Home of the Gods

I always thought that Greece was the Home of the Gods but after exploring Rhodes and now Cyprus I'm beginning to see that this mythology is widespread throughout the region.

The Estonians settled Cyprus in the 9th-8th century BC. Today, after being occupied by many European nations, it is an independent country with its own government, is part of the EU and has two distinct nationalities living here, Turkish and Greek. It was an important stopping place on trade routes through the Aegean Sea, is known as a tourist destination and it had copper at one time to trade. The name Cyprus comes from the ancient name for copper - Kyrptos.

Our first stop was at the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates. Apollo was the male god of fertility, Athena (Aphrodite), his wife, is the female goddess of fertility and Hylates was worshipped for his link to wildlife and forests. The temple at the top of the hill was started in the 8th century BC then destroyed and added to many times through the centuries. Many earthquakes took down buildings, they would rebuild and add on and change it. Roman baths were added, an oracle resided here, and Eqyptian artifacts have been found. The Roman baths were well preserved, showing how they heated the water that would run under the floor to the various pools.

Our next stop was to the ancient city of Kourion. This city was dated to 325 BC under Roman occupation. A very rich nobleman, Eustolius, built his villa here. The mosaic floors have been well preserved and are an indication of his importance. Near his home was the Roman Theatre. It is still being used in the summer for musicals, Greek drama and other shows. It seats 1200 people and at one time there was another, higher tier that would have seated another 1200. The view of the Mediterranean Sea is beautiful.

A short drive later and we were in Omodos, the White Village, where we visited a Greek Orthodox Church. We were not allowed to take pictures. This was our guide's church so she told us a little bit about the religion and about the icons inside the church.