ASOR Editorial Note: The ASOR Team is pleased to share a report from a Shepard Urgent Action Grant awarded to the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute (CAARI) for repairs to a reconstructed Chalcolithic roundhouse at Kissonerga-Mosphilia, Cyprus. These grants are intended to provided emergency funds to carry out critical stabilization, excavation, or documentation projects. Because time of of the essence with these proposals, funds for the grants can be disbursed 4-6 weeks after an application is received. Heavy rains severely damaged the roundhouse reconstruction, an important part of the visitor experience, and repairs were necessary to make the structure ready for visitors to the site.

CAARI was grateful to receive a Shepard Urgent Action Grant from ASOR in January 2021 to undertake repairs to a replica Chalcolithic building at the important prehistoric site of Kissonerga-Mosphilia, near Paphos. The original reconstruction of the Late Chalcolithic (c. 2800–2400 BC) mud-built roundhouse took place in 2010 (funded by the A.G. Leventis Foundation and the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus) and was accompanied by a digital reconstruction (funded by the AIA) with infographic bilingual posters displayed within the building to enable visitors to appreciate the original stone foundations visible at the site. Heavy winter rains over recent years had damaged the structure to the point where major repairs or demolition were the only options.

Dr. Paul Croft of the Edgar Peltenburg Archaeological Research Centre undertook the repairs with the assistance of local archaeologist Dean Wiltshire. Dr. Croft is an expert in mud architecture on Cyprus, responsible also for the upkeep of the Lemba Experimental village Chalcolithic roundhouses. Work has proceeded slowly between the lockdowns Cyprus has endured during the pandemic but now the refurbishment is complete.

The timbers of the roof and the interior posts were still sound but it was a major undertaking to remove large sections of the walls, damaged not only by rains but also by birds and insects.

Lessons learnt from examining the damage have been applied to the repairs. The seaweed and soil mixture used for the walls was strengthened with the addition of local ‘white soil’, a lime-rich decayed bedrock from the source that the villagers of Kissonerga still use in traditional houses and ovens. Rain dripping from the stone facing of the flat, soil-covered roof had also caused severe erosion. In order to alleviate this, a protruding ‘drip course’ was constructed to direct runoff out beyond the wall face. A new raised stone threshold was placed in the entranceway to keep water out at ground level.

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The digital rendering of the interior of the roundhouse with all objects in situ (created by Mat Dalton).

Whilst not all aspects of the reconstruction are entirely ‘authentic’ (note the layer of roofing felt beneath the soil of the roof seen in the image above), all work was done using traditional techniques. We do not know if Chalcolithic people also solved problems of rain runoff by installing a drip course nor whether these buildings had windows (as seen in the image above) as we only find the stone foundations preserved archaeologically. As the Pithos House was destroyed by fire, there was evidence of the interior beams preserved and all the objects were found in situ (as shown in the digital rendering).

The project was undertaken in collaboration with the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus, and the Kissonerga Community Council, who have agreed to contribute an annual sum so small repairs can be undertaken to ensure that the roundhouse remains in good repair for the future. When tourism on Cyprus can resume with the easing of the pandemic, we are prepared to welcome visitors to Kissonerga-Mosphilia and bring the story of Chalcolithic Cyprus to life.

-Lindy Crewe, Director, CAARI

Click here to view the posters that accompany the roundhouse.

Click here to view the 3D rendering of the roundhouse.