THE DEPARTMENT of Antiquities yesterday announced the completion of this year’s excavations at a site dating to the 7th century BC noting the discovery of important archaeological finds.
The site at Tseri-Angali, close to the modern village of Tseri, was first discovered by villagers in 1949. Locals discovered there an underground structure with steps which was later recorded as an underground cistern of the Roman period. The structure filled up with soil and disappeared until 2006 when the Department of Antiquities re-located it.
This year’s excavations, reaching a depth of 8.8m from the plot’s surface, have so far unearthed 40 steps of an underground staircase built out of limestone. The staircase is covered by an impressive arched roof, built from large ashlar sandstones and measuring 10.1m in length.
The material excavated from the structure’s fill includes small quantities of pottery dated from the Archaic period to the Early Christian period (7th century BC to 7th century AD)., and two terracotta heads (of a horse and of a man).
According to the Antiquities Department, the underground building is most probably associated with the exploitation and management of water and is possibly linked to an underground aquifer. The department said next year’s investigations would enable a more precise dating of the building.
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/archaeology/important-finds-tseri/20101106
Submitted by coldrum.
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