The Ottoman census of 1831 shows only one Arodes, and at that time the village was a mixed one. In the first British census, however, we see the division of Arodes into “upper” and “lower,” and Kato (“lower”) Arodes was predominantly inhabited by Muslims. During the British period, the population of the village increased steadily from 249 in 1891 to 432 in 1960.
Displacement:
No one was displaced from this village during the emergency years of the 1950s, nor during the intercommunal strife of 1963-64. However, the village served as a reception center for displaced Turkish Cypriots from the nearby villages such as Pano Arodes/Yukarı Kalkanlı(295). Most of the displaced persons stayed there until late 1964, when many returned to their village. Richard Patrick recorded only 11 displaced Turkish Cypriots still living in Kato Arodes/Aşağı Kalkanlı in 1971. He also noted that the total population of the village in that year was 475.
After the division of the island in 1974, the village was evacuated in two different phases. Some left secretly, travelling over the mountains to the Turkish-controlled north, taking a dangerous route in which one person died when he fell from a cliff. The remaining 316 persons were eventually escorted by UNFICYP on 20 August 1975 to the northern part of the divide. Goodwin claims that one Turkish Cypriot stayed behind. The villagers were mainly resettled in Kalo Chorio (Kapouti)/Kalkanlı(042), a village near Morphou/Güzelyurt in the north. Some also were resettled in Varosha/Maraş in Famagusta(140). The number of the Kato Arodes/Aşağı Kalkanlı Turkish Cypriots who were displaced after 1974 was around 450-500 (432 in 1960 census).
Current Inhabitants:
After the departure of the Turkish Cypriots, only a few displaced Greek Cypriots from the north settled in Kato Arodes/Kalkanlı in the late 1970s. According to Goodwin, in 1982, 54 of 67 remaining houses were empty and in ruins. The 2001 census recorded only 19 people living there.
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