Understanding plaster production in Palaepaphos– <i>Hadjiabdoullah</i> , Cyprus, during the Cypro‐Classical period

Abstract This article discusses the results of analytical work on wall and floor plaster from a secular monument excavated on the plateau of Palaepaphos– Hadjiabdoullah (Cyprus). Excavated within the frame of the Palaepaphos Urban Landscape Project (PULP), funded by the University of Cyprus since 2006, the monument is an extensive multifunction workshop complex dated to the Cypro‐Classical period when the plateau served as the citadel of the city‐state of Paphos. Samples from various units associated with different functions were collected and underwent systematic laboratory analysis (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy combined with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy). The results reveal a multifaceted reality reflecting diverse lime plaster production traditions. Locally available geological and biogenic resources, along with a variety of aggregates, were employed in plaster manufacture. This diversity points to multiple architectural practices coexisting on the citadel and contributes to a broader understanding of how local communities engaged with and adapted to their environment through material choices and construction techniques.