Khirokitia

34.79672633.34372Koordinaten: 34 ° 47 '48 " N, 33 ° 20' 37" E

Chirokitia, also Khirokitia, Greek Choirokoitia ( Χοιροκοιτία ), is an archaeological site on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus in Larnaca District and since 1998 a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Location

The excavation is located north of the highway, halfway from Larnaca to Limassol.

Excavations

Khirokitia was excavated since 1934 under the direction of Porfyrios Dikeos and a French expedition led by Alain Le Brun, but so far only partially. On the site of several round huts and a part of the defensive wall were reconstructed.

Dating

The settlement is part of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic. It was from 7 - inhabited the 4th millennium BC and had an estimated 300-1000 people.

Economy and construction

The people lived by cattle ranching and farming (including wheat and barley). Get floor plans are the enclosing and about 60 round houses with graves under the floor. Some houses were reconstructed. Most of archaeological findings are kept in the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia.

Importance

Meanwhile, among other things, more than 1000 years older Shillourokambos and Tenta Chirokitia have the rank as the oldest settlement on Cyprus expired. The settlement is, however, still considered one of the most important prehistoric sites in the eastern Mediterranean.