The House of Aion in Nea Paphos: seat of an artistic synodos?

New evidence suggests that the 'House of Aion' in Nea Paphos, Cyprus, was not a residential structure but likely served as the seat of a Roman association, possibly a synodos of Dionysiac artists. The study, based on archaeological observations and in situ surveys, dates the building's last phase to the 320s, its partial destruction to an earthquake around 332/342, and its final annihilation by another quake in 365. The presence of a triclinium at the entrance, two rooms with wooden floors over a converted cistern (possibly a treasury), and proximity to the governor's praetorium support this interpretation. The building's decorative elements, including mythological mosaics and wall paintings featuring Apollo and the Muses, align with late antique Roman elite aesthetics but indicate a non-residential function. These findings propose renaming the structure as the 'Synodeion of Late Roman Cyprus.'

Jastrzębowska, E. (2021). The House of Aion in Nea Paphos: seat of an artistic synodos? (I. Zych, Trans.). Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean, (30/2), 339–386. https://doi.org/10.31338/uw.2083-537x.pam30.2.13