Idalium

35.01538888888933.423972222222Koordinaten: 35 ° 0 ' 55 "N, 33 ° 25' 26" E

Idalion, Phoenician ' dyl ( אדיל ), ancient Greek Ιδάλιον was an Iron Age kingdom on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

Location

Idalion located near the present-day Dali 15 km southeast of Nicosia near the copper deposits of the Troodos Mountains on the south bank of the Yialias. Topographical is the ancient settlement on two hills to the south of today's town, these are currently in the military United Nations buffer zone.

Structure of the city

The western hills with an acropolis and the remains of the royal palace have already been examined by American archaeologists, the buildings were assigned to the 5th and 4th century. Here, parts of the city wall and other building complexes were exposed. The investigated ruins of the fortification had a thickness of 10 meters, the height of the former city wall to have amounted to about 8 meters. The information on the eastern acropolis and lower city are still sparse.

Ancient mythological significance

In Idalion particularly Aphrodite and her lover Adonis was worshiped. According to ancient mythology, Adonis was killed in the area of Idalion by a boar, who had been sent by the jealous Ares. From the blood of the slain a rose or anemone growing out of it.

Excavations

The first finds from the region were rescued by the American consul and looters Luigi Palma di Cesnola in the years 1865 to 1876, he had become aware of an ancient burial ground on the outskirts and boasts in his biography there are more than 10,000 graves with rich grave goods open have to. Already Max Ohnefalsch judge had conducted excavations here in the Temple of Aphrodite. The finds, mostly archaic statues and the remains of limestone and terracotta are now in Berlin. 1980 more statues were in Dali during the demolition of a barn find that here perhaps by Philipp Michaili, an excavation foreman of Ohnefalsch judge, had been hidden.

1970-1987 excavations found here by the universities SUM Albany and Harvard instead. They were continued in 1987 under the direction of Pamela Gaber from the Oriental Institute in Chicago.

History

Since the 5th century and the Persian rule, the city was subject to the Kingdom of Kition, or was in a permanent alliance with this. After a bronze plaque that was found in Idalion, the city was besieged by the Medes and Kitioniern. This is usually stated 478-445 BC or later. Pumjaton bore the title " King of Kitium and Idalion " ( mlk kty w'dyl ). The City of God Idalion was Mukol.