DESCRIPTION:

The so-called House of Achilles was built near the western entrance of the city, known as the "Paphos Gate," and its use may have been related to the reception of important guests (guesthouse/reception hall). The house is named after a floor mosaic that depicts Achilles, the mythical hero from Homer's Iliad. It is a partially excavated building, constructed in the 4th or 5th century AD. In the 6th century, it seems to have lost its original function, as part of it was covered by the new aqueduct of the city.

The excavated section consists of an open courtyard with rooms on either side and a colonnaded portico at the northeast end. Beyond the portico, three more rooms have been excavated—one large and two smaller. The floors of the house were decorated with elaborate mosaics and the walls were decorated with marble revetments.