Athienou ( or , ) is a village in Larnaca District, Cyprus. It is one of only four villages located within the United Nations Buffer Zone, the other three being: Pyla, Troulloi and Deneia. Today, Athienou has a population of around 10,000 people. Since 1990, it has been home to Davidson College's Athienou Archaeological Project. The town's city hall includes a museum of local history and culture that was established in 2008.
Toponymy It is considered by many, that the name of the village Athienou, derived from the ancient Greek word, "Atta" (Greek: Αττα) or "Atha" (Greek: Αθθα), meaning large rock, which characterized the rocky land of the village. According to another theory, the name derives from a Lusignan called Étienne, who lived in the area, and the people who lived in the village were mentioning his house as "Etienne's Place" (Greek: "Στου Ετιένου", stou etiennou), and in later years that changed into Athienou.Agelarakis A., "Paleopathology and its Contributions to the Decipherment of the Human Condition in Antiquity: A Preliminary Report for the Case of two Skeletal Populations from Malloura in Cyprus", Report of the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus, 1997: 239-250
History It has been a settlement since Middle Bronze Age.According to chart on the wall in exhibit room number 1 at the Larnaca District MuseumDothan, Trude and Amnon Ben-Tor, "Excavations at Athienou, Cyprus, 1971-2 (Preliminary Report)," Israel Exploration Journal Vol. 22, No. 4 (1972), pp. 201–208.Dothan, Trude & Amnon Ben-Tor, Qedem 16 (1983), Jerusalem. In ancient time, the town Golgoi [el] existed near modern Athienou.
Golgoi was traditionally said to have been founded by Golgos from Sikyon in the Peloponnese. This link is reinforced by an archaic limestone relief discovered at the site and now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The relief depicts a Chimaera, a symbol associated with Sikyon and featured on its coinage.Topostext, Golgoi (Cyprus)
Notable people from Athienou Archbishop George III of Cyprus
References
External links
Athienou Archaeological Project Athienou municipality Database of 3D models documenting ancient sculpture excavated at Athienou-Malloura