The Sia-Mathiatis-Agia Varvara Survey Project
Since 1982, the broader area around the site of ALMYRAS has
been surveyed for ancient mining and smelting evidence. The
recent archaeometallurgical survey of the Sia-Mathiatis-Agia
Varvara region commenced 1995 with walking sessions on the
fields around the modern mines of Sia and Mathiatis. A copper
smelting site with two well preserved furnaces was discovered
at the modern open cast mine of South Mathiatis, worked for
gold in this century. Radiocarbon dating showed 2490 ± 50
y BP to be the date of the installation. The furnaces are
of the same age as the ones of the earliest smelting activities
at Agia Varvara-ALMYRAS.
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