Kouklia: An archaeological excavation led by the University of Cyprus at ancient Palaipaphos has uncovered significant new evidence of large-scale fortifications dating to the Cypro-Classical period, shedding further light on the political and economic power of the city-kingdom of Paphos in the 5th and 4th centuries BC.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the 2025 excavation season at Kouklia, in the localities of Hadjiabdulla and Laona, was completed at the end of October. The work was carried out by the University of Cyprus Archaeological Mission under the direction of Professor Emerita of Archaeology Maria Iacovou.
The most important discovery of the season was a series of large towers situated between the Laona tumulus and the Hadjiabdulla plateau. The towers form part of a massive fortification wall that is believed to have encircled the acropolis of the ancient city-kingdom of Paphos. Built with dressed stone blocks and preserved to heights of up to two metres, the wall and its towers represent a substantial defensive and administrative undertaking for the period.
Fieldwork was conducted in two phases, in spring and autumn 2025. Alongside the project's permanent collaborators, the excavation involved undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students from the Department of History and Archaeology of the University of Cyprus, as well as graduates of the department, who participated in excavation, analysis and documentation.
One of the most notable features uncovered is a new tower at Laona, almost square in plan, measuring approximately nine by 8.8 metres. Its walls survive to heights of up to 1.5 metres, while the inner face is preserved to two metres. A wide stone staircase with brick treads, likely leading to the roof of the tower, was identified on the western side, along with stone railings and architectural projections that are thought to have controlled access to the interior of the fortification.
In parallel with the excavation work, the Department of Antiquities completed the installation of a unified protective fence in October 2025 around the expropriated plots that contain the urban fabric of the ancient city. Within this fenced area lie several major monuments already identified by the Palaipaphos Urban Landscape Project, including the palatial complex at Hadjiabdulla, a workshop complex to its west, the Laona tumulus and a so-called pseudo-monument within it, the five-metre-wide great wall of Laona with its staircases, and a complex of towers at the northeastern corner of the palace.
Archaeologists highlight the exceptional state of preservation of the site. Monuments excavated between 2009 and 2025 are found under as little as half a metre of overburden in agricultural land, with no significant later construction after 300 BC. This absence of later building activity is considered rare and has allowed the fortifications, palace and associated structures to survive largely intact.
Researchers believe the Laona tumulus may have been completed in the 3rd century BC, after the administrative centre of Paphos was transferred to Nea Paphos. Even so, beneath the eight-metre-high mound, parts of the fortification wall, including a northern staircase and its landing, are preserved to heights exceeding four metres.