House of Dionysus
House of Dionysus is one of the many cultural attractions in the vast area of the Archaeological Park of Kato Paphos, west of the Paphos Ancient Odeon and the Agora.
It is another space containing some of the unique mosaics of Paphos, a luxurious 2,000-square-meter building of the Roman period, belonging to the Hellenistic style, and it is considered to be one of the most important monuments in the world. The House of Dionysus was built at the end of the 2nd century AD and was destroyed by the earthquakes of the early 4th century. It probably belonged to a member of the Roman administration or to a wealthy resident of Paphos, and owes its current name to the themes of the mosaics found in the building, which are mostly portraying the god Dionysus.
The Roman house has a patio and a tank, with a rich mosaic floor decoration and was built on top of earlier buildings, the oldest of which is a sanctuary carved on a rock.
The findings came to light in 1962-1965 by the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus, under the supervision of the then curator Kyriakos Nikolaou, and concern the imposing edifice and its 40 rooms, which are developed around a peristyle courtyard, which was the core of the building. It is the first building with mosaic floors revealed in Paphos and today it has been restored with wooden platforms placed around the space, while wooden is also the entire interior lining.
At the entrance of the house there is a floor made of sea pebbles, which depicts the mythical sea monster Scylla and belongs to an earlier Hellenistic building. One quarter of the building (556 square meters) is covered by impressive mosaic floors – beautiful and multi-coloured – depicting mythological themes in relation to the god of Wine, such as “the triumph of Dionysus”, where the god is depicted on a chariot dragged by two panthers with the accompaniment of Bacchus and his followers, as well as scenes depicting Dionysus and Acme. Other themes in the mosaics include Ikarios and the shepherds, “Vintage Scenes”, hunting scenes, the personification of the 4 seasons, and there are also themes such as a peacock, love, “Phaedra and Hippolytus”, “Pyramos and Thisbe”, “Ikarios and Dionysos”, “Poseidon and Amymonis”. Other mosaics have geometric decorations, triangles, stars and more.
In the House of Dionysus, walking around the platforms placed above the floors with the ancient mosaics, the visitor can admire the unique mosaics and be informed by their respective signs.
House of Dionysus
Kato Paphos
Opening hours: 16 April to 15 September Daily 08: 30-19: 30
16 September to 15 April Daily: 08:30 to 17:00
Phone: 00357 26306217