Paphos
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How it came to be
Paphos is an archaeological property at two places in western Cyprus. Pre-Hellenic fertility deities were worshipped on the island from the Neolithic, in the 6th millennium BC. At Palaepaphos, Old Paphos, in the village of Kouklia, the Mycenaeans built a temple of Aphrodite in the 12th century BC, and it remained in use until Roman times.
Nea Paphos, on the coast, was probably founded by Nicocles, the last king of Palaepaphos, who died in 306 BC. North of the town, underground tombs known as the Tombs of the Kings were cut into the rock; many date from the 4th century BC, and aristocrats and officials were buried there until the 3rd century AD. The name comes from their grandeur, not from any royal burial. The Acts of the Apostles tells how the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus was converted here, and it is at Paphos that Saul is first called Paul.
Four large Roman villas have been uncovered at Nea Paphos, the Houses of Dionysos, Orpheus and Aion and the House of Theseus, with mosaic floors of the 3rd to 5th centuries showing Greek gods and heroes and scenes of daily life. The property was inscribed in 1980 and received enhanced protection status in November 2010.
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