The sacred landscape of Roman Cyprus

In contrast to well-documented economic development, the religious landscape of the Roman Cyprus still seems to be not well recognized. The aim of this article is to attempt to understand the main elements, both constant and changing, within the Cypriote religious activity. The study is based on material culture from 36 Cypriote sites that have been considered or published as Roman sanctuaries. Even a cursory look at the material culture from these sites gives us a clear evidence that not only the number of the sanctuaries but also the intensity of their use was visibly reduced. This reduction did not mean however that the local religious tradition drastically changed. As in previous periods, Cypriotes mainly focused on the fertility powers of the deities. The most important cult was that of Cypriote Aphrodite and her male equivalent Cypriote Apollo. Both of them were venerated in the traditional manner with the unique local epithets.