cut niches, but also on specially made limestone bases.
The Sanctuary of Apollo was first excavated in the late 19th century, but Ohnefalsch-Richter’s work was never fully published and the precise location of the site was eventually lost. Modern archaeological investigations have since relocated the sanctuary and allowed researchers to re-examine the earlier excavations using contemporary archaeological methods.
When originally discovered, the sanctuary was noted for the extraordinary concentration of votive offerings, with statue bases arranged closely together throughout the site. Many of those bases, however, were later removed and reused as backfill material.
This year’s excavations are therefore considered particularly significant because the newly discovered bases had seemingly remained untouched since antiquity. In some areas, archaeologists found bases stacked one above another in a manner that allowed both offerings to remain visible, providing the first clear evidence of how dedications gradually accumulated over time within the sanctuary.
Careful stratigraphic analysis has also revealed that, during antiquity, earlier layers of offerings were intentionally buried beneath levelling deposits to create a flat surface before a new series of bases was installed above them. Researchers identified more than 100 fragments from the later phase of bases within the backfill of the original 19th-century excavations.
Archaeologists are now investigating whether this large-scale reorganisation of the sanctuary, likely dating to the end of the Archaic period, was prompted by a destructive event or simply by the need to create more space for additional offerings.
The newly uncovered bases and associated statue fragments provide the first definitive archaeological evidence for the sanctuary’s Archaic phase, which until now had only been suggested through isolated sculptural finds. Excavators also identified undisturbed deposits of Archaic pottery for the first time since modern investigations began, significantly enhancing understanding of the sanctuary’s long history.
According to Cyprus’ Department of Antiquities, the ongoing excavations are offering valuable new evidence for the development of Cypriot sanctuaries and the ritual and social practices that shaped them from the Archaic through to the Hellenistic periods.
Sources : University of Rostock
