Amathus (Greek Αμαθούς), Amathousta (Greek Αμαθούντα) or Amathous is one of the oldest cities in Cyprus, located on the southern coast of the island, 24 miles west of Larnaca. Amathus, like Paphos, was one of the most important places of worship of Aphrodite in antiquity, but the ruins of the city are less well preserved. Most often in Russian-language literature, this city is called Amaphunt.

Ancient times and antiquity
The history of Amathus is a mixture of myth and history. In the Bronze Age, there was no city in its place, and the first traces of human activity in this area are dated by archaeologists in the era of the early Iron Age around 1100 BC. e.. The legendary founder of the city is Kinyra, the father of Adonis and the founder of the cult of Aphrodite on the island, who named the city in honor of his late mother Amathus (Amatea). There is also a legend according to which Theseus abandoned his beloved Ariadne in a sacred grove called Amathus, where she died during the birth of a child and was buried there. In this grove there was a sanctuary of Aphrodite and her sacred forest, and subsequently the city that appeared was called by the same name. Also, according to legend, the ancient inhabitants of Amathus were representatives of the Pelasgians.
Amathus was built on a coastal cliff with a natural harbor in close proximity and was a prosperous city in the early stages of its history. In the VIII century BC. e. a palace and a port were built in the city, which contributed to the development of trade with Greece and the Levant. The city acquired its wealth mainly through the export of its grain, as well as through its copper mines and developed sheep breeding.
Наиболее древними археологическими объектами являются гробницы раннего железного века (1000-600 BC e.) периода греко-финикийского влияния. Аматус упоминается как один из десяти городов-государств в анналах (табличках) ассирийского царя Асархаддона (668 BC e.), где идентифицировался с городом Картихадасти (по-финикийски «Новый город»).
The population of Amathus in the period of the X-V centuries. BC e. spoke mostly Eteocypriot (however Greek was used and had a high status), in contrast to the rest of the island where Greek was spoken. However, there are no signs of ethnic isolation of Amathus from the rest of Cyprus, and the names of local rulers are Greek.
On a high rock near the city, a temple was built to Aphrodite, who began to be considered the patroness of the city under the name of Aphrodite Amathusa. В I веке BC e. the construction of another temple of Aphrodite began in the area where festivities were held in honor of Adonis, in which athletes competed in hunting for wild boars, as well as in dancing and singing. But the construction of the temple was never completed and stopped at the final stage.

Аматус на протяжении своей древней истории был в основном профиникийским городом, что продемонстрировано его отказом вступить в греческую лигу наместника Саламина Онесила, из-за которого вскоре на Кипре произошло восстание против империи Ахеменидов (500 — 494 год BC e.) и Аматус даже subjected to an enemy siege, albeit unsuccessful. Soon Amutus took revenge on Onesil, and according to Herodotus, the inhabitants of Amathus cut off his head and hung him over their city gates. During the time that she hung there, a swarm of bees settled in her. On the advice of the oracle, the inhabitants then removed their heads and buried them with honors, and also began to arrange annual honors in his honor as a hero.
Около 385 — 380 годов BC e. Amathus was opposed by Salamis, under the leadership of Evagoras, as well as Kition and Solam. В 332 г. BC e. King Amathus Androcles went over to the side of Alexander the Great and took part in the siege of Tire. Even after the capture of Cyprus by Alexander the Great, he continued to resist the annexation and the power of the Seleucids. At the same time, its political significance gradually faded away, but the cults of Aphrodite and Adonis that flourished there remained famous for a long time. The epithet “Amathus” in Roman poetry was much more common than “Cypriot”, which testifies to the great glory of the city. During the Roman Empire, the city became the capital of one of the four administrative regions of Cyprus.

Middle Ages
With the advent of Christianity on the island, the cults of ancient deities disappeared, thus, the city lost its once religious significance, known throughout the ancient world. Since the 4th century, there has been a Christian bishop in Amathus. After the death of the Bishop of Memnon, Tikhon of Amaphunt was the bishop here. In the 7th century, the city was still full of life: in 616, the future Patriarch of Alexandria, John the Merciful, became its native, and in 640, Anastasius of Sinai.
In 1191, when Richard I the Lionheart captured Cyprus, the city was almost empty. Many ancient graves and burial sites have been looted, and stones from once beautiful temples and buildings have been transported to the nearby city of Limassol for the construction of new structures. In 1869, after many centuries, the remaining stones from the city were used to build the Suez Canal. Thus, the city was almost completely wiped off the face of the earth, with the exception of individual fragments of the city wall and some ruins on the local acropolis.

Modernity
In the 1870s, Luigi Palma di Cesnola excavated the Amathus necropolis, and his findings added to the collections of the British Museum and the Met. More modern excavations began in 1980 and are still ongoing. To date, archaeologists have discovered an acropolis, a temple of Aphrodite, a market, a city wall, a basilica and a port. Many later finds have been housed in the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia, as well as in the District Archaeological Museum in Limassol.
At present, not far from the ruins of the ancient city, there is the village of Agios Tychonas, named after St. Tikhon, Bishop of Amathus.