Kition Archaeological Site

The architectural remains of the ancient city-kingdom of Kition provide the first clear indications that the Mycenaean Achaeans arrived in Larnaca in the 13th century BC. and remained until the end of the 11th century BC. The Phoenicians settled in the city in the 9th century BC. About the end of the 13th century, the Mycenaean Achaeans fortified the city with Cyclopean walls, consisting of huge limestone blocks. Later, the Phoenicians settled in the area in the 9th century and built the temple of Astarte, the goddess of fertility, associated with the worship of the goddess Aphrodite. Kition was known in antiquity for its port. The most interesting architectural ruins are those of the Temple of Aphrodite-Astarte, built by the same Phoenician masters who built the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, and both 9th-century BC buildings.