Ancient Kition. According to tradition, the ancient city of Kition was founded by Kittim, Noah’s grandson. Archaeological excavations indicate that
the town was founded in the 13th century BC, as a sacred quarter where a Great Goddess was worshipped in sanctuaries and temples associated with
workshops for the melting of copper. At the end of the 9th century BC, the Phoenicians came to Cyprus and founded a new city Kition on the same site.
They rebuilt the temple and dedicated it to Astarte, the oriental equivalent to Aphrodite. The city was destroyed by earthquakes in the 4th century AD.