Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1944, Page 97

SWEDISH EXCAVATIONS
87
the Cyprus Expedition made in the neighbourhood of Soli on
the north-western coast of the island. The excavations at
Mersinaki and Soli (see below) to some extent are connected with
the work on a large scale on the mountain of Vouni north-west
of Soli. The central building on Vouni is a large royal palace
round which a number of temples and other buildings are
grouped. To the group of buildings also belongs a necropolis.
The palace, the building of which was begun in connexion with
the developing Persian War 499 B. C., is of very great importance
for the history of Greek habitation architecture, as from the
whole of the important archaic and classical periods we do not
know any corresponding building on Greek soil. The building
of the palace was begun on the initiative of the Persians when
in 499 B. C. they had quelled a Greek rebellion in Cyprus.
Later it was fortified and extended, but still it was reduced by
the Athenians under Cimon in 449 B. C. Finally it was destroyed
by fire in the 38oes probably in connexion with Evagoras’ con-
quest of all Cyprus. The planning originally shows evident in-
fluences from Anatolia. A huge tripartite entrance-building,
which at the same time served as representation-room leads to
a quadrangular courtyard, which on three sides is surrounded by
colonnades. Round this courtyard are the living-rooms. At the
above mentioned conquest of Vouni by the Athenians under
Cimon in 449, however, a radical change of the palace in ac-
cordance with Greek principles of building took place. The old
main entrance was walled up and a new entrance-hall was built
at the opposite end of the palace, so that one came up to the
courtyard and saw before one the front of the palace, which
further had been changed so as to resemble a Greek megaron.
The palace through its various rebuildings opens up great per-
spectives of architectural history, which have already given rise
to a comprehensive discussion of problems. Among the large
number of interesting details in the palace may be mentioned
a fully developed system of aqueducts with large water reservoirs,
a bathing-house, which may be said to be a precursor of the later
Hellenistic and Roman thermae, huge store-rooms and a special
kitchen department with a partially preserved arrangement for
washing up, etc. In immediate connexion with the palace also
seven temple-sites or chapels were examined, all of them of dif-
ferent types. Further a neighbouring large Athene-temple with
adjoining treasuries and buildings was excavated. Most of these