Khirokitia

Welcome to the Aceramic Neolithic site of Khirokitia, beautifully nestled on the natural hill slopes overlooking the Maroni River valley in Cyprus, just a short journey from the southern coast. You are standing within one of the…

Astonishingly, as early as the seventh millennium BC, the Neolithic inhabitants of Khirokitia constructed a massive stone enclosure wall that measured over two meters thick and stood several meters high, erected according to a…

Remarkably, the Neolithic residents of Khirokitia did not reside within a single rectangular shelter. Instead, each extended family unit constructed and utilized a compound cluster of circular stone buildings—ranging from two to…

Surprisingly, while early nineteenth-century scholars long assumed that all circular tholoi at Khirokitia were capped with corbeled stone domes, dramatic excavation evidence revealing collapsed flat roofing material proved that…

Surprisingly, the Neolithic inhabitants of Khirokitia did not bury their deceased loved ones in isolated cemeteries outside the settlement boundaries. Instead, they excavated graves directly beneath the hard-rammed earthen floors…

Surprisingly, to preserve the absolute physical authenticity of the genuine ancient ruins on the hill, the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus maintained a strict preservation policy forbidding any reconstruction work directly…

Thank you very much for joining us today on this comprehensive audio guide tour of Khirokitia, the most important Aceramic Neolithic site in the eastern Mediterranean. From the formidable stone enclosure wall at the western slope…