Ancient Port of Kition Virtual Reconstruction

The video was the first archaeological site on the island  brought to life in such a ground-breaking virtual reconstruction and is historically-accurate, executed in cooperation with the French Archaeological Mission of Kition and made in cooperation with the Youth Board of Cyprus. It shows the War Harbour that was present 2,500 years ago being constructed, along with the site as it was during the Cypro-Archaic II & I Periods, and includes additional content such as extra information and explanations on terminology. 

The project by Larnaka Tourism Board and the Youth Board of Cyprus won the important international award ‘Innovative and creative enhancement of a cultural/archaeological site’ by the International Confederation La Rotta dei Fenici - Itinerario Culturale del Consiglio d'Europa in November 2021 and also won a Silver award at the 'Cyprus Tourism Awards 2021'.

Kalavasos-Tenta Archaeological Site - Virtual Reconstruction

The second in the series of archaeological sites brought to life is the Neolithic Settlement of Kalavasos-Tenta with a virtual reconstruction made in cooperation with Youth Makerspace Larnaka / Youth Board of Cyprus. under the guidance of archaeologist Alison South and supported by the Department of Antiquities and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism.

The settlement is brought back to life through video and 3D visualisation VR, taking a journey back 9,500 years to the point where some of Cyprus' first permanent residents established a village west of the Vasilikos River plain. The ancient ruins are virtually restored, and whole buildings appear, with the main characteristic being the circular floor plan and the enclosure wall that surrounded the settlement. An example of the interior of a house is also presented, with focus on the rare decoration of a building, where two human figures with raised arms can be seen. The video also refers to the daily activities of the inhabitants and their coexistence with the animals of the time, while archaeological finds from the area are also presented, such as tools, stoneware and jewellery.

The settlement of Tenta, like other settlements of the same period, was suddenly abandoned around 5600 BC, with the reasons for this abandonment unknown

Church of the Holy Cross, Tochni - Virtual Reconstruction

The third in the series of archaeological sites brought to life is the Church of the Holy Cross, Tochni; virtually reconstructed through a cooperation between Larnaka Tourism Board (LTB), the Holy Metropolis of Trimythountos and the Youth Makerspace Larnaka branch of Youth Board of Cyprus (ONEK).  

The video shows a depiction of the temple during the 12th-14th centuries. It is a Gothic style church that is historically connected to the passage of Saint Helen in Cyprus and is located opposite the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen in the centre of Tochni village. 

The church complex is comprised of two buildings; the Byzantine temple and the northern temple, which is an important historical building of the 14th century. It is noted that the three-dimensional visual, interpretative restoration of the twin temples of the Church of the Holy Cross, Tochni is hypothetical, based on the floor plan, only for the transparent indicative rendering of the southern temple. The final result of the northern temple is the result of a study undertaken to attempt to fill in missing elements, based on sufficient surviving remains, which were mapped with millimetre accuracy. The completion of the missing elements was undertaken with metric precision and the result coincides with - and is confirmed by - the well-known published morphology of the temple that was salvaged from Camil Enlart’s plans of 1896, with a hypothetical representation of elements of the south side.  

The video also presents important collections and great works of the 16th century by the great hagiographer of the time Loukas Tochnitis, such as the Virgin Mary Enthroned and the Epitaph. A gospel from the same period is also presented and constitutes the most ancient, surviving archetype, which is now kept in the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen. 

The knowledge and expertise of the scientific team of the Holy Metropolis of Trimythountos and other collaborators was utilised for the implementation of the project. Supporters of the project are the Deputy Ministry of Tourism and the Department of Antiquities.