Ancient sanctuary honoring Apollo lost for 140 years in Cyprus. It’s been found
Nearly one and a half centuries ago, a German researcher ventured outside the ancient town of Tamassos in Cyprus.
The archaeologist was in a remote valley in 1885 when he discovered ancient ruins that would come to be known as “one of the most spectacular finds of his time,” according to an April 28 news release and Facebook post from the Cyprus Department of Antiquities and the Deputy Ministry of Culture.
There was a “richly furnished” sanctuary, built to honor the god Apollo, officials said.
“It was furnished with a lavish abundance of votive statues numbering in the hundreds, some of which were of colossal dimensions,” according to the release.
But the archaeologist was hasty, careless and imprecise, officials said, and after an excavator worked through the site, its location was lost to time — until now.
German archaeologists returned to the area in 2021 hoping to find the sanctuary again, but they were unsuccessful until the 2024 excavation season, according to the release.
Then, two dug trenches revealed the location of the sanctuary, and meticulous excavations could begin, officials said.
Archaeologists found the walls of the courtyard complete with more than 100 statue bases, according to the release.
“It was a surprising realization that not only the pedestals for votive statues were found in the 19th century backfill, but also vast quantities of statue fragments themselves,” officials said. “Apparently, in 1885, they were not recognized as artifacts in the rush.”
Newly discovered statue pieces appear to match statues already discovered and now housed in the Cyprus Museum and the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, according to the release. There is also a completely new kind of statue that was previously unknown from the site.
“The discovery of clearly larger-than-life feet, for example, means that the existence of colossal male limestone figures from archaic times can now be proven,” officials said.
They also uncovered marbled glass beads and Egyptian amulets made from a glazed ceramic, according to the release.
Inscribed bases found within the sanctuary show “that the sanctuary played an important role not only in archaic times (seventh and sixth centuries B.C.), but also after the end of the royal period,” officials said.
There was a time of expansion, according to the release, where the courtyard was built next to an offering room, likely used for banquets.
The recent finds “fundamentally expand our knowledge of this sacred place,” officials said.
The site is in central Cyprus, an island nation south of Turkey in the Mediterranean Sea.
This story was originally published May 8, 2025 at 1:50 PM with the headline "Ancient sanctuary honoring Apollo lost for 140 years in Cyprus. It’s been found."
