Amathus or Amathous (Ancient Greek: Ἀμαθοῦς) was one of the ancient royal cities of Cyprus until about 300 BC. Some of its remains can be seen today on the southern coast in front of Agios Tychonas, about 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Limassol and 24 miles (39 km) west of Larnaca. Its ancient cult sanctuary of Aphrodite was the second most important in Cyprus, her homeland, after Paphos.
Archaeological work has recently been continued at the site and many finds are exhibited in the Limassol Museum.
Roman Cyprus was a small senatorial province of the Roman Empire. It possessed several well known religious sanctuaries and figured prominently in Eastern Mediterranean trade, particularly the production and trade of Cypriot copper. The island of Cyprus was situated at a strategically important position along Eastern Mediterranean trade routes, and had been controlled by various imperial powers throughout the first millennium BC, including the Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, and Macedonians. Cyprus was annexed by the Romans in 58 BC, but turbulence and civil war in Roman politics did not establish firm rule in Cyprus until 31 BC when Roman political struggles were ended by the Battle of Actium. Cyprus was assigned the status of a senatorial province in 22 BC. From then until the 7th century AD, Cyprus was controlled by the Romans. Cyprus officially became part of the Eastern Roman Empire in 293 AD.
Under Roman rule, Cyprus was divided into four main districts, Salamis, Paphos, Amathus, and Lapethos. Paphos was the capital of the island throughout the Roman period until Salamis was re-founded as Constantia in 346 AD. The geographer Ptolemy recorded the following Roman cities: Paphos, Salamis, Amathus, Lapethos, Kition, Kourion, Arsinoe, Kyrenia, Chytri, Karpasia, Soli, and Tamassos, as well as some smaller cities scattered throughout the island.
The Cypriot or Cypriote syllabary (also Classical Cypriot Syllabary) is a syllabic script used in Iron Age Cyprus, from about the 11th to the 4th centuries BCE, when it was replaced by the Greek alphabet. It has been suggested that the script remained in use as late as the 1st century BCE. A pioneer of that change was King Evagoras of Salamis. It is thought to be descended from the Cypro-Minoan syllabary, itself a variant or derivative of Linear A. Most texts using the script are in the Arcadocypriot dialect of Greek, but also one bilingual, the Amathus bilingual, a Greek and Eteocypriot, was found in Amathus.
Limassol, also known as Lemesos, is a city along the southern coast of Cyprus, on the Mediterranean Sea. Limassol is the most populated municipality in Cyprus, with a population of 108,105 and is the second-largest urban area in Cyprus, after Nicosia, with an urban population of 195,139. It is the capital of the Limassol District with a population of 262,238.
Limassol was built between two ancient Greek cities, Amathus and Kourion. Its historical centre is located around the medieval Limassol Castle and the Old Port. The city spreads along the Mediterranean coast and has extended much farther than the castle and port, with its suburbs stretching along the coast to Amathus. To the west of the city is Akrotiri, one of the two British Overseas Territories of Akrotiri and Dhekelia on the island.
Agios Tychonas (Greek: Άγιος Τύχωνας) is a village and a municipal district of the Amathounta Municipality in the Limassol District of Cyprus, located east of Limassol. The ancient ruins of Amathus are located near the town.
Agios Tychonas is named for Saint Tychon of Amathus, a Fifth Century bishop of Amathus.
The Swedish Cyprus Expedition was assembled to systematically investigate Cyprus’s early archaeological history. The expedition occurred between September 1927 and March 1931 and was led by the three archaeologists Einar Gjerstad, Erik Sjöqvist and Alfred Westholm together with the architect John Lindros who photographed during their time in Cyprus. The excavation constitutes the foundation of modern archaeology in Cyprus. The results of the excavations revealed that the distinctive culture of early Cyprus had been created in close contact with various cultures from the Middle East and the western Mediterranean areas.
Through careful archaeological excavations around the whole island of Cyprus, the Swedish Cyprus Expedition mapped Cyprus's history from the Stone Age to the end of the Roman period. Archaeological excavations were made at various locations in Cyprus including Lapithos, Nitovikla, Agia Eirini, Marion, Idalion, Amathus, and Enkomi. They investigated around 25 sites all over the island during the short time of four years. The results were published in four volumes. Most of the archaeological materials are now kept at the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia and Medelhavsmuseet in Stockholm.
Saint Tychon of Amathus (also Tychonas, Tikhon, Tycho) (d. 425) was the Bishop of Amathus on the island of Cyprus. He is venerated as a saint by both Catholic and Orthodox Christians. His feast day is June 29 on the Gregorian Calendar (equal to June 16 on the Julian calendar).
The village of Agios Tychonas, located near the ancient ruins of Amathus, is named after Saint Tychon.