Fortifications and Defensive Architecture in Cyprus from the Twelfth century BCE to the Fourth century CE

The transition from the thirteenth to the twelfth century BCE is marked by the development of fortified settlements in Cyprus. But it was with the establishment of the city-kingdoms that the fortifications became the prerogative of the urban centers, the seats of power. Whether they had a defensive or prestige function, fortifications protected every kingdom's capital in the sixth century BCE. The construction techniques employed indicate ancestral architectural practices borrowed from the Mediterranean east. When the island came under Macedonian control, the fortified network became denser: in the late fourth century BCE, the ports and coasts were defended by the Antigonids while the Ptolemies do not seem to have erected fortifications before the mid-second century BCE, after losing control of Syria Phoenice and gathering their fleet at (Nea) Paphos, which had become the administrative center for the island. The construction techniques reveal new implementation methods employing advanced modular masonry. With the advent of the Pax Romana, the fortification work was limited to intermittent repairs until the fourth century CE.