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If you love home make-over shows or property programmes, then the Paphos Mosaics are a must-see on your holiday in Cyprus.
Walking through the vast Paphos Archaeological Park in Cyprus is like wandering amongst ancient Roman show homes, where the chief attraction was not the walls but the floors. If you were a seriously rich Roman and wanted to show off, which most of them did, you had the finest flooring money could buy - mosaics.
When a farmer ploughing a field in 1961 near modern Pafos in south Cyprus dug up some stone fragments, little did he know that under his feet were some of the finest Roman villas in Cyprus, complete with elaborate mosaic floors. Each mosaic is a work of art in its own right, made with thousands of coloured stone fragments to form an elaborate picture, usually depicting a mythological story. Four different Roman villas at Pafos have been excavated to reveal the mosaics treasures that lay under the earth for so long.
At the House of Dionysus, there are over 34 rooms decorated with the delicate mosaics. Look out for vain Narcissus admiring his reflection in a pool in Room 2, and the Four Seasons in Room 3. The most spectacular room is the ‘tablinum’, a long dining and reception room decorated with a massive carpet of mosaics depicting the god Dionysus giving the gift of wine. See if you can spot the two drunken peasants slumped beside an empty wine jar in the final panel!
The Villa of Theseus is palatial in scope, and contained a wealth of statues as well as 1400 square metres of mosaics created between the 3rd to 5th century. In Room 36, Theseus battles the mighty Minotaur in the labyrinth at Knossos, while in Room 40, the infant Achilles is dipped into the bath that makes him invulnerable - apart from his heel by which his mother grips him.
Compare the rather raunchy style of the House of Dionysus mosaics with the elegant images in the House of Aion. Dating from the 4th century AD, these mosaics are in the so-called ‘beautiful’ style, and remarkably similar to the later Byzantine icons painted in the Cyprus Troodos churches.
Last but not least, it is well worth the short walk to the tent-covered House of Orpheus, where you can see the famous musician calming the beasts of the forest with his lyre.
Part of the fun of a day out at the Pafos Kato Archaeological Park is just walking around, imagining horses and chariots driving down the wide streets, the market place (or agora) packed with stall holders selling everything from local fish to exotic spices. Raised walkways give you a bird’s eye view of the remains, and you can also walk on genuine mosaic pavements in several areas. Most fun of all, perhaps, is to watch the archaeologists at work, excavating new areas of the site. (On our last visit, there was much excitement as an almost intact earthenware pot emerged from the soil before our very eyes.)
The Paphos Archaeological Park is open from 8am to 7.30pm from June to August, closing earlier out of season. Entry is very reasonable at under Euro5. The park covers a large area, so make sure you wear shoes for walking, take a hat, and a bottle of water to drink on your way round. You can park your Cyprus hire car in the shade in the large free car park. Make sure you allow enough time for lunch in a harbourside café, where the local pelicans come in to beg for scraps from the tables, much to the restaurant owner’s annoyance!
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