View source for Tamassos

{{short description|City-kingdom in ancient Cyprus}}
{{Infobox ancient site
|name       = Tamassos
|native_name = Ταμασσός
|alternate_name=
|image      = File:Ancient_kingdoms_of_Cyprus_en.svg
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|caption    = Map showing the [[Ten city-kingdoms of Cyprus|ancient city-kingdoms of Cyprus]]
|map_type   = Cyprus
|map_alt=
|map_size   = 250
|location   = [[Cyprus]]
|region     = [[Nicosia District]]
|coordinates= {{coord|35.035|33.250|type:city_region:CY|display=inline,title}}
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|management = [[Department of Antiquities (Cyprus)|Cyprus Department of Antiquities]]
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{{refimprove|date=December 2021}}
'''Tamassos''' ([[Greek (language)|Greek]]: Ταμασσός) or '''Tamasos''' (Greek: Τἀμασος)<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0059:entry=tamasos Lewis & Short: Tămăsŏs]</ref> – names [[Latinisation of names|Latinized]] as '''Tamassus''' or '''Tamasus''' – was a city-kingdom in [[ancient Cyprus]], one of the [[Ten city-kingdoms of Cyprus|ten kingdoms of Cyprus]]. It was situated in the great central plain of the island, south-east of [[Soli, Cyprus|Soli]], on the road from Soli to [[Tremithus]]. It is an archaeological site bordering the [[village]] of [[Politiko]], about 21 kilometres southwest of [[Nicosia]].
An [[Akkadian language|Assyrian]] inscription from ca. 673 BC ([[:nl:Prisma van Esarhaddon|Prism of Esarhaddon]]) refers to it as '''Tamesi''', described as a [[city-state]] which paid tribute to the [[Neo-Assyrian Empire]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Greek Colonisation: An Account of Greek Colonies and Other Settlements Overseas |editor=Gocha R. Tsetskhladze |page=261 |publisher=Brill |year=2008 |isbn=978-90-04-15576-3 |volume=2 |author=Maria Iacovou |chapter=Cyprus: from migration to Hellenization}}</ref> As there were [[copper]] [[mining|mines]] in the neighbourhood, it is very probably the Temese mentioned by Homer (Odyssey, I, 184), which was in his time the principal copper market of the island.<ref name=CE>Sophrone Pétridès, [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14440b.htm "Tamassus"] in ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' (New York 1912)</ref>
Today the villages of [[Psimolofou]], [[Episkopeio]], [[Pera Orinis]], [[Ergates]], [[Politiko]], [[Kampia, Cyprus|Kampia]], [[Analyontas]], and [[Kapedes]] occupy the site of the city.
==History==
The city-state prospered mainly because of its mines, from which [[metals]] (mostly copper, [[Cyprus]]'s chief [[export]] in the ancient world) were extracted. However, it managed to survive despite exhaustion of its copper deposits.
===Foundations, inhabitants, and economy===
Unlike other city-states on the island, there is no precise information from either [[history]] or [[tradition]] concerning the establishment of the city as a human settlement and later as an important [[trade]] [[city]].
The area itself was in fact home to a number of small farmer settlements, which the city replaced after the discovery and exploitation of the copper that became the heart of the economy in the succeeding centuries. Studies of the [[archaeological]] [[Artifact (archaeology)|artefacts]] suggest that the region was inhabited since [[prehistoric]] times, more specifically since the [[Chalcolithic]] Age. Villages such as [[Kampia, Cyprus|Kampia]], [[Margi]], [[Kotsiatis]], and [[Mathiatis]] in the wider region were densely populated from the Early [[Bronze Age]]. The population increased significantly following exploitation of the copper mines. Tombs and copper-processing installations discovered in the area date back to the Late Bronze Age.
Writers such as [[Claudius Ptolemy]] and [[Stephanus of Byzantium]] mention the city. Stephanus describes the city as "mesogeia" (inland) with copper of excellent quality. Its inland location and lack of a [[port]] kept it from becoming a major trading post such as [[Salamis Island|Salamis]] and [[Paphos]]. The city also lacked the [[Multicultural|cosmopolitan]] character of the island's [[coast]]al cities. It resembled an "industrial" city of mines and workshops, though it had without doubt also developed the [[agriculture|agricultural]] and stock-breeding potentialities of the surrounding fertile land, enriched by one of the most important rivers of Cyprus, the [[Pedieos|Pediaios]], and its tributaries.
===Phoenician and Greek influence===
The King of Tamassos, Pasikypros, is said to have sold his kingdom to the [[Phoenicia]]ns of [[Kition]] for a price of 50 [[Talent (measurement)|talents]]. Having received this amount of money, the King went to spend his last days in [[Amathus]]
Athenaeus claims that [[Alexander the Great]] gave the same city to Pnytagoras, the King of Salamina, as he had assisted him with the invasion and capture of [[Tyros]]. The [[temple]] of [[Aphrodite]] and perhaps other public buildings were rebuilt at the beginning of the Hellenistic period. It is assumed that there was an alteration to the city character and political structure, and new public buildings built. During the same period, Greeks from various places of the empire came to live in Tamassos. One of these people was Aspendios from Asia Minor.
[[Image:Chatsworth Head BM GR1958.4-18.1.jpg|thumb|left|Bronze "[[Chatsworth Head]]", probably of [[Apollo]], c. 460 BC, found at Tamassos, 1836, and purchased by the [[William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire|Duke of Devonshire]] ([[British Museum]])]]
===Decline===
With the spread of [[Christianity]] throughout [[southern Europe]], Tamasos became one of the first [[Greek Orthodox]] [[diocese]]s in Cyprus. The presence of its two first [[bishop]]s, Saint Herakleidios and Saint Mnason, was prominent. The [[pseudepigraphy|pseudepigraphical]] ''[[Acts of Barnabas]]'' mention Tamasus as the meeting point of [[Barnabas]] and Heraclide, made bishop by Barnabas.<ref>M. Bonnet (ed.), ''Acta Barnabae'', 17, in ''Acta apostolorum apocrypha'', Leipzig, Hermann Mendelssohn, 1903, p. 298.</ref>
Tamassos is referred to as a city of Cyprus until the 10th century AD, but by then it was already in decline. The mines were abandoned after their exhaustion, and the economy was destroyed. Much later on, the city was replaced by small settlements such as Politiko and Episkopeio. The name "Politiko" refers to the brilliant ancient city it has replaced, whereas the name "Episkopeio" is reminiscent of Tamassos's old diocese. "Ergates" has been thus named because it is the area where the mine workers lived, while "Pera Orinis" is named because it is opposite Politiko ("pera" being Greek for "yonder"), and because it is located in a hilly area ("oreinis" being Greek for "of the mountains" as opposed to the village "Pera ''Chorio Nisou''" which is in the lowlands). It is believed that these settlements are a continuation of ancient Tamassos and that the inhabitation of this region has thus been continuous from the ancient Prehistoric times until present times.
==Archaeological site==
The centre of the town, which is believed to have been the location of various public buildings and [[shrines]], is thought to be under the [[village]] of [[Politiko]] and the nearby Greek Orthodox [[monastery]] of "Agios Herakleidios".{{clarify|reason=Is it an ancient & ruined, ancient & working, or a modern monastery? |date=December 2021}} This overlap of modern inhabited sites and ancient remains also means that large-scale archaeological excavations cannot be conducted.
Sporadic [[excavations]] between 1970 and 1990 in the outer area resulted in the discovery of many artifacts as well as parts of the original [[city]] dating from the [[Archaic period in Greece|Archaic]], [[Classical antiquity|Classical]], and [[Hellenistic]] [[era]]s. The visible sections of this large and important archaeological site also include the site of the temple of Aphrodite, the two majestic royal tombs, and other graves.
[[Fortifications]] which surrounded the city during the Archaic period have also been unearthed, as well as, copper-processing installations, [[clay]] and stone statuettes, and various [[oblation]] [[Bowl (vessel)|vessels]], [[censer]]s, and [[oil lamps]]. A [[limestone]] [[altar]] was found nearby{{clarify|reason=Either outside the temple, then "near", not nearby; or inside the nearby temple, then an "inside" or "at" is missing.|date=December 2021}} [[Aphrodite]]'s [[temple]] as well as a temple devoted to Kiveli (the Mother of Gods). The latter was discovered alongside an epigraphic testimony regarding the goddess' worship. In addition, there are various literary references proving the worshipping of [[Apollo]], [[Aesculap]], and [[Dionysus]].
===Necropolis===
North-east of Aphrodite's temple lies the [[necropolis]] of Tamassos. In addition, three [[Cemetery|cemeteries]]{{clarify|reason=3 FURTHER ("in addition") cemeteries ELSEWHERE in the "region", or is someone trying to make a distinction between "necropolis" and "cemetery"? The latter would be a hard case to make, and more likely a misunderstanding. The text below speaks of a TOTAL of 3 cemeteries, so really, 1+3=4?|date=December 2021}} are located in the region. One dates back to the [[Bronze Age]] / [[Copper Age|Copper]], another to the Archaic period, whilst the third belongs to the Hellenistic era and the times of [[Hellenistic civilization#The post-Hellenistic period|Roman rule]].
Most of the Bronze Age cemetery is probably close to the Lambertes [[tumulus|barrow]] (south-east of the Politiko village). South-west of the "Agios Herakleidios" monastery, a tomb belonging to the Middle Bronze era was dug up in 1963. Yet another tomb from the latter part of the Bronze Age was excavated south-east of the monastery, in the region between the present-day nunnery and the Lambertes barrow.
The Archaic era cemetery is located south-west of the village, between the region's two rivers, of which one is the torrential Pediaios, which waters most of [[Nicosia District]] and particularly the fertile area of [[Mesaoria]] (now part of [[North Cyprus]]).
The Hellenistic/Roman cemetery is found on a slope north-west of Politiko, where the "Agios Mnason" monastery once existed.{{dubious|Is it an ancient & ruined, ancient & working, or a modern monastery? It is once named together with the Agios Herakleidios monastery, of which there seems to be a modern version or continuation, while this one is described as "once existed". Confusing, needs clarification.|date=December 2021}}
Many shrines also seem to have existed around the ancient city of Tamassos. This can be proven by the presence of the Archaic earthen statue{{clarify|reason=What "earthen statue", what is that supposed to mean? Hard to imagine.|date=December 2021}} and the famous [[Chatsworth Head|bronze statue of Apollo]] found in the area.
Nowadays the two monasteries of St Herakleidios and St Mnason are believed to be important monuments of the region.{{dubious|1. This is the section on "necropolis and tombs". What are the two monasteries doing here? 2. Are they ancient & ruined, ancient & working, or modern? 3. Why "believed to be important monuments", isn't that a clear thing?|date=December 2021}}{{cn|date=December 2021}}
====Royal tombs====
The two royal tombs discovered are proof of the city's wealth during the Archaic era, due to their fine construction.
Recently, six unique life-size, [[limestone]], undamaged [[sculpture]]s were discovered in the royal necropolis, of which two represented [[sphinx]]es and four represented [[lion]]s in a crouching position. The exquisite [[sculptures]] date from the 6th century BC.
<gallery>
File:Tamassos Royal tomb 1.jpg|Royal tomb entrance (Tomb 5) with [[Capital (architecture)#Proto-Aeolic|volute (proto-Aeolic) capital]], recessed door, lintel, stone imitation of rectangular roof beams<ref name=JJARoyal>{{cite journal |last1= Mumcuoglu |first1= Madeleine |last2= Garfinkel |first2= Yosef |author-link2= Yosef Garfinkel |title= Royal Architecture in the Iron Age Levant |pages= 450–481 |journal= Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology |publisher=[[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]] |number= 1 |year= 2021 |volume= 1 |doi= 10.52486/01.00001.15 |doi-broken-date= 1 November 2024 |s2cid= 236257877 |url= https://jjar.huji.ac.il/publications/royal-architecture-iron-age-levant |access-date= 16 December 2021}}</ref>
File:Tamassos.jpg|Lions from a royal tomb, [[Nicosia]] museum
File:Tamassos royal tomb 1.jpg|Royal tomb, Tamassos
</gallery>
==Tamassos today==
The area where Tamassos once stood now is home to the villages of Psimolofou, Episkopeio, Pera Orinis, Ergates, Politiko, Kampia, Analyontas, and Kapedes are located. For the past few centuries, they have developed from being poor agricultural villages housing some 10 families, to populations of 1000 inhabitants. Pera Orinis and Politiko retain much of the older buildings of the older settlements at the centre of the villages, which are deemed to be of high cultural significance. Highlights of these include the church of ''Panagia Odigitria'', the ''Old Mill'', the ''Parthenagogion'' and ''Arenagogion'', as well as the recently restore chapel of ''St George'' of Pera Orinis, and the famous ''Tombs of the Kings'' of the village of Politiko.
== See also ==
* [[Tamassos bilinguals]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons}}
*[http://www.mcw.gov.cy/mcw/DA/DA.nsf/All/AC29D500E2B17C5FC225719B0036AFAD?OpenDocument Archeological Sites: Tamassos] - Department of Antiquities of the [[Republic of Cyprus]]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927194804/http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/explore/highlights/highlights_search_results.aspx?searchText=tamassos&x=0&y=0 Archeological findings of Tamassos] at the [[British Museum]]
*[http://www.archaeology.org/9705/newsbriefs/cyprus.html Rare Cypriot Sculptures] found in Tamassos - [http://www.archaeology.org archeology.org], a publication of the [[Archaeological Institute of America]]
*[http://www.tamassos.org tamassos.org] - History and culture of the area; list of churches etc.
*[http://www.ashmolean.org/ash/amulets/cypruscopper/AncCyp-Cu-08.html Weapons, Tools and Ritual Remains] - [[Ashmolean Museum]], [[Oxford]]
*[http://www.voskaris.com/tamasosenglish.htm Information] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222140219/http://voskaris.com/tamasosenglish.htm |date=2007-12-22 }} and [http://www.voskaris.com/photostamasos.htm photos] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928194909/http://www.voskaris.com/photostamasos.htm |date=2007-09-28 }} of Tamassos
{{Ancient Cities of Cyprus}}{{Phoenician cities and colonies|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Cities in ancient Cyprus]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Cyprus]]
[[Category:Catholic titular sees in Europe]]
[[Category:Phoenician colonies in Cyprus]]