July 2001 Index

As you will see from the front page the village festival has been a great success, held in the new football stadium, which is now open.

It has been a long road to this final moment for the stadium the cost of materials, which as with all large projects increased as time went on, but now the project is complete and all the problems overcome. Total cost of the stadium came to £235,000 of which £100,000 given by the Cyprus Athletic Organisation, with the rest coming from the village.

The football stadium at present will be used for practice games but at the end of September a tournament will take place, involving 20 of the surrounding villages before the main season starts. Remember also the stadium will accommodate many other sports and village events.

The work on the asphalting the new roads around the village will take place starting on the 20th August this year. They include two roads to Zygi either side of the Lemon Gardens restaurant, also the road from the village down to the sea ending at the Petra clinic. The road up to the water depository on the opposite side of the village from the sea road will also be included, as will some repairs to roads inside the village. Please watch you speed over this time and be patient at any hold ups.

Just for your information we have just paid the electric bill for the street lighting in the village, which is due every two months at a cost of £1,200. Watch out for the next months ‘Mukhtar’s Comments’ for information on future village projects.

Andreas and Diana Christou own a very successful fish restaurant on the sea front at Zygi, known as “Diana”, where their salad buffet is a marvellous starter to an excellent fish main course. Andreas was born in Nikitari near Nicosia in 1942 and he went to school in the village. At the age of 13 he left school to learn a trade in the building industry and in 1962 went to England with no knowledge of the English language.

He met Diana in England and married her in 1965, she having been born in Kato Pyrgos Tylirias. In 1968 they had a son and decided to open a dress factory in London and in 1971 they had a daughter. In 1980 they sold their successful dress factory and bought two super-markets, both in London, one in Muswell Hill and the other in Palmers Green, which they kept until 1991 when they returned to Cyprus. In 1989 they started Diana Andreas Developments in Nicosia, building flats and houses and in 1992 opened the fish restaurant at Zygi originally just as an investment, but they became interested in actually running it and have continued doing so. Their son is married and has a car spares import business in Nicosia and their daughter, who is expecting their first grand child, runs a gym with her husband, also in Nicosia.

Mother and Son, West Highland White Terriers, first came to me to be clipped. For W.H.W.T.’s they were remarkably docile. Most likely because they were at least double the weight they should have been for the breed. I did keep on informing their German lady owner, that she was literally killing them with kindness. Ignored as usual - most of my patients’ owners asked for dietary advice and completely ignored it. I occasionally got very cross, but what was the use ? However this particular owner and British spouse were going to Germany to visit her parents for five weeks and asked me if I’d look after Susie and Adolf during their absence. Conferred with husband, who said that they wouldn’t make a lot of difference to the household, which was bursting at the seams with Toy Poodles. I agreed to take them on and innocently inquired, what type of food they preferred. Too my horror and disgust, I was informed - “Chocolates and Chocky Backy Bickies”. What ? - “no wonder they are so fat” I replied. The lady said “it would be wonderful if you can get them on to proper dog food !” “Oh, I will” said I. Four days went by with “Proper Dog Food”, being presented, refused and thrown out. Fifth day they tucked in with my crew to green tripe. “I’ve won” I crowed.

Now every evening my husband and I after feeding the dogs went next door to visit my aged parents. It was not only expected, but Oh dear - if one didn’t appear, one felt very guilty. We took the two boarders with us. The dogs loved it, as my parents had their house at a tropical temperature, which they basked in. About three weeks into the allotted time of their stay, we set off from our house in a terrific storm with Susie and Adolf, to do our duty call - the trouble started, caused I thought by a huge crack of thunder and an absolute deluge. Between gates from our house to my parents, Susie took off up our private road. I took off in pursuit clad in a “T” shirt, light slacks and slippers. Hair very long, fastened up with a (my very best) black bow clip. I was almost numb with fright as Susie made straight across the main road and set off for her home village two miles away. The little devil ran like something possessed with me sloshing and gasping behind her, getting more and more soaked and angry with every stride. Every time she got more than five yards in front of me, she turned her head, slowed down and in doggie language shouted “Yahoo - you can’t catch me”. Half way to the village she was making for the blessed sight of headlights coming towards me. Without thought for my safety, I dashed into the middle of the road and flagged the vehicle down. The poor driver must have thought I’d escaped from the nearest funny farm. He and his wife were strangers to the area, but having listened to my garbled explanation, agreed to follow my directions and go to my home and inform my husband of my whereabouts.

Meantime Susie was her usual five yards ahead, obviously enjoying every minute. As soon as this obliging couple set off on their errand she was off again, me in pursuit. By then neither of us could have been any wetter or dirtier, I’d lost my best bow out of my hair, sheepskin slippers so soaked they were falling off at every step, what a state to be in. On we went until we reached the pub at the top of the village. Susie took a sharp right turn and disappeared down the four in one bank, obviously heading for her home. I took an equally sharp left into the pub ! On a night like that apart from the Shove Half-penny, Dominoes and Darts players, fortunately for me all quite ancient, there were not any customers. I stood on the flagged floor dripping water, thinking I was breathing my last. Apart from the landlord, no-one even raised an eyebrow. I started to explain, when the most lovely sight I’d seen all night, burst into the bar. Husband had got my message and had arrived with a vehicle. We found out from the landlord, where Susie’s mum and dad lived. We set off to try and locate her. Oh yes ! There she was sitting outside the garden gate. As soon as we got out of the car, she went yet again. This was where Alan put his foot down and insisted he took me home ! “Bath, whisky and a change of clothes, before you get pneumonia” Arguments were useless. He really meant it ! Back two miles we went - he ran a very deep, hot bath, filled a tumbler and I got my breath back.

Back we went to the address we’d been given and last saw Susie. No sign of her, so I knocked on a neighbour’s door. Lady answered in her dressing gown. Oh yes, she knew the people who owned Susie and Adolf. They always left the dogs with a retired Colonel and his wife, who spoilt them rotten. She told us where they lived, I had a sneaking suspicion that Susie would make for where she was “spoilt rotten”. The Colonel and his wife had gone to bed but Susie was crouched at the back door of their house. I got out of the car and very quietly approached her. How I did that I don’t know, as by then I was furious. Grabbed her collar, hoisted her up, getting my fresh dry clothes wet and dirty again and deposited her unceremoniously into the well in front of my seat. Don’t imagine that was it - end of story ? - when we got home, she was to bath and dry as I couldn’t put her to bed in that state. I could have strangled her, but it wasn’t her fault, she only wanted to get her chocolates and chocky backy bickies, didn’t she ?

Susie didn’t try and escape again, Adolf would never have left me, in fact he didn’t want to go home when his idiot humans came to pick them up at the end of their holiday. I had them several times after that. Their owners referred to our house as “The Health Clinic” as their dogs always attained a svelte figure when I had them. They still wouldn’t eat ‘dog food’ at home. Sadly Adolf died before his mother, he had a heart attack - Susie was put to sleep shortly after, no doubt with a tummy full of chocolate !

The latest in the series of archaeological investigations of the Maroni area are the survey and excavations directed by Dr Sturt Manning of Reading University since 1990 (see previous issues of Maroni News for the British Museum’s excavations in the 1890s and for Gerald Cadogan’s excavations at Vournes in the 1980s to early 1990s). In 1990 Dr Manning (then at Cambridge University) and co-director David Conwell (University of Pennsylvania) started the Maroni Valley Archaeological Survey Project (MVASP).

By studying the archaeological evidence available on the ground surface (both movable finds and other indications), without excavation archaeological survey can build up a picture of how ancient people have used the landscape in the past, including the number, size and distribution of sites of various types and periods. Survey may be either an end in itself, or used in conjunction with excavation to obtain a more complete understanding of the landscape around an important site.

In the past it was first necessary to obtain, or make, good conventional maps of the relevant area on which to plot the discoveries, but nowadays air photos, satellite images, satellite-based Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and various computer mapping and information programs (GIS) are normally also employed. David Sewell of the Reading project has built a GIS of the Maroni survey area.

As well as mastery of these technical aspects, an essential component of most surveys remains good old “field-walking”, when the team of researchers walk across the landscape in an organised manner (e.g., spaced a certain distance apart and following a specific compass direction), with their noses down and the blazing sun on the back of their necks, looking for pot sherds, stone tools or any other finds. The finds may all be collected and taken back to base for study, or some may be counted and classified in the field, with a more limited selection being kept. Except when surveying a very small area, it is normally too time-consuming to walk and collect the entire area in such detail, and some form of sampling is often used. As well as obtaining a general overview of the area, the Maroni survey has completed detailed collection of material based on blocks of 500 metres square (which are further subdivided), related to the available maps of the area. To sample the area, several east-west strips of 500m wide, cutting across the valley, have been studied, plus other 500m squares to test the areas in between. The area studied so far (about 14.5 sq km) extends from a little north of Psematismenos to the coast (but does not include the upper parts of the Maroni river valley adjacent to Khirokitia and further north). A large number of sites and scatters of ancient material of all periods from Neolithic to early modern have been discovered, and the results are being studied for detailed publication.

The same team (now directed solely by Dr Manning and based at Reading University) has also excavated various areas near Maroni since 1993, mainly aiming to explore the Late Bronze Age (1600-1200 B.C.) use of the area, which had been partly revealed by Gerald Cadogan’s previous discovery of a magnificent building at Vournes.

Several areas have been excavated, some at Tsaroukkas on the coast, believed to be the scene of the British Museum’s excavations in the 1890s. Discoveries here include a 13th century B.C. building complex containing small storage jars, loom weights, bronze fragments and slag. Several tombs have been found, most of which have already received the attentions of the British Museum or looters at some time in the past, but the remaining finds throw light on the local culture and its international connections. Another excavation area is at Aspres (between Vournes and Tsaroukkas) where another Late Bronze Age building has been found.

A further aspect of the recent work has been underwater survey in the sea off Tsaroukkas, using snorkel and scuba. Many stone anchors, of types known to have been used in the Late Bronze Age, and pottery dating back to the early part of the period (later 17-16th centuries B.C.) are very significant finds which demonstrate that this area was used as an anchorage for ships involved in the international trade which was an important part of the ancient economy. A long scholarly article on these finds by Manning, Sewell, and an American specialist, Dr. Ellen Herscher, has been finished and currently awaits publication. Dr Manning’s team has also carried out emergency excavations at Petrera, south-east of Maroni, where agricultural work had revealed and largely destroyed a three-aisled Late Roman church (6th-7th century A.D.). They hope to produce a short volume on this salvage activity during the next year. Just west of Zyyi at Petrini, the sea is eroding a Late Roman site, where the ancient walls and floors can be seen in the small scarp next to the pebble beach. The Reading team have mapped and studied the visible remains, which include a pottery kiln used for the production of amphorae in the 7thcentury A.D. (based on articles by Sturt Manning & colleagues)

P.S. I have compiled a list of the various published articles about the archaeology of Maroni (most are available only in a specialized library). If anyone would like a copy I will gladly supply one, printed or via email.

Having lived most of my life in a suburb of London and worked in the City, you could say that I was very well used to noise. The continual hum of vehicles on the A2, sirens of police, ambulance and fire brigade, the roar of motor cycles, ice cream chimes etc. etc. - there was never any peace. I really believed that when we came to live in a Cypriot village, it would be a tranquil experience.

WRONG ! At this time of year I usually wake at 5.30 a.m., an early start is vital so that we can get the dogs out, clear most of the house-work, before the heat gets us. However the birds beat me, in stereo we have the sparrows, green finches, rooks, magpies, the owl from the previous night and the violent chirping of the cicades, all on full volume. If the wind is in the right direction, the local army camp will sound the “reveille” and we get the hum of the traffic from the highway and then the dogs from the local kennels start. Gradually the pick-ups, lorries, tractors and J.C.B.’s rumble into action, plus the giant combine harvesters, which are really busy at this time of year.

During the day, we have the toot of the bread and milk van, the growling call of the “freskes patates” man, the fish-man, the crazy jingle of the dry-cleaning man and, of course, “yankee-doodle-dandy” from the ice-cream man - this is not quite in tune! Who cares ? these are the sounds of Maroni, which I know and love and give the village its special character. Sorry I forgot the gentle tinkling of the sheep and goat bells and, of course, the peacock.

Volume 3, Issue 3

Village Festival