According to the historian Strabo, the old town of Kato Paphos was founded in the 12th century BC by the Arcadian commander Agapenor after the end of the Trojan War. Now there is an archaeological park, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
On the territory of Asia Minor and Greece, the ruins of many ancient towns have been preserved, but they are quite compact. The ruins of Archaeological park Kato Paphos are impressive in their scale. They cover an area of about 20 hectares. If you also include the Kings Tombs and excavations near the church of Christopolitissa, then this area is twice as large.
The historical core of Kato Paphos is the archaeological site in the old port area. Alas, the ancient buildings of Kato Paphos have not survived to this day. They were destroyed by earthquakes of the 4th century. Everything that was built here in the early Middle Ages was destroyed by the earthquake of 1222. As a result, in Kato Paphos you can see only the foundations of ancient villas, as well as the ruins of medieval castles and churches.
At the entrance to the Archaeological Park, visitors first see the foundations of Ancient villas of Kato Paphos. Their main cultural value is the mosaic floors of the Roman era. They were found in 4 villas named after gods and heroes from the myths of Ancient Greece: The Villa of Dionysus, the Villa of Theseus, the House of Aion, and the House of Orpheus.
The mosaics in the House of Aion are located indoors. The area of mosaic floors here is small, but the color and complexity of the mosaic are particularly impressive. Nearby is the huge villa of Theseus. It is assumed that this was the house of the Roman consul. The mosaic floors of the Villa Theseus covered an area of more than 1400 m2. Only a part of them has preserved to this day. The ruins of the colonnades have also been preserved here, and the ruins of the baths have been found in the eastern wing.
Protective building is erected over the mosaic panels of the Villa Dionysus. The territory of the villa Dionysus is 2 thousand meters. More than 500 square meters of which are covered with mosaics. Many of them depict the god of wine Dionysus.
From the ancient villas, you have to go to the Agora and the Odeon. In ancient times, it was the center of the town, the Agora was a trade area and the center of social life. The theater was also located here. In ancient times, it had 25 rows, but now only 11 of them have been restored.
If you go further north from the Agora, you can find the ruins of early Christian catacombs where the first Christians hid from persecution. In one of the catacombs there is an early Christian basilica. The largest catacombs of the first Christians are located outside of Kato Paphos. These are Agia Solomon Catacombs and Catacombs of St. Lambrianou.
