The Antikythera Mechanism
subject: Antikythera Mechanism
description: One of the artefacts ranked among the Wonders of the Ancient World is the Antikythera Mechanism, the oldest extant complex geared device, also described as the first analogue computer. Its construction was variously estimated to be about 87 BC; or between 150 and 100 BC; or to 205 BC; or finally, within a generation before the shipwreck, which has been dated to approximately 70-60 BC. It relied on the second-century BC Greek knowledge of astronomy and mathematics. The main utility of the Antikythera mechanism was to calculate the exact position of the Sun, the Moon and possibly the planets in the sky as well as the phases of the Moon and the prediction of eclipses. Apart from the prediction of astronomical events, the mechanism could also determine dates related to religious, social and agricultural rituals and events. The Mechanism was accompanied by an extended “instructions manual” inscribed on one of its parts. The device was operated manually by a user, setting a date in a dial. All necessary calculations were made using a set of gears (at least 39), while the results were displayed on several scientific scales. Unfortunately, the specific purpose for which the Mechanism was made remains unknown. The identity of its maker is also unknown, but the variety of skills and knowledge necessary for the creation of the Mechanism indicate that it required collaboration between an astronomer/mathematician and a mechanic. With its discovery, the Antikythera Mechanism demonstrated that Greek engineers of the Hellenistic period had become far more fluent in designing and constructing geared devices than the surviving written sources infer. It is also notable that the knowledge transmitted by the mechanism was lost and similar technological works appeared much later in Byzantium (fifth-sixth century AD) and the Arab world, while complex ones like the Mechanism appeared in Western Europe in the fourteenth century. The Antikythera Mechanism was retrieved from the sea in 1901 n…
creator: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage - Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
creator: EU ERA Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - MNEMOSYNE
source: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage - Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
source: EU ERA Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - MNEMOSYNE
source: EU Study VIGIE 2020/654
publisher: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage - Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
date: 2nd century BC
contributor: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage - Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
rights: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
format: JPG
language: en
type: Image

The Hermitage (enkleistra) of Saint Neophytos
subject: Hermitage
subject: Saint Neophytos
subject: Enkleistra
subject: Οrthodox Monastery
subject: Byzantine Monument
description: The Hermitage (enkleistra) of Saint Neophytos is one of the most celebrated Byzantine twelfth-century monuments worldwide, given the high quality and the unique iconographic program of its frescoes, encountered nowhere else in the Byzantine world, as well as the fact that the whole complex was cut in rock. The monument is connected with an important intangible heritage. The community that was built and organised around Neophytos has been the centre of intellectual production with strong connections to the Byzantine elites of the island and the capital of the Byzantine empire (Constantinople), during the tumultuous period spanning the last decades of the Byzantine era -which ended with the conquest of the island by Richard the Lionheart in 1191- through the first decades of the Frankish period of Cyprus. The intellectual production at the Enkleistra is evidenced by the writings of Neophytos and the composition of the pictorial narratives of the frescoes. The latter has been studied extensively in the past, whereas the writings of Neophytos, as well as the artefacts produced by or connected to the members of the circle of Neophytos both monks and laymen, have made the object of far less study. Saint Neophytos the Recluse (1134-ca.1214) is one of the most important Cypriot Saints and historic figures. He was a prolific writer who composed his biography, an account of the first years of the Latin conquest of the island, as well as several theological treatises. At the age of 17, he became a monk at Koutsoventis Monastery. In search of a solitary life, he quit this Monastery two years later. After many adventures, he decided to become an ascetic in the mountainous area above the city of Paphos. In 1159 he started building his cell, by enlarging and modifying an already existing cave, which was expanded into a complex comprising three caves: the Cell, the Bema and the Naos dedicated to the Holy Cross. Neophytos soon became a well-known spiritual figure and in 1170 he was …
creator: Saint Neophytos Monastery
source: Saint Neophytos Monastery
source: UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
source: EU ERA Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - MNEMOSYNE
source: EU Study VIGIE 2020/654
publisher: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage - Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
date: 1159
contributor: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage - Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
rights: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
format: JPG
language: en
type: Image

Frescoes of the Saint Euphemianos (Lysi)
subject: Frescoes
subject: Saint Euphemianos Church
description: The Church of Saint Euphemianos or Themonianos is a small, single-room, medieval chapel, surrounded by eucalyptus about 3klm southwest of the village of Lysi in the district of Ammochostos/Famagusta district of Cyprus. It is a very small, single-dome stone building with dimensions 7.5 x 3.5m (without the arch). According to the inscription on the bottom of the arch, which was destroyed by looters, is indicated that the church was dedicated by Monk Lavrentios and Abbot of St. Andronikos Monastery, to St. Euphemianos (Themonianos), a local saint. The interior is decorated with frescoes, which have suffered great damage because of the moisture. Thus, in 1972 maintenance was undertaken by the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus, completed a year before the Turkish invasion of 1974. The dome of the church is decorated with a fresco depicting the Christ Pantocrator. Surrounding the figure of Christ is a double row of angels moving towards the Hetoimasia (the preparation of the throne of the Second Coming of Christ). The Virgin Mary leads one line of the angels to the throne, while John the Baptist leads to the other. In the other fresco of the apse, the Virgin is depicted flanked by two archangels, Gabriel and Michael, with a medallion on her breast of the infant Christ, symbolizing the Incarnation of Christ. A big part of the figure of the archangel Michael has been destroyed due to humidity, whereas the face and figure of the archangel Gabriel remain in very good condition. The frescoes date back to the 13th century and they are typical examples of the Maniera Cypria, the Cypriot painting of the 13th century reflecting the artistic symbiosis between two worlds, East and West in the artworks of the period. During the 1980s, apart from icons, mosaics and frescoes which had been traumatically detached from their “natural habitat” began to appear in the international art market. The first case of organized looting that occurred after the cases of the frescoes of the church …
creator: Byzantine Musuem – Nicosia, Cyprus
source: Byzantine Musuem – Nicosia, Cyprus
source: UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
source: EU ERA Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - MNEMOSYNE
source: EU Study VIGIE 2020/654
publisher: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
date: 13th century
contributor: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
rights: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
format: JPG, PNG
language: en
type: Image

Holy Bread Prosphora Seal
subject: Σφραγίδα Ευλογίας
subject: Early Medieval Byzantine period
description: The artefact chosen for this case study is speculated to had been used for sealing bread or lead objects which were given as a blessing and/or memorial gift to the faithful during their visit to a particular pilgrimage. The artefact belongs to the George and Nefeli Giabra Pierides Museum of the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation. The inscription of the seal/stamp of blessing shows a cross on its centre. The stamp probably dates from the c.6th century AD, thus placing it chronologically in the Early Medieval Byzantine period (or Early Christian period which dates from 395 to mid 7th century A.D., as defined by the Republic of Cyprus’s Department of Antiquities). The circular seal’s diameter is about 10 cm. The seal’s three antennae have a scissor tip, while the fourth one is straight. In the four corners there is an equal number of crosses. The central cross is decorated with geometric, cruciform and cruciform motifs. The seal is made of limestone, and it resembles works of stone or metal replicating them in design. The handle of the seal is also decorated with a cross. Currently there is no information on the seal’s provenance. The above information was given to the Mnemosyne project team by the head Curator of the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, Dr Christodoulos Hadjichristodoulou. Currently the use of the specific stamp as a blessed object for marking bread is disputed by the Foundation’s Curator, Dr Hadjichristodoulou on the grounds that its inscription does not seem appropriate enough to stamp bread loaves. Based on relevant archeological evidence on other similar stamps, and in particular the metal blessing of Saint Mamas (Mammes, Mammas, Mammet) of Caesarea, the Curator speculates that seals of this type could had also been used for the manufacturing of blessing stamps, however without ruling out the sealing of bread as well. Dr Hadjichristodoulou notes that other objects were also given to the faithful as blessings, such as prayer beads or even the gestur…
creator: Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation
source: Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation - Museum
source: UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
source: EU ERA Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - MNEMOSYNE
source: EU Study VIGIE 2020/654
publisher: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage - Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
date: 6th century
date: 7th century
contributor: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage - Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
rights: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
format: JPG, PNG
language: en
type: Image
coverage: 35°10'21.7"N 33°21'45.7"E

The Monastery of Chrysorrogiatissa
subject: The Monastery of Chrysorrogiatissa
subject: Byzantine Heritage
description: The Monastery of Chrysorogiatissa was founded by the monk Ignatios in 1152, during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Manuel I Comnenus, following the discovery of the icon of the Virgin on the shores of Paphos, which according to tradition is one among the seventy known to have been painted by Apostle and Evangelist Luke. Despite being one of the most famous pilgrimage destinations of Cyprus, as well as one of the oldest Monasteries of the island, the foundation of which is connected with a valuable relic, the monastery of Chrysoroyiatissa has never been made the object of extensive research. Little is known about the history of the Monastery from its foundation until the middle of the eighteenth century. The Russian monk Basil Barsky, who visited the Monastery in 1735, described its catholicon as a very small church with a round top, surrounded by two or three cells; while mentioning as well that the Monastery was modest and poor and that it was maintained through agricultural work and goat grazing. The katholikon (main church) of Chrysoroyiatissa, which replaced the small twelfth-century church mentioned by Barsky, was built between 1768 and 1790. Beyond the katholikon, the monastic complex includes also a second underground church, which is a barrel-vaulted structure. The chapel most probably built during the Medieval period, bears no evidence allowing its exact dating. However, it constitutes the oldest still standing built structure, currently on the site. The Monastery owns an important collection of artefacts dating from the twelfth to the mid-nineteenth century, despite the looting of its movable heritage, following the beginning of the Greek revolution of 1821, to which almost all the Cypriot Archpriests and Bishops participated also. The most important and venerated artefacts among the Monastery’s movable heritage are exhibited at the Eikonoskevofylakion (Exhibition hall) of the Monastery created in 2001 within its walls. The exhibition includes icons, li…
creator: Chrysorrogiatissa Monastery
source: Chrysorrogiatissa Monastery
source: UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
source: EU ERA Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - MNEMOSYNE
source: Digital Europe Programme - EUreka3D
source: EU Study VIGIE 2020/654
publisher: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
date: 1152 AC
contributor: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
rights: C BY-NC-SA 4.0
language: en
type: Image

Chalcolithic wine jars
subject: Chalcolithic wine jars
description: Chalcolithic Wine Jars and the History of Wine in Cyprus Since antiquity, grapes have been one of the most famous agricultural products and foodstuffs of Cyprus, as well as one of the basic nutritional elements of the Cypriot diet. The vine has been cultivated on the island since ancient times, while it is still widely cultivated on the island more than any kind of fruit. Viticulture constitutes almost one quarter of the agricultural population, while a large proportion of their income derives from the vines. The famous Wine Villages (“Krasochoria”) of Cyprus – fourteen areas in Limassol, Paphos and Troodos, where inhabitants are exclusively engaged to vine planting and wine-making – constitute the core of vinification of Cyprus since antiquity. However, it is difficult to make any assumptions concerning the time and the circumstances under which the plant was brought to cultivation. It is likely that its cultivation is closely related to the knowledge of turning the fruit of the vine into wine. Wine is not only related to the nutrition or the economy of the island. Given that some of the equipment, recipes, techniques, and processes used to make wine (such as the traditional Commandaria) and zivania (another traditional grape-related beverage), as well as deserts, such as palouzes and soutzoukos, have been handed down for thousands of years, it is clear that wine constitutes a very important part of the cultural heritage – both tangible and intangible - of Cyprus, totally connected with the traditions, the art and the religion of the island. The famous Cypriot Wine The Cypriot wine became famous since antiquity while poets and historians, such as Homer, Stasinus, Pliny, Strabo, and others, sang the praises for its high quality and its sweet flavour. As early as 1100 B.C. the epic poet Homer refers to the Cypriot wine, while the great poet Hesiod in his book “Works and Days”, written around 800 B.C., describes its production in detail. Pliny highlights the importanc…
creator: Department of Antiquities
source: Department of Antiquities Limassol Archaeological Museum
source: UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
source: EU ERA Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - MNEMOSYNE
source: EU Study VIGIE 2020/654
publisher: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
date: Chalcolithic Period (3900-2500 BC)
contributor: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
rights: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
format: JPEG PNG
language: en
type: IMAGE

The Church of the Virgin Karmiotissa
subject: The Church of the Virgin Karmiotissa
description: The church of Panagia Karmiotissa is dedicated to the Merciful Mother of God (Panagia Eleousa). It is located north of the area of Pano Polemidia, on the outskirts of the city of Limassol, in Cyprus. The foundation of the church is dated to the period spanning from the late 13th century to the early 14th century. It was erected by Roman-Catholic monks of the Order of Carmelites, who migrated to the island following their expulsion from Mount Carmel in Palestine. The monument is currently the sole remnant of the Monastery founded by the Carmelite monks and is therefore considered an important vestige of the establishment and presence of the Mendicant Orders on the island during the Frankish period. History and structure The monument, which was fully constructed from regular ashlars, is a pointed barrel-vaulted structure, unusually spacious for a rural Cypriot church. The two additional sections attached to its north wall, most probably two adjacent chapels, are preserved today in a ruinous state. A doorway on the north wall (there are two more doors opened on the west and south walls), which was later sealed, connected the interior of the church with the two chapels. The corners of the west wall bear the bases and of arches that may have supported a gateway or a narthex. One of the upper arch cantilevers is decorated with a figure, most probably that of a Carmelite monk, preserved in a bad condition. The interior of the church is not decorated and there are no traces of plaster, indicating thus, that it has never received a painted decoration. The monument has been restored several times between 1952 and 2002. According to the oral tradition, a settlement was also built within the same area because of the existence of a spring, the water flowing from which, was and is still believed to be holy. Through a water channel, the sacred water was also transferred to the center of the nearby city of Limassol, and more specifically to the church of Ayia Napa. The church belon…
creator: Holy Metropolis of Limassol
source: The Church of the Virgin Karmiotissa
source: UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
source: EU ERA Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - MNEMOSYNE
source: EU Study VIGIE 2020/654
publisher: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
date: late 13th century to the early 14th century A.D.
contributor: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
rights: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
language: en
type: IMAGE

Icon of Panagia Chrysorrogiatissa
subject: Icon of Panagia Chrysorrogiatissa
description: The icon of Christ and the Virgin Mary covered with gold and silver is located in the Church of Chrysorrogiatissa monastery and is believed to have been painted by the Apostle and Evangelist Luke. According to tradition, the sacred icon was thrown into the sea during the iconoclastic period, in order to be saved from the iconoclasts. The waves from Isauria swept it away and carried it to the coast of Paphos, to the location of Moullia. On August 15, 1152, the monk Ignatius, who was practicing in the area, at the site of Kremasti, saw a great flash on the coast of Paphos. He found the icon and set off for his retreat. Overtired as he was, he fell asleep on the slope of Mount Rogia, under a pine tree. In his sleep, an angel of the Lord envisioned him building a temple in the name of the Virgin Mary. The building of Chrysorrogiatissa monastery as it is today, dates back to the 1760- 1770.
creator: Chrysorrogiatissa Monastery
source: Chrysorrogiatissa Monastery
source: UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
source: EU ERA Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - MNEMOSYNE
source: EU Study VIGIE 2020/654
source: EUreka3D
publisher: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
date: 1152 A.D.
contributor: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
rights: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
format: JPEG
format: PNG
format: MP4
language: en
type: IMAGE

The Fikardou Village
subject: The Fikardou Village, UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, Ancient Monument, Παραδοσιακό Χωριό Φικάρδου
description: Fikardou village is located on the south-eastern slopes of the Troodos Mountain range, about thirty kilometres (30 km) southwest of the capital city of Nicosia, on the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The village is considered a genuine example of 18th and 19th-century folk architecture of Cyprus with modifications and additions belonging to the first decades of the 20th century. Due to its unique and well-preserved building structure, the settlement was put under the supervision of the Department of Antiquities in Cyprus in 1978 as an “Ancient Monument” and a “Controlled Area”. In 1984, the Department of Antiquities undertook, as part of a wider program to revitalize the village, to repair and restore the collapsing houses and generally to improve the entire image and structure of the village. Since 2002 the village has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, aiming at high-quality protection and management of the components that constitute its uniqueness. Although the evidence referring to the village’s origins is scarce, the use of a genitive case in the village’s name suggests that the village once belonged to a feudal family of the same name, as is the case for the neighbouring villages of Gourri and Lazania. Τhe village bears the name of a once opulent and important native family of Cyprus, known in the chronicles under the various spellings of Phicardo, Ficardi etc.” and one Tomazo Phicardo - a notary to King James II during Frankish rule in Cyprus - was a feudal lord of nearby villages and possibly owned the village for a time as a fief, thus passing on his name to the village, as was the case for many village fiefs of the time. Fikardou is one of the few examples of a remarkable traditional settlement in Cyprus that has remained unspoiled over time and has managed to keep its architectural features and traditional way of life. The Department of Antiquities in 1978 declared the entire village an ‘Ancient Monument’ and a ‘Controlled …
creator: The Department of Antiquities
source: The Department of Antiquities, UNESCO-WHTL
source: UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
source: EU ERA Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - MNEMOSYNE
source: Horizon 2020 - TExTOUR
source: Horizon 2020 - IMPACTOUR
source: EU Study VIGIE 2020/654
source: Digital Europe Programme - EUreka3D
publisher: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
date: 1978 A.D.
contributor: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
rights: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
relation: Europa Nostra
format: JPG, PNG
language: en
type: Image
identifier: CS 13

The Horologion of Philippi: A portable Sundial
subject: The Horologion of Philippi: A portable Sundia
description: The Philippi Sundial is one of the most beautiful and elegant technological artifacts and measurement devices of the Hellenic world. The Philippi Sundial is an original gadget, a portable pocket ring sundial, which encapsulates the scientific spirit and the technological innovation of the Hellenistic era. The Horologion is currently displayed at the Museum of Kavala, Greece. A sundial is a device that indicates time by using a light spot or shadow cast, by the position of the Sun on a reference scale. Sundials have been invented independently in every major culture and became more accurate and sophisticated as each culture developed. Expectedly, within the noosphere born in the Hellenistic era (with Alexandria as its most important center), ancient Greeks were well-positioned to develop the science (principles and forms) of sundials, having developed the science of geometry, particularly discovering the conic sections to be traced by a sundial nodus. The portable Horologion of Philippi is one of the finds from the archaeological excavation in the Octagon church of Philippi in Macedonia, Greece, which exhibits clear-cut functionality combined with unprecedented ergonomic design. Its distinctive type renders it unique in its kind, since it does resemble common elements, but significantly differs from, the three main types of sundials developed through the science of gnomonics of the Hellenic world. The user of the Horologion of Philippi could not only read the local hour in the region (latitude) of four cities but also calculate the latitude of a specific place, as well as the horizontal coordinates (that is the azimuth and the altitude of the Sun or another celestial object). Based on analyses of its epigraphic evidence, archaeologists date the construction of the Horologion of Philippi between 250 and 350 C.E. The Horologion of Philippi is a circular object made of copper alloy (around 72.5 mm in diameter), consisting of three rings placed inside each other. The inn…
creator: Philippi Museum, Kavala, Greece
source: Philippi Museum, Kavala, Greece
source: UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
source: EU ERA Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - MNEMOSYNE
source: EU Study VIGIE 2020/654
publisher: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
date: 250-350 A.D.
contributor: UNESCO and ERA Chairs on Digital Cultural Heritage Digital Heritage Research Lab Cyprus University of Technology
rights: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
format: JPG
format: PNG
format: MP4
language: en
type: IMAGE
type: VIDEO