Conquering the Sea: A Story of Ambition, Boulders, and Ashlar Blocks from Amathous, Cyprus

Lecture by Dr Judith Gatt

Conquering the sea was not only achieved through navigation but also through the development of expertise in constructing stable, long-lasting structures in a marine environment, such as harbour structures. This lecture examines the monumental Hellenistic harbour structure on the southern side of the Amathous harbour basin, now lying at a depth of -4 m below present sea level. Drawing on evidence from the 1980s excavation, the ANDIKAT programme, and a 2022 survey at Amathous, this study proposes a working hypothesis for the construction technique and construction process of the monumental south composite breakwater. The hypothesis is grounded in principles of both modern and ancient harbour engineering as well as archaeological data, an approach not yet extensively applied in harbour archaeology. This research not only deepens our understanding of ancient harbour construction techniques in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean but also contributes to the wider history of harbour engineering in antiquity.

Photo: Aerial view of the submerged Hellenistic harbour of Amathous, C. Christou