Soli The Historical City

Soli The Historical City Cyprus Usefull Information

This was a great city, traditionally founded in 600 B.C. on the recommendation of Solon, which became of prime importance during the Roman occupation of the Cyprus island. Unhappily, nothing remains of the temples and porticoes which travellers report as having been in existence as late as 1738, for since then tons and tons of stone have been carried away for building elsewhere, and even transported by sailing boat to Egypt for use in the construction of the harbour at Port Said. In 1930 the Swedish Archaeological Expedition excavated a Roman Theatre of the second or third century A.D. This has now been reconstructed and looks almost uncannily new. However, the theatre justifies its reconstruction by occasionally being used for dramatic performances, and no doubt the stone will weather. The near by hilltop site of a Temple of Aphrodite and Isis has yielded a frieze (350-300 B.C.) with panels depicting the classic fight of the Amazons and the Greeks. One of these can be seen in the Cyprus Museum.

The site of the ancient city is very large, and so far has been only minimally excavated. A necropolis exists to the south, while the ancient port was immediately north. Important ecclesiastical remains are being excavated by the Mission Archaeologique de 1'Universite Laval, Quebec. The dig continues for a limited period each year. The preliminary findings consist of a medium-sized Basilica of the fifth century B.C., superseded by a larger one about a hundred years later, then in the tenth century, by a smaller one built from the ruins of the previous two. The same Canadian expedition has also been responsible for trial excavations of an area north of the Theatre. This has provided evidence that this part of Soli existed throughout periods extending from the Archaic to the Roman. The remains of the Basilica are to the east of the present car park, from which the Theatre is approached by a steep path, but this car park may have to be resited in the interests of further archaeological work. The conical hill upon which Vouni Palace is built is a landmark on the southern shore of Morphou Bay. Turn off the coastal road at a right fork high on the headland, and continue in the opposite direction for about 1 m. to the summit of the site.

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