Yeronisos

A tiny 2.6-hectare island off the west coast of Cyprus near Pegeia, uninhabited since the 15th century but of major archaeological significance. Three occupation periods have been identified: Early Chalcolithic (3800 BC), late Hellenistic (80-30 BC), and Byzantine (6th-7th and 13th centuries). During the most intensive Hellenistic phase, the island served as a sanctuary dedicated to Apollo under possible royal patronage of Cleopatra VII. Excavations led by Joan Breton Connelly of New York University since 1990 uncovered Ptolemaic ostraka, a stone parapegma calendar, limestone ritual amulets, temple remains, and evidence of sudden abandonment possibly due to earthquake.