35past horizons continued ? ? patterns of artefactual remains, the information collected from the 2008 season was arranged in a Geographical Information Systems ( GIS) database. This allowed for ease of recording as well as the ability to spatially and statistically analyse the data. GIS also allows for analyses that are difficult to quantify otherwise. In particular, a Viewshed Analysis of the entire Dhiarizos Valley ( including Old Paphos) can demonstrate that Prastion occupies a special place in the landscape, at a dogleg in the river valley that has views both down the valley to the sea, and up the valley to the highest point on Cyprus, Mt. Olympus. The proximity of Prastion- Mesorotsos to a major tributary valley heading east also suggests that it may have served as a link between east and west, as well as being in for access to the mountain mineral, vegetal and faunal resources, as well as a being a crossroads between the different cultures of eastern and western Cyprus. In order to understand the resources and pathways available to the ancient residents of Prastion- Mesorotsos, a focused geological survey of the area was conducted, along with an assessment of the routes up and down and in and out of the valley. Due to the steep slope over much of the site only the flattest areas were suitable for the geophysical prospection that was carried out, but the results were encouraging. Patterns of high- resistivity anomalies may indicate subsurface walls and features which will be a priority for test excavations in subsequent seasons. While it is hoped that future excavation will reveal a stratigraphic sequence spanning a series of periods, resistivity analysis conducted on a portion of the site reveals the likelihood that intact Chalcolithic roundhouses and the Early Bronze Age rectilinear buildings co- occur in the same places. An intact chronological sequence should provide definitive evidence that either a hiatus occurred during this transition after which immigrants settled in this place, or that there was continuous local development by the indigenous people. Pottery collected on the surface confirms both Chalcolithic and Bronze Age occupation Prastion- Mesorotsos ranks among the largest prehistoric sites in Cyprus

past horizons36 While non- intrusive means of investigation are by their nature limited, the results of this pilot season have produced ample evidence that there is likely to be a sequence through multiple periods, including Late Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Philia, Early Bronze Age, Middle Bronze Age, and a substantial Mediaeval settlement, with additional Geometric/ Archaic, Hellenistic/ Roman and more modern uses of the land. Conspicuously absent from the material record is any evidence of a Late Bronze Age settlement that would have been contemporary with the early Sanctuary of Aphrodite and the rise of an urban Paphos. Ancestors of Urbanism Large quantities of Chalcolithic and Bronze Age pottery were recovered in nearly equal measures over much of the 10 hectares that the site occupies, indicating that Prastion- Mesorotsos ranks among the largest prehistoric sites in Cyprus. The fact that both Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age pottery, and possible transitional Philia period artefacts, occur in the same places indicates that this site was almost certainly inhabited during these periods. The fact that the Bronze Age inhabitants chose to live in the exact same spot as the ' previous' residents may indicate an indigenous development rather than influx of newcomers, even if their material culture changed radically over this time. The total absence of Late Bronze Age materials is unsurprising if one puts Prastion- Mesorotsos into the context of the rise of Paphos as an urban centre in this period. Perhaps with Paphos establishing itself as the dominant political and economic force in the region, there was a certain amount of appeal to moving out of the countryside and into the big city. At the same time, it would have been in the interests of the leaders of Paphos to control or eliminate a well- connected and substantial second- tier settlement like that at Prastion- Mesorotsos. Far from being negative information, the hiatus of settlement in the Late Bronze Age and subsequent reoccupation in later periods demonstrates that the appeal of this location did not vanish, but social and political circumstances in Paphos may have affected settlement patterns in its hinterland. As the Early and Middle Bronze Ages are represented across Prastion- Mesorotsos it is clear that an understanding of the social developments leading up to the consolidation of power in Paphos could be accessed through excavation. If we can illuminate the social developments that rose from prehistoric roots, we can then provide a context for the urbanisation we see at the end of this development. The 2008 team who put the first boots to ground in the sweltering July heat have shed light on the precursors to the remarkable social and religious developments that eventually led to the foundation of the cult of Aphrodite. With further archaeological investigation we may be able to piece together a fuller picture of the people who begat this myth. Ruinous walls of the Late Bronze Age Sanctuary of Aphrodite in Paphos ( credit: Lisa Kennan) Collecting artefacts and mapping the finds