A joint expedition in the rural foothills of the Troodos Mountains has revealed a monumental Bronze Age complex dedicated to the production of sacred olive oil. The centerpiece of the discovery is a pair of monolithic stone presses adorned with fragments of silver leaf, a decorative element never before seen in industrial archaeological contexts on the island.
Surrounding the presses, archaeologists found hundreds of small terracotta lamps and libation bowls, indicating that the initial pressing of the season was a communal religious event rather than a purely economic activity. The site's layout suggests a processional route where the first liquid 'gold' was carried to a nearby sanctuary, echoing the structural logistics of the ancient 'Festival of the First Press' mentioned in later Hellenistic inscriptions.