Alassa
Alassa (Greek: Άλασσα) is a village in the Limassol District of Cyprus, north of the Kouris Dam, on the main road from Limassol to Kakopetria.
Alassa Άλασσα | |
|---|---|
village | |
 | |
  Alassa Location in Cyprus | |
| Coordinates: 34°45′51″N 32°55′39″E | |
| Country | Cyprus |
| District | Limassol District |
| Population (2001)[1] | |
| • Total | 201 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Excavations at Alassa by Cypriot archaeologists in the early 1980s unearthed the ruins of a Bronze Age city. Among other findings were the remains of a palace, suggesting that the site once had a much greater importance as a local trading center.[2] Whether Alassa was the capital of the ancient kingdom known as Alashiya remains a question of debate. The archaeologist Claude Schaeffer has made certain claims in this regard.[3]
Roman villas have also been found there, a mosaic floor depicting Aphrodite and Eros from one of which is in the Limassol museum.[4]
Alassa has been developed in modern times as a park-like tourist centre.
References
- Census 2001
- S. Hadjisavvas: Alassa. A New Late Cypriot Site. In: Report of the Department of Antiquities Cyprus 1986. pp. 62–76
- C. F. A. Schaeffer: Enkomi-Alasia. Nouvelles missions en Chypre, 1946–1950. Paris 1952.
- http://www.hellenicaworld.com/Cyprus/Geo/Limassol/en/Limassol0173.html
