Excavations from a Princeton University team that started on June 8, 2005, and were wrapped up a month later at the western coastal town of Polis Chrysochous, revealed use-levels of the second and first centuries BC, above which were late Roman and early Byzantine workshops. Right at the surface were sporadic traces of use in the twelfth century.

According to a Cyprus Department of Antiquities press release, the short season was limited to work in one area within the village in which years of excavation had revealed remains of the Archaic-Classical city of Marion overlaid by the late Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine city of Arsinoe.

The objective this year was to explore the western part of the area which appeared in the last season of excavation in 2003 to preserve undisturbed Hellenistic deposits, the first found by the team. This was amply confirmed by this year’s work, revealing use-levels of the second and first centuries B.C. Above these were late Roman and early Byzantine workshops. Right at the surface were sporadic traces of use in the twelfth century.

The Archaic city of Marion had one of the oldest known regular grid-plans of an historical Greek city. This was continued in use in the Roman and Byzantine periods. Evidence from this year’s excavation suggests that this was followed, though only roughly in the twelfth century, after a period of semi-abandonment after the ninth or tenth century.