The settlement of Nissia is a Neolithic settlement unknown to the public.
The settlement was depicted with surveying machines and with the help of a design program we have its three-dimensional representation. The result is really impressive.
The settlement of Nissia is located south of the beach of Vyzakia, in the area of Protaras. The settlement extends to the top of a hill, has a rocky shore to the east and a river called Lombardi to the northwest. The geographical location of the settlement cannot be considered accidental, as it was based not only on the possibility of providing abundant seafood but above all on the defensive and environmental potential of the area. The Lombardi river provided the inhabitants with drinking water, while the fertile soil of the area allowed them to practice agriculture. The inhabitants' food needs were also met by livestock, hunting and fishing. As the findings of the excavations have shown, deer hunting was important in the area, being the main source of meat for the inhabitants of the settlement.
The settlement belongs to the 2nd Neolithic period or Neolithic Ceramic and dates back to around 5200-4800 B.C. It is the largest settlement of the Neolithic period that has been excavated and researched in the province of Famagusta. The most representative settlements of this period in Cyprus are Sotira in Limassol province, Vrisi of Agios Epiktitos in Kyrenia province, Filia (Drakos) in the Morfos area and Kantou-Koufovounou in Limassol province.
The archeological site of the settlement of Nissia covers an area of 3250 sqm, of which 2750 sqm were excavated by the Antiquities Authority. The excavations uncovered 40 houses, a horseshoe-shaped protective wall with two gates, the middle one of which was on the south side, and a considerable number of movable finds, such as vessels, tools, etc. The houses found to have a quadrangular shape, with rounded corners. All the houses are built at a level of 7 to 10 meters above sea level.
The inhabitants built their houses according to the materials available in the area, such as stones, clay, wood, branches, bricks. In the upper part of the houses, they used lighter materials, such as mud, wood, bricks, in contrast to the lower part, where more durable materials, such as stones, were used. In the middle of the houses, there was a thick wooden pole to support the roof. A unique new element in all of Neolithic Cyprus is the revelation for the first time in the houses of pebble floors.
A horseshoe-shaped wall extends into the settlement where 27 of the 40 houses are located. The wall is an example of the permanent settlement of the population in this area, but also of the collective effort for social organization.
Many important movable finds come from this settlement, such as vases, stone figurines, knives and blades, mortars, necklaces made of picrolite and deer bones, etc. These finds represent the tools and, in general, the objects used by the inhabitants of the settlement in their daily lives, as well as their occupations, such as small crafts and pottery, hunting and agriculture.
The excavations at this site were carried out by the Antiquities Authority under the direction of the archeologist Dr. Pavlou Flourentzou in five excavation periods. Although a small part of the site was not excavated, the results of these excavations provide us with valuable and unique information about one of the most important periods of Cypriot prehistory.
3d drawings of the settlement as it was 7000 years ago.
