On Friday, an Italian archaeologist claimed to have discovered one of the oldest-known temples in the Mediterranean Sea area, one that was believed to be more than 4,000 years old. If this turns out to be accurate, then it precedes all other known structures in the region by more than a millennium. Maria Rosaria Belgiorno says that the site is most likely a religious one, and also that it bears some resemblance to the temples described in the Bible as being constructed in Ancient Palestine.

“For sure, it's the most ancient religious site on the island. This confirms that religious worship in Cyprus began much earlier than previously believed,” she tells the Associated Press in Rome. However, not everyone agrees with her find. “That the site is dated to around 2,000 B.C. is certain, but the interpretation that it's a temple or a sacred site has yet to be confirmed,” Maria Hadjicosti, an official with the Cyprus Antiquities Department, adds for the state radio.

The temple is located on the South coast of the island, in an area that has yielded numerous constructions dating back to roughly 2,000 BC. Previous digs at a site near the town of Pyrgos have also unearthed an ancient perfumery, a winery, and a metal workshop. Belgiorno first found the potential religious site last year, but only announced it on Friday, in the English-language The Cyprus Weekly newspaper.

The area of the site covers some 200 square meters (2,150 square feet), and the triangular shape of the construction has already been exposed. Belgiorno points out that the site was probably dedicated to a single deity and that it features a sacrificial altar in the middle, fitting the descriptions in the Bible of old Canaanite places of worship. “The temple has a very peculiar shape for a building, which is very rare,” she underlines.

The archaeologist also adds that the site is located near the industrial center of what appears to be a very old settlement. She estimates that it covered some 35 hectares (86 acres) of land, most of which are now under modern villages and holiday resorts. Roughly 500 people lived in the area, and they are believed to have been engaged in trading relationships with Egypt and Palestine at the time.