The Department of Antiquities, Deputy Ministry of Culture, announces the completion of the 2026 fieldwork season at the Late Bronze Age site of Erimi-Pitharka, in the Lemesos District. The investigations were carried out between 20 April and 22 May 2026 under the direction of Dr. Laerke Recht (Moesgaard Museum, Denmark), with the participation of an international team of students and specialists. The 2026 excavations were funded by grants from The A.G. Leventis Foundation, the Curtiss T. And Mary G. Brennan Foundation, and the Moesgaard Museum.

Erimi-Pitharka is dated primarily to the Late Cypriot IIC–IIIA period and is considered contemporary with sites such as Alassa and Episkopi-Bamboula in the Kouris Valley. The site has yielded substantial evidence for the processing of agricultural products, including cereals, olive oil, and wine. The 2026 investigations focused on Area I/1A, where earlier work has identified remains of a large building complex, interpreted as having an administrative and productive function. Excavations were carried out in a series of trenches to the north and east of previously investigated areas.

The results of this season demonstrate that the architectural complex extends further than previously established, with additional rooms and open spaces identified to the north and east. Some of these were constructed using large, carefully cut ashlar-like blocks, while others follow the typical drystone construction with mudbrick superstructures. Several rooms are also larger than those found so far, with features and entrances that mark them as key spaces. The kafkalla bedrock was cut for pits or storage unit, for another embedded pithos, walls were built against it, and it was crushed to and used as part of surfaces. Remarkable for this season’s excavations are not only the much extended spaces, but also further evidence of processing activities in the form of many stone tools and the presence of a substantial amount of grape seeds, along with indications of a ceramic workshop with a clay deposit and experimentation with the manufacturing of loom weights. The finds and architecture continue to support a Late Cypriot IIC-IIIA date for the site, with some indications of a much earlier presence in the Ceramic Neolithic.

Among the most significant spaces is Room 110, the largest so far identified, measuring at least 7x4.30 m. The room is defined by the well-built walls, benches, marked thresholds as entrances, a stone-lined storage unit, and the presence of a large stone weight for a press. Particularly noteworthy is the discovery of a deposit of raw clay in the room, together with unfired and low-fired loom weights, indicating local manufacture of ceramic objects and possible textile-related activities. Excavation also revealed adjacent rooms, including Room 115, another large space, and smaller interconnected spaces (Rooms 116, 117, and 118), some preserving plaster floors and architectural features such as steps and a pillar base.

Excavations in the southern part of the area, below Courtyard 113, revealed layers rich in pottery, a few animal bones, and a substantial quantity of grape seeds, as well as pits containing discarded material. These finds provide further evidence for the processing of agricultural products, especially grape processing, possibly related to wine production.

In the eastern trenches, the excavation of Room 101 was completed, with its very smooth and well-preserved plaster floor. In its southeastern corner, a deep pit contained a group of near-complete vessels. These consisted of decorated Aegean-type pottery and vessels adapted for new purposes, such as a bowl with a perforated base, and a Plain White ware base cut for use as a lid. South of this room, another deposit included an almost complete Plain White ware bull figurine, a bronze pin, and a jug fragment, likely associated with activities towards the final phase of occupation.

Other notable finds include additional bronze pins, spindle whorls, loom weights, and fragments of animal figurines, including the head of a boar figurine made of Base Ring ware. Excavations in deeper levels identified a small number of Ceramic Neolithic sherds, particularly in the area below Courtyard 113 and in Room 115. These finds suggest an earlier phase of activity at or near the site, although all architectural remains uncovered to date belong to the Late Bronze Age.

The results of the 2026 season thus reinforce the interpretation of the site as an important centre for production and processing within the Kouris Valley during the Late Bronze Age. Excavations will continue in future seasons with the aim of further defining the limits of the complex and clarifying the relationship between its production and storage units, and associated activities.