Located in a short distance from the southeast edge of the village is the prehistoric housing of Deneia which is dated back to the early copper age (2500-2075 B.C.). An extensive cemetery was discovered in the particular area, which, as excavations by the Department of Antiquities have shown, had been desecrated many years before.
However, according to the Great Cyprus Encyclopaedia, many copper-made objects were discovered in the area, which show that the processing of copper had reached an “advanced stage”, whereas according to Karouzis, red-painted pottery were also discovered on site.
The village does not appear in any references during the Frankish period. However, what is noteworthy is the fact that a village by the name Degri or Degra does actually appear on medieval maps. Nevertheless, as the Great Cyprus Encyclopaedia underscores, these names cannot be linked with certainty to the present location. Yet, Deneia is one of the villages marked on the map of Mas Latri in the end of the 19th century. In particular, according to Mas Latri, Deneia constitutes a small housing with 200 residents.
Naming
The name of the village is linked to the ancient-Greek names, Dionia, which had been the name of a Cypriot city, or Dionaea, who was the daughter of Goddess Aphrodite. According to the Great Cyprus Encyclopaedia with regards to the naming Dionia, this appears to literary texts without, however, any reference to the location of this city, whereas the daughter of Aprhodite, Dionaea, is mentioned both in archaeological and literary texts. In fact, it is highly probable that a sanctuary dedicated to Dionaea Aphrodite existed in the area where the village is presently located.
Population– Professions
Free Denia has followed, up until today, an upward populating course since 1976. The table presents the course of the population from 1976 until 2001, when the last population census was conducted.
Year | Population |
1976 | 142 |
1982 | 176 |
2001 | 304 |
The residents of the village turned to dry cultivations aiming at exploiting their land to a better degree. At the same time, they expanded their stock-breeding activities and mainly the breeding of poultry. In parallel, many are employed in the capital city of Nicosia and therefore have to travel there on a daily basis.
Sources:
Great Cyprus Encyclopaedia, vol. 4
Karouzis Giorgos, Reading through Cyprus, Lefkosia,City and District, 2002
Community Council Deneia