Ancient roads in the copper mining region of north central Cyprus

This article presents the findings of the fieldwork carried out by the authors in November 2023 as part of the field campaign of the multidisciplinary landscape-archaeological project, “Life at the Furnace: Copper producing settlement ecosystems in the north-western Troodos”. Based on recent hypotheses on the correlation between Roman necropoleis, early Christian basilicas and the road network, the route of the trans-island highway between Tamassos and Soloi was resurveyed with special attention to the section crossing the Peristerona valley. In addition, the survey of a branch road running parallel to the Peristerona river has suggested a connection between the Soloi hinterland and the Hellenistic district capital of Lapethos.