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The island was sacred. There was a sanctuary of Apollo at its top, worshiped by pilgrims from all over Cyprus. The fathers took their sons there, when they came of age, to participate in special rituals of maturation.

This is the island of Yeronisos. It is a small island located on the shore of the village of Agios Georgios Pegias to Paphos. The excavations 17 archaeologists carried out, led by Professor Joan Breton Connelly from the University of New York, indicate that the island has not only history, but it dates back more than 5000 years ago.

The scientific report of the university defines a hand-made utensil with molded edges, which the people probably used as an initiation or a toy as the strangest discovery of the year.

The professor believes that the island was considered sacred, or at least a bearer of symbolism since prehistoric times. She found a small pit, dating back to the early Bronze Age, i.e. about 3800 BC, which contained ashes, stone tools, a female figure and beads.

The tested findings, however, are mostly from the Hellenistic era, when the sanctuary of Apollo was in full bloom. According to the archaeologist, in the first century BC the families took their small sons to the island of Yeronisos to go through the ritual of maturation. The scientists even believe that a recently found circular device could be the platform on which rituals took place. The inscription on the ceramic tiles found, show that the children learned the Greek alphabet. "It is likely that there have been a boy’s school, which has been a part of the sanctuary, of course," said the archaeologist.

Four earthen jars placed in a row probably were used to collect the rainwater from the roof, because the water was particularly valuable wealth for the island in the lack of natural springs or wells.

The type of utensils from the late Hellenistic period, which the archeologists found this year, shows that the food of the people living in that era was rich in liquids, soups, and strained meals. Among the amphorae from the same period, there are many Cypriots and others brought from Egypt, Rhodes, Kos and Italy.

It is worth noting that during the early Byzantine period a Christian basilica was built in Yeronisos "against" three others built in Agios Georgios Pegias at the opposite coast. Carved stones from ancient structures were used for the construction of the four basilicas. The archaeological survey will continue next summer. However, many of the people are concerned about the destruction of the land on the island due to the intense construction, especially in the ancient port of Maniki.