The Athienou Archaeological Project, sponsored by Davidson College, completed its first season of investigations at the site of Athienou-Malloura. This is the first systematic archaeological undertaking in the area of Athienou since the summer of 1974 when a large portion of the village lands, including the site of Golgoi, came under Turkish occupation.

Malloura is situated 2 km south of the tiny village of Petrophani in south-central Cyprus about halfway between Nicosia and Larnaka. Its location, at the confluence of two streams near the center of a small, fertile valley surrounded by hills, made Malloura ideal for habitation under most circumstances. This is confirmed by the long period of occupation ranging (intermittently ?) from the sixth century B.C. to the early 18th century A.C.

A rural sanctuary of Archaic-Hellenistic (?) date, scores of rockcut tombs of undetermined date, and the Byzantine/Mediaeval settlement in the area have been the target of extensive clandestine operations, especially in the 1930's and between 1963 and 1974. Most of the artifacts and statuary found their way to foreign museums and collections, reportedly in the United States and France.

The Project's objectives for the short first season were modest and were largely realized. AAP members completed a topographical survey of the area and excavated at three localities, and geophysical mapping of portions of the site was carried out by a team from the University of Patras under S. Papamarinopoulos.

The excavations revealed portions of two structures dating to the Byzantine-Mediaeval period. The size and layout of one of the structures suggest that it may have been an industrial installation. Besides pottery, the excavation of this building yielded a substantial amount of animal bones, two iron knives, and a stone weight. Although the most diagnostic pottery recovered (sgraffito ware) can be dated to ca. 14th century, more precise dating for the construction and use of the building will have to be determined in future seasons.

Neither artifacts nor architectural remains from the Archaic-Hellenistic (?) sanctuary were encountered during this year's excavations. The sanctuary's presence in the immediate vicinity of investigations is virtually assured, however, by fragmentary votive statuettes and life-size statuary found on the surface. The results of the geophysical mapping and the presence of the above surface finds, corroborated by witness accounts of previous clandestine operations in the area, are reassuring and promise location of the sanctuary during next summer's campaign.