The Transition from the Classical to the Hellenistic Period at the Settlement of the Hill of Agios Georgios, Nicosia

Abstract

The material from the excavations at the Hill of Agios Georgios, Nicosia gives the possibility to investigate the changes that occurred at the end of the 4th century. It seems that the settlement merited the attention of the new rulers who wished to invest in its reorganization at this time. Perhaps its geographical position in the center of the island, as an entrepôt between Salamis and Soloi, its location in a fertile plain and its importance as a religious center might have been such determining factors that influenced the above policy. The study of the ceramics, the coins, the terracotta and stone sculpture gradually provide evidence that an existing economically viable settlement was taken over and exploited in the most efficient manner. Its character remained essentially the same with the exception of a new cast of religious and other symbolic elements.