Amathous is now a suburb of Limassol and was once the capital of one of the four kingdoms of Cyprus.

The earliest traces date back to the Early Iron Age, around 1100 BC. The legendary founder of the city was Kinyras, who named it after his mother, Amathous. The inhabitants of Amathous were considered Pelasgians. In fact, they spoke Eteocypriot, a non-Greek language. Inscriptions attest to the existence of this language until the 4th century BC. Amathous was built on coastal cliffs with a natural harbour and experienced an early heyday. From the 10th century BC onwards, Greeks from Euboea left pottery here. In the post-Phoenician period of the 8th century BC, a palace and a harbour were constructed.

High upon a cliff, a temple was erected for the Hellenes, which became a place of worship dedicated to Aphrodite in her particular local manifestation as Aphrodite Amathusia, as well as to a bearded male form of Aphrodite known as Aphroditos. According to legend, the festive Adonia were held there, during which athletes competed against one another in sporting contests, dancing and singing to honour Adonis.
In the 1st century AD, a Roman temple was built. Despite political subjugation, the temple complex remained so significant during the Roman period that ‘Amathusia’ became synonymous with ‘Cypriot’. The city became the seat of one of the island’s four administrative units.

In the 4th century, Amathous was a bishopric. By the end of the 12th century, Amathous was almost deserted; the tombs had been plundered. As late as 1869, stone blocks were being exported and used in the construction of the Suez Canal.

Many artefacts from Amathous are now mainly held in Paris and London, though the majority are in Cypriot museums.