Pegeia: More than 700 kilograms of Late Roman amphora fragments, dozens of painted inscriptions, and new evidence for large-scale harbour works linked to the reign of Emperor Justinian are among the highlights of the 2025 archaeological season at Agios Georgios, Pegeia. The Department of Antiquities of the Deputy Ministry of Culture announced the completion of this year's work by the New York University (NYU) Archaeological Mission, following a six-week program of excavation, survey and study.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the mission, directed by Joan Breton Connelly, Professor of Classics at NYU, focused on the ancient harbour at Maniki and continued surface survey at the ancient necropolis of Pegeia-Meletis. The project brought together an international, multidisciplinary team of scholars and students from NYU, the University of Cyprus, and the Cyprus Institute.
A key component of the season was the study of amphorae from the Maniki harbour excavations. Professor Stella Demesticha of the University of Cyprus oversaw the identification, classification, and quantification of more than 700 kilograms of amphora sherds dating to the 6th century AD. The assemblage is dominated by Late Roman 1 amphorae of local Paphian and Cilician production, alongside imports from Palestine and Gaza. Particularly significant are 68 inscriptions painted in red ink (dipinti), a corpus that remains largely understudied in Cyprus and offers substantial potential for future research.
The amphora sherds were found in a construction fill used to level steep bedrock to build harbour installations and piers. These works facilitated the transport of large quantities of Proconnesian marble, including column drums and capitals, destined for basilicas constructed at Cape Drepanum under Emperor Justinian in the 6th century AD.
Another major focus was the continued study of a rock-cut tomb of Hellenistic and Roman date, discovered by the NYU team in 2018, the Department of Antiquities said. Ceramic analysis by Professor Jolanta Mlynaczyk of the University of Warsaw indicates use of the tomb from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD. Organic residue analysis of Roman cooking vessels, led by Dr. Rebecca Gerdes of Cornell University, aims to shed light on ancient dietary practices and funerary rituals, while Dr. Mariusz Burdajewicz documented a rich assemblage of Roman glassware.
Despite extensive looting from antiquity to the 20th century, precious metals were recovered in situ and are now under scientific analysis. Additional studies of human and animal remains point to complex funerary practices involving food offerings and ritual burning.
The season also included further survey of the Meletis Necropolis, oral history interviews with local fishermen, and an exploratory retracing of 19th-century archaeologist David George Hogarth's route across Cape Drepanum, linking past observations with modern archaeological research.