Paleo Paphos
Paphos refers to the area of Paphos on a 50m plateau overlooking the coastal area. When naming Paphos you must be careful if you want to be technically correct. Originally the town, Palaea (Old) Paphos, was where Kouklia is now, some 7km to the East along the coast. This was first settled towards the end of the 12th Century BC.
New Paphos (Nea Paphos), the currently inhabited town, was founded on the sea, near the western end of the island, and possessed a good harbour. It lay about sixty stadia, or ca. twelve km northwest of the old city. It too had a founding myth: it was said to have been founded by Agapenor, chief of the Arcadians at the siege of Troy, who, after the capture of that town, was driven by the storm that separated the Greek fleet, onto the coast of Cyprus.
Agapenor was mentioned as the King of the Paphians in a Greek distich preserved in the Analecta and Herodotus alludes to an Arcadian “colony” in Cyprus. Like its ancient namesake, Nea Paphos was also distinguished for the worship of Aphrodite and contained several magnificent temples dedicated to her. Yet the old city seems to have always retained the preeminence in this respect, and Strabo tells that the road leading to it from Nea Paphos was annually crowded with male and female votaries resorting to the more ancient shrine, and coming not only from the latter place itself, but also from the other towns of Cyprus. 
When Seneca says (N. Q. vi. 26, Epistle 91) that Paphos was nearly destroyed by an earthquake, it is difficult to say to which of the towns he refers. Dio Cassius relates that it was restored by Augustus, and called “Augusta” in his honour; but though this name has been preserved in inscriptions, it never supplanted the ancient one in popular use.
Paphos is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (xiii. 6) as having been visited by Paul of Tarsus, when it appears to have been the residence of the Roman Governor; it is said that Paul converted the Governor, Sergius Paulus, to Christianity. Tacitus records a visit of the youthful Titus to Paphos before he acceded to the empire, who inquired with much curiosity into its history and antiquities. There are still considerable ruins of New Paphos a mile or two from the sea; among which are particularly remarkable the remains of three temples which had been erected on artificial eminences. 
In Greco-Roman times Paphos become the island’s capital and it was the administrative, cultural and commercial centre. The remains of villas, palaces, theatres, fortresses and tombs of the Classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods mean that the site is of exceptional architectural and historic value. The mosaics of Kato Paphos (Nea Paphos) are among the most beautiful in the world.
Paphos also refers to the area by the harbour though Kato Paphos is also regularly used. New Paphos (Paphos) was founded by Nikokles, the last King of Paphos, towards the end of the 4th Century BC and soon exceeded Old Paphos in importance due to it becoming the capital of the Kingdom of Paphos. The theatre dating to the end of the 4th century BC has been under excavation by the University of Sydney and it supoose to be one of the largest amphitheatres in the region. Paphos thrived as it developed shipbuilding industry with timber from the large Paphos forest.
The port of Paphos was rebuilt by Nicocles, the last king of Paphos, at the time of Alexander III of Macedon. It became the capital of the island replacing Salamis during the Hellenistic era, under the successors of Alexander III of Macedon – the Ptolemies who favoured a location closer to their capital, Alexandria.
Ktima, an area settled since the Neolithic times, grew in population as the residents of New Paphos fled for higher ground due to the Arab invaders during the 7th and 10th Century AD. The name of Ktima (Greek for domain) originates from the Lusignan (or Frankish) period as it was then populated by the wealthy Greeks and Franks with their magnificent gardens. 
Paphos enjoys a Subtropical-Mediterranean climate, with the mildest temperatures on the island. The typical summer’s season lasts about 8 months, from April to November, although also in March and December sometimes there are temperature above 20 °C (68.0 °F).
- Adapted from Parker R, “Aphrodite’s Realm”