Neolithic remains and elements of bronze and iron weaponry from the more recent Cypro-Classical period (ca. 480-310 BCE), were found during the excavations that were completed at the site of Kataliondas Kourvellos, located in the eastern Troodos foothills, about twenty kilometers from Cyprus capital, Nicosia.
     According to an announcement by Cyprus' Department of Antiquities, preliminary study of the finds revealed that during the Neolithic period the site was occupied in the 8th millennium BCE, and thus did not belong to the later Choirokoitian phase, as was previously thought.
     Excavations at the site have been completed, following the second and last season of excavations conducted by the University of Geneva, under the direction of Dr Julien Beck. This year's investigations focused once more on the slopes at the base of a bedrock knob, while previous finds were further investigated in the various trenches opened in the site in 2010. Among others, the remains of a stone structure, found in 2010, were investigated, revealing a more than three-meter long retaining wall. Close to the bedrock knob, many rock-cut structures were also unearthed, including steps, circular pits, and partition walls, some preserved up to 50 cm high. The announcement adds that a new trench uncovered a rather high number of Neolithic finds.

Edited from Famagusta Gazette (4 November 2011)