Archaeologists have uncovered a Byzantine church and a clay-processing tank at two sites in the Larnaca district, shedding new light on religious life, burial customs and pottery production in Cyprus between the 6th and 16th centuries.
The Department of Antiquities announced the findings on Monday following excavations at Kofinou-Ayios Heraklios and Menoyia-Limnes, conducted by the University of Cyprus between June 15 and July 24.
Byzantine church reveals centuries of history
At Kofinou-Ayios Heraklios, excavations revealed a near-complete floor made of large gypsum slabs, with lime-mortar strips marking the position of the templon, or sanctuary screen.
The previously uncovered single-aisled structure was identified as a compact, six-column cross-in-square church, built between the 8th and 10th centuries AD.
Other significant finds included a dome with curved stone voussoirs forming part of its drum, as well as a square bay between the second and third pairs of pilasters.
Fragments of decorative frescoes were also discovered on the lower sections of the southern wall. The non-figurative designs resemble marble revetment, featuring red and green bands against a white background.
In the sanctuary, archaeologists found a smaller secondary apse built inside the larger apse of an earlier Byzantine basilica.
Four building phases identified
The preliminary dating of the complex points to four successive phases of use and construction.
The earliest was a three-aisled basilica dating from the late 6th to early 7th century. A domed cross-in-square church was subsequently built over its central nave between the 8th and 10th centuries.
Ceramic evidence suggests that the church was abandoned and partially collapsed in the mid-14th century. Hearths, cooking vessels and animal bones indicate that the ruined building was later used for non-religious activities from the late 14th to the mid-16th century.
A small barrel-vaulted chapel dedicated to Ayios Heraklios was eventually built over the central section of the basilica’s narthex after the 16th century.
Excavations south-east of the church also confirmed the area’s funerary use during the Late Middle Ages. Finds included scattered human bones, a grave slab and pottery dating from the 15th and 16th centuries.
The Department of Antiquities described the discovery as particularly significant because it documents an organised cemetery in continuous use from the 6th to the 16th century, alongside evidence of religious activity during the 8th to 10th centuries.
The department said this was the first time such evidence had been archaeologically documented together in Cyprus.
Clay-processing tank offers new evidence of pottery production
At Menoyia-Limnes, five new excavation trenches expanded knowledge of an early Byzantine pottery workshop.
The most notable discovery was a built clay-processing tank constructed directly on natural rock. Its interior contained alternating layers of pure clay and sieved earth, providing direct archaeological evidence of a stage in pottery production in a pre-modern workshop.
According to the Department of Antiquities, this is the first time such evidence of the production process has been documented archaeologically in Cyprus.
A water channel made from two parallel rows of upright stones fed into the basin, suggesting an organised production facility.
Further finds included architectural remains of storage and working areas, piles of wedged clay, a large storage vessel known as a pithos found in its original position, pottery-wheel fragments and substantial quantities of production waste, including over-fired pottery fragments.
Findings shed light on Byzantine Cyprus
The Department of Antiquities said the 2026 excavation season reinforced the importance of both sites for understanding rural and religious life, burial practices and pottery production in Byzantine and medieval Cyprus.
The discoveries also contribute to research into the island’s so-called Byzantine Dark Ages, covering the 8th to 10th centuries, a period that remains poorly represented in the archaeological record.
The excavations were carried out by the archaeological research unit’s field project and the summer field school of the University of Cyprus Department of History and Archaeology.
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