Quelle « vaste cité » a été « ceinte d’une haute couronne de tours » par Nikoklès ?

Abstract

Which “large city” was “crowned with high towers” by Nikokles? Back to the inscription from Kouklia and the problem of the city walls of Palaipaphos and Nea Paphos. The paper reconsiders inscription BM 1888, 11‑15‑17, found in the sanctuary of Aphrodite at Kouklia, stating that King Nikokles fortified a large city with a crown of high towers. In 1959 and 1960, F.G. Maier and T.B. Mitford wrote that this was referring to the refortification of (Old) Paphos, seat of Nikokles’ kingdom. By contrast, in 1966, K. Nicolaou claimed that the inscription had to be linked to the fortification of the new harbour town, Nea Paphos. Surprisingly, F.G. Maier changed his first opinion in 2003 and followed K. Nicolaou’s proposal. M. Iacovou, who leads new excavations in Kouklia, is of the same opinion. A reexamination of F.G. Maier’s works on the Marcello hill, as well as the results of the surveys and excavations conducted there by M. Iacovou in 2002-2003 and 2006-2008, lead us to conclude that the inscription refers to the strengthening of the fortifications of Old Paphos. J.‑B. Cayla, in a recent publication, also proposed to see in this inscription an allusion to a fortification programme initiated by Nikokles in order to protect his kingdom.