Peristerona: A complex water-management system was revealed at an excavation in the valley of the Peristerona River, led by the universities of Copenhagen and Uppsala, the Department of Antiquities announced, marking the completion of this year's campaign in the valley.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the Life at the Furnace-project (LAF) investigates the impact of copper production under Roman Empire control on the human and environmental landscape in the north-western Troodos foothills. The study focuses on the Peristerona River valley, providing context for the Agia Marina Xyliatou-Mavrovouni slagheap and the wider Troodos hinterland, including Xyliatos and Nikitari. The recent field season concluded on November 7, 2025, as stated in a press release by the Antiquities Department.
The archaeological surface survey has continued to offer chronological context for activities linked to the Agia Marina Xyliatou-Mavrovouni slagheap. This season's work concentrated partly on the cultivated plateau north of Agia Marina Xyliatou village, where an Iron Age sanctuary was identified through fragments of figurines, including handmade horses, a bull, large human figures, and a mouldmade Astarte figurine. During the Hellenistic-Early Roman and Late Roman periods, the sanctuary gave way to a settlement involved in copper production, evidenced by scattered slag at the site.
Further survey work was conducted at the Peristerona River crossing, on the border of the Kato Moni and Orounta district, where the Chalcolithic site of Stavros tou Kounti was mapped. On the knoll of Agia Marina Xyliatou-Mavrovouni, the project began excavating structures identified during a preliminary surface clearance in November 2024.
The excavation uncovered a complex water-management system on three artificial terraces, featuring basins, cisterns, and plastered hydraulic installations. The materials used to backfill these installations primarily date from the Late Hellenistic to the Middle Roman periods, indicating significant settlement activity during this time. However, the connection between the water-management system and copper smelting remains undetermined.