Kourion

Looking out over the mediterranean from its cliff top, Kourion is the most spectacularly located ancient sites in Cyprus. First settled by the fierce Mycenaeans, the city reached apogee in Roman times, as evidenced by remnants of the empire such as its great stadium, theatre and lavish public baths. As in many of Cyprus's greatest ancient cities, cults of Aphrodite and Appollo thrived here, and both of these Hellenistic deities have shrines here. Wandering through Kourion's ruins, it is not hard to imagine the city as it must once have been: one of the jewels of Rome's eastern possessions, until its destruction by an earthquake in 365 AD.