Ancient ship carvings at Kition Kathari in Cyprus tell a longer story than archaeologists first thought. High-resolution laser scans made in 2024 revealed many more images than researchers had recorded decades ago.
Photogrammetric model of the south side of the Temple 4 altar in its current state, with ship graffiti illustrated in place. Left: T4.1982.A1; right: T4.1982.A2. Credit: Model and drawing by T. V. Manolova, from G. C. Braun et al., International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (2026). Used under the terms of the CC BY-NC-ND license for non-commercial, educational, and informational purposes.
The study, published in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, examines 43 ship graffiti from the site. Nineteen ships were first recorded in 1982 on the southern façade of Temple 1. Two more were known from the altar of Temple 4.
The new digital survey found many additional ships on Temple 1. Most consist of a few shallow lines, making them hard to see on the worn stone. The scans produced detailed 3D records of the blocks and helped researchers spot marks hidden by years of erosion.
The team was studying the temple masonry rather than searching for ship images. The unexpected finds led researchers to review the full group of graffiti and compare the ship forms with examples from across the eastern Mediterranean.
The results change the timeline of the carvings. Earlier work treated the ship graffiti as Late Bronze Age images. The new study places the carvings across a much longer period, from the Late Bronze Age into the Early Iron Age.
Some ships were carved generations after earlier images. One ship appears on a small repair block added to the temple about 150 years after the main wall was built. This detail shows the practice continued after the first construction work.
The south façade of Temple 1 at Kition Kathari, viewed from the south. Credit: Photo by G. C. Braun, from G. C. Braun et al., International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (2026). CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
The researchers grouped the ships into six main types. The forms point to links with Levantine and Aegean shipbuilding traditions. Many resemble Levantine and Cypriot vessels, while other examples show Minoan, hybrid, and local Cypriot features.
The range of ship types also gives clues about Kition’s place in regional trade and seafaring. Kition stood beside Larnaka Bay and remained an important port through later periods. The temple stood near a sheltered bay, which researchers think likely held the ancient harbor, though its exact location is unknown.
The position of some carvings adds another detail. Most ships on Temple 1 were placed around eye level on the southern wall. Their placement would have made them look like vessels seen nearby.
The two ships on the Temple 4 altar had a different setting. They were carved close to the floor. The researchers suggest firelight from the altar might have made the lines appear to move as the light flickered.
The purpose of the graffiti is still unclear. The study points to the long use of ship images as evidence of a lasting connection between the temple, seafaring, and local memory.
The findings also challenge a simple view of the Bronze Age collapse. The end of the Bronze Age brought major changes across the eastern Mediterranean, but the ship carvings at Kition show continued activity across this period.
Rather than stopping with the collapse, the carving tradition continued into the Early Iron Age. The study links this continuity with the lasting importance of ships and seagoing life at Kition.
Erosion has already erased parts of the temple walls, and more carvings were likely lost with missing stone blocks. The digital records offer a way to preserve what survives.
Researchers are also working toward virtual reconstructions of the temple walls. These models could place the ship graffiti back into their original architectural setting and help people view the carvings as part of the ancient space.