Athienou
Encyclopedia
Athienou is a village in Larnaca District
, Cyprus
. It is one of only four villages located within the United Nations Buffer Zone
, the other three being Pyla
, Troulloi
and Deneia
. Today, Athienou has a population of around 5,000 people and is home to Davidson College's Athienou Archaeological Project.
Others support that the name was given by a group of Athenians (travellers from Athens), who came and settled in the village, to remember their home town.
Others resolve the name to a Lusignan
called Etienne, who lived in the area, and the people who lived in the village were mentioning his house as "Etienne's Place" (Greek: "Στου Ετιένου", stou etiennou), and in later years that changed into Athienou..
Larnaca District
Larnaca District is one of the six districts of Cyprus. Its main town is Larnaca. A small part of the district was occupied by the Turkish army in 1974....
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. It is one of only four villages located within the United Nations Buffer Zone
United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus
The United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus runs for more than along what is known as the Green Line and has an area of . The zone partitions the island of Cyprus into a southern area effectively controlled by the government of the Republic of Cyprus , and the northern area...
, the other three being Pyla
Pyla
Pyla is a village in Larnaca District, Cyprus. It is one of only four villages located within the United Nations Buffer Zone, the other three being Athienou, Troulloi and Deneia. Pyla is located in the eastern part of the island, adjacent to the British Sovereign Base Area of Dhekelia...
, Troulloi
Troulloi
Troulloi is a village in Larnaca District, Cyprus. It is one of only four villages located within the United Nations Buffer Zone, the other three being Pyla, Athienou and Deneia. Today, Troulloi has a population of around 1,000 people. The village's patron saint is Saint Mamas, celebrated on 2...
and Deneia
Deneia
Deneia is a village in the Nicosia District of Cyprus, west of Mammari. It is one of only four villages located within the United Nations Buffer Zone, the other three being Pyla, Athienou and Troulloi....
. Today, Athienou has a population of around 5,000 people and is home to Davidson College's Athienou Archaeological Project.
Origin of the name
It is supported by many, that the name of the village Athienou, derived from the ancient Greek word, "Atta" (Greek: Αττα) or "Atha" (Greek: Αθθα), meaning large rock, which characterized the rocky land of the village.Others support that the name was given by a group of Athenians (travellers from Athens), who came and settled in the village, to remember their home town.
Others resolve the name to a Lusignan
Lusignan
The Lusignan family originated in Poitou near Lusignan in western France in the early 10th century. By the end of the 11th century, they had risen to become the most prominent petty lords in the region from their castle at Lusignan...
called Etienne, who lived in the area, and the people who lived in the village were mentioning his house as "Etienne's Place" (Greek: "Στου Ετιένου", stou etiennou), and in later years that changed into Athienou..