We drove to the Neolithic village of Khirokitia, whose site and first excavations were conducted from 1936 through to the ten subsequent years in what proved to have led to a better perspective of what Pre-Historic Cyprus was like and especially this secure type of settlement.
Several placards spread around the site provided some information though it was once more the valuable contribution of Michel that gave us a better insight on such a small village community life spread in clustered stone circles of huts, the way they seem to have later expanded uphill, the complex engineering to control the access to the village and the stone enclosures themselves constructed in a "beehive cell" way.
The villagers cultivated wheat and barley, the grain being ground in special stone blocks over cylindrical stones moved back and forth so as to crush the seeds ("saddle quern" to be seen in the picture underneath). It is also known they hunted and raised domestic stock. There is no idea though as to which religion they followed. The dead were buried in crouched position in shallow pit-like structures in the floors of their own huts (image to be found underneath).
It was quite an interesting visit though I must confess this type of remains don't touch me as much as other types of civilization representations.
(To be continued)
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