Nea Paphos (Cipro): dai palazzi di città ai luoghi della produzione

When dealing with Cypriot urban housing during Late Antiquity, Christian history and archaeology must be investigated in the frame of the economic situation of the island. Data from the better preserved “city palaces” at Nea Paphos, such as the Villa of Theseus and the House of Aion, together with the evidence of production activities both for local market and for external trade, enhance, for the period between the 4th and the 7th century, the existence of a wealthy urban society. Moreover, the information from literary and epigraphic sources on Cypriot praesides and consulares can be put aside the powerful clergy that happened to be registered among the participants in the most important councils of the period.The “Late Antique Insula”, in which the House of Aion is inserted, attests to the complex history of this sector of the city, that continued to be chosen as upper residential quarter after a long series of destructions due to numerous earthquakes. Moreover, the well-known Villa of Theseus is a very good case in point for an insight on Paphos’ élite. As a matter of fact, the relationship between urban houses and rural estates can be investigated by observing the role of storage areas in this richly decorated residence. Finally, the crucial position occupied by the island in the Eastern Mediterranean seems to remain unvaried even after the 7th century, at the time when its inhabitants had to deal with the difficult balance between Arabs and Byzantines.