page_title: Kourion
section_title: The Baths and House of Eustolios
hierarchical_section_title: Kourion / Archaeological remains / The Baths and House of Eustolios
caption_attribution_description: English: Mosaic from the house of Eustolios, Kourion Cyprus. Inscription&#160;: " IN PLACE OF BIG STONES AND SOLID IRON, GLEANING BRONZE AND EVEN ADAMANT, THIS HOUSE IS GIRT WITH THE MUCH-VENERATED SIGNS OF CHRIST ". [1][2] Ελληνικά: Ψηφιδωτό δάπεδο από την Οικία του Ευστολίου, Κούριο Κύπρος. Επιγραφή&#160;: "ΑΝΤΙ ΛΙΘΩΝ ΜΕΓΑΛΩΝ, ΑΝΤΙ ΣΤΕΡΕΟΙΟ ΣΙΔΗΡΟΥ ΧΑΛΚΟΥ ΤΕ ΞΑΝΘΟΙΟ ΚΑΙ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΑΝΤ ΑΔΑΜΑΝΤΟΣ (Ο)ΙΔΕ ΔΟΜΟΙ ΖΩΣΑΝΤΟ ΠΟΛΥΛΛΙΤΑ ΣΗΜΑΤΑ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ " (Το οικοδόμημα αυτό στερεώνεται στα πολύ ευλογημένα σύμβολα του Χριστού αντί σε μεγάλους λίθους, στερεές σιδηροσυνδέσεις, χαλκό ή διαμάντια.)[3][4]
context_page_description: Kourion or Latin: Curium, was an important ancient city-state on the southwestern coast of Cyprus. In the twelfth century BCE, after the collapse of the Mycenaean palaces, Greek settlers from Argos arrived on this site.
  In the seventeenth century, Kourion suffered from five heavy earthquakes, but the city was partly rebuilt. The acropolis of Kourion, located 1.3 km southwest of Episkopi and 13 km west of Limassol, is located atop a limestone promontory nearly 100 metres high along the coast of Episkopi Bay.
  The Kourion archaeological area lies within the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia and is managed by the Cyprus Department of Antiquity.
context_section_description: The House and Baths of Eustolios, situated on the crest of the southern cliffs immediately above the theatre, was constructed in the late-fourth century over the remains of a structure destroyed in the mid-4th century. In the early years of the fifth century, soon after the completion of the house, a bathing complex was constructed along the house's northern side. The household and bath annex on the northern side contains more than thirty rooms. The complex was entered from the west, the visitor passing into a rectangular forecourt. A salutatory inscription in the vestibule beyond the forecourt reads, "Enter for the good luck of the house." Rooms were arranged north and south of this forecourt and the vestibule, including a peristyle courtyard to the south at its eastern extent. The southern peristyle was arranged around a central pool and is the centrepiece of the household, its porticoes adorned with elaborate mosaics. A mosaic inscription in the eastern portico identifies the building as Eustolios, who built the structure to alleviate the suffering of the populace of Kourion, presumably in response to the earthquakes of the mid-to-late 4th century. The inscription identifies Eustolios as a Christian, concluding, “this house is girt by the much venerated signs of Christ.” The accompanying iconography includes figural depictions of fish and birds (grey goose, guinea hen, falcon, partridge and pheasant).
  The bathing complex is arranged around a central rectangular hall and included a frigidarium with an antechamber, a tepidarium, and a caldarium. The frigidarium is paved with a figural mosaic depicting a personification of Ktisis (Creation) holding an architect's ruler. 
  The complex remained in use until its destruction in the mid-7th century. The household was probably constructed as an private elite-residence, but was converted into a publicly-accessible bathing facility in the early-fifth century.
caption: Mosaic in the Complex of Eustolios at Kourion
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