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believed that the huts were like rooms several of which were grouped around an open courtyard and together formed the home. The population of the village at any one time is thought not to have exceeded 300 to 600 inhabitants. The people were rather short – the men about 160 centimeters (5 ft 3 in) on average and the women about 150 centimeters (4 ft 11 in). Infant mortality was very high. On average adult men reached 35 years of age and women 33. The dead were buried in crouched positions just under the floors of the houses. In some instances provision was made for offerings, possibly indicating a form of
Ancestor cult within the households. This, the earliest known culture in Cyprus, consisted of a well-organised, developed society mainly engaged in farming, hunting and herding. Farming was mainly of cereal crops. They also gathered fruit in the surrounding area such as pistachio nuts, figs, olives and plums. The four main species of animals whose remains were found on the site were deer, sheep, goats and pigs.
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might have originated from the word "Khirogetia", which implies the practice of palmistry. According yet to another opinion, it may have originated from some initial name like "Ierokitida" (Sacred place). Yet more imaginative opinions claim that the name came from the words "gyros" and "oikia" due to the fact that the prehistoric huts are round. Furthermore, tradition has it that the name is derived from the phrase "Chere Kitia" a phrase used by the Queen "Rigena" to address a certain female friend of hers from Kition. It was also claimed that maybe the name originated from the plant
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group. More recent discoveries, however, including several sites in the vicinity of the ancient acropolis of
Amathus on the eastern edge of modern Limassol, have filled this chronological gap considerably, revealing that the island was probably occupied continuously at least from the ninth millennium
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According to the dominating opinion the name of the village is a composite of the word "Khiros" (hog / pig) and the word "Kiti", thus suggesting an area where pigs were raised. Other sources claim that the original name was "Sidirokitida", thus an area where iron was found. It is also said that it
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are organized in tight groups around an unroofed "courtyard", which scholars believe represents family groups. The lower parts of these buildings are often of stone and attain massive proportions by constant additions of further skins of stones. A collapsed flat roof of one building found recently
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The internal divisions of each hut were according to the purpose of its usage. Low walls, platforms designated work, rest or storage areas. They had hearths presumably used for cooking and heating, benches and windows and in many cases there is evidence of piers to support an upper floor. It is
396:, which is found cultivated in Cyprus under the more simple name "Cheromolia", although this is considered very unlikely. At any rate, in old maps the village is marked as either Cherochetica or as Chierochitia.
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The village of
Khirokoitia was suddenly abandoned for reasons unknown at around 6000 BC and it seems that the island remained uninhabited for about 1500 years until the next recorded entity, the
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The settlement of
Khirokitia is situated on the slope of a hill in the valley of the Maroni River, towards the southern coast of the island about 6 km from the sea.
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BC. Early communities were small and widely dispersed, so not every region would have been as heavily exploited as later in prehistory.
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Le Brun, Alain (1993). "Recherches sur le Néolithiques pré-céramique de Chypre: les fouilles du Cap
Anderas-Kastros et de Khirokitia".
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334:. A French mission under the direction of Alain Le Brun resumed excavation of the site in 1977. It was occupied from the
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like wheat, barley, lentils, peas, horse bean, and vetch, foraging olives, flax, figs, pistachios, plums, and pears,
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period is represented by this settlement and around 20 other similar settlements spread throughout the island.
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Karageorghis, Vassos (2007). "Cypriote
Archaeology, the Eighty Years after the Swedish Cyprus Expedition".
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since 1998. The site is known as one of the most important and best preserved prehistoric sites of the
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Simmons 1999; Simmons 2001 (both with previous references); Peltenburg et al. 2001; Steel 2004, 19–32.
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who carried out six excavations between 1934 and 1946. His initial findings were published in
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in 1934. Dikaios initially believed the settlement was established around 4000 BC.
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The
Archaeology Of Cyprus: From Earliest Prehistory Through The Bronze Age
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The
Archaeology Of Cyprus: From Earliest Prehistory Through The Bronze Age
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The
Archaeology Of Cyprus: From Earliest Prehistory Through The Bronze Age
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indicates that not all roofs were dome shaped as was originally believed.
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The
Bearded Goddess: Androgynes, Goddess, And Monsters In Ancient Cyprus
779:. Baton Rouge and London: Louisiana State University Press. p. 10.
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617:(2). The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies: 199.
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Payne, H. G. G. (1934). "Archaeology in Greece, 1933–34".
937:. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 122.
897:. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 125.
818:. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 17.
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Ancient Cyprus: 7,000 Years Of Art & Archaeology
746:"Fouilles récentes à Khirokitia (Chypre) 1983–1986"
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354:practiced by its Neolithic inhabitants included
1102:Department of Antiquities, Government of Cyprus
1069:"Khirokitia - Neolithic Settlement Khirokitias"
656:. Great Britain: Thames And Hudson. p. 16.
720:"The French Archeological Mission, Khirokitia"
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517:List of World Heritage Sites in Western Asia
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19:For the modern village near the site, see
985:"History of Solar Architecture in Cyprus"
920:Kinyras: L'archéologie francaise a Chypre
868:. London: Thames And Hudson. p. 12.
866:Cyprus: From The Stone Age To The Romans
654:Cyprus: From The Stone Age To The Romans
744:T., Watkins (1989). Le Brun, A. (ed.).
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312:The site was discovered in 1934 by
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588:"Biography of Joan Du Plat Taylor"
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1221:Former populated places in Cyprus
272:'place of origin, cradle') is an
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148:Cyprus Department of Antiquities
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839:Winbladh, Marie-Louise (2012).
611:The Journal of Hellenic Studies
323:The Journal of Hellenic Studies
1211:World Heritage Sites in Cyprus
1206:Archaeological sites in Cyprus
360:herding sheep, goats, and pigs
332:Turkish invasion of the island
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878:: CS1 maint: date and year (
864:Karageorghis, Vassos (1982).
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696:Le Brun, Alain (March 2001).
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284:age. It has been listed as a
963:UNESCO World Heritage Centre
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933:Knapp, A. Bernard (2013).
893:Knapp, A. Bernard (2013).
814:Knapp, A. Bernard (2013).
698:"Le Néolithique de Chypre"
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128:34.7967250°N 33.3437194°E
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500:Reconstructed structures
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452:Reconstructed structures
440:Reconstructed structures
221:Europe and North America
1007:Cite journal requires
133:34.7967250; 33.3437194
76:Location within Cyprus
21:Choirokoitia (village)
298:collective settlement
294:eastern Mediterranean
253:[çiɾociˈti.a]
85:Alternative name
1160:World Heritage Sites
586:Hirshfeld, Nicolle.
256:, suggested meaning
352:Subsistence methods
286:World Heritage Site
274:archaeological site
239:(sometimes spelled
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1079:on 27 January 2017
1038:"Early prehistory"
983:Lapithis, Petros.
590:. Brown University
328:Radiocarbon dating
316:, director of the
314:Porphyrios Dikaios
207:Reference no.
50:View of Khirokitia
1216:Tourism in Cyprus
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944:978-0-521-72347-3
904:978-0-521-72347-3
850:978-9963-706-31-0
825:978-0-521-72347-3
700:(in French). Clio
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346:Archaeology
249:Χοιροκοιτία
186:ii, iii, iv
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107:Coordinates
1200:Categories
750:Paléorient
523:References
338:until the
258:Pig-cradle
237:Khirokitia
191:Designated
144:Management
37:Chœrocœtía
29:Khirokitia
874:cite book
795:cite book
662:cite book
639:163629380
308:Discovery
282:Neolithic
506:See also
302:aceramic
183:Criteria
178:Cultural
93:Location
1096:Sources
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400:Gallery
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368:tholoi
364:tholoi
290:UNESCO
278:Cyprus
269:κοιτίς
263:χοίρος
217:Region
211:848bis
196:(22ns
101:Cyprus
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635:S2CID
627:JSTOR
245:Greek
194:1998
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1013:help
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880:link
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762:2017
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