1. Kition Archaeological Site Larnaca
5. ACHAEOLOGICAL SITES - ICON CULTURESPOT Archaeological Sites

Kition Archaeological Site

  • Location

    Kition, Leoforos Archiepiskopou Kyprianou, Larnaca

    Directions

  • Tickets

    €2,50
    For organised groups consisting of more than 10 persons there is a 20% reduction on the entry fees.
    The Department of Antiquities can issue special entry cards for all its museums and ancient monuments: One (1) day entry cards - €8,50, three (3) day entry cards - €17,00, seven (7) day entry cards - €25,00.
    Pensioners €1,25

  • Opening Times

    September 16 - April 15, Monday - Friday: 09:00 - 16:30
    April 16 - September 15, Monday - Friday: 09:30 - 17:00
    Closed on weekends.

    All year round.
    Closed on Public Holidays.

  • Phone

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Note: The CultureSpot team is doing its best to provide the most accurate information through regular updates. However, operating hours, entrance fees and any details thereof are subject to change without prior notice. Visitors are recommended to verify the information before planning their visit.

The ancient city-kingdom of Kition's architectural ruins offer compelling evidence of the Mycenaean Achaeans' presence in Larnaka (Larnaca) during the 13th to 11th century BC, followed by the Phoenicians' settlement in the 9th century BC.

During the late 13th century, the Mycenaean Achaeans fortified the city with impressive cyclopean walls constructed from large limestone blocks. Subsequently, the Phoenicians arrived in the 9th century and built the temple of Astarte, the Goddess of Fertility, linked to the worship of Goddess Aphrodite. Ptolemy 1st Soter, the Egyptian Pharaoh, later occupied and destroyed Kition in 312 BC, yet the city continued to be inhabited through Christian times.

Kition's fame centered around its harbor, which facilitated the export of various agricultural products to the eastern Mediterranean, Egypt, and the Aegean. Its strategic location also made it an excellent naval base, with intriguing ship drawings etched into building walls at the ancient port.

Among the most captivating architectural remains is the Temple of Aphrodite-Astarte, constructed by the same Phoenician masons responsible for building the renowned Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem during the 9th century BC.

Additionally, nearby, Egyptian-style temples from the 18th Egyptian Dynasty, pre-dating their Greek counterparts and serving the pre-Hellenic Cypriot population, have been discovered.

The excavation of this site holds historical significance as one of the first undertaken by the Cyprus Department of Antiquities after the island gained independence from British Rule in the early 1960s.

Getting there

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