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 while Kato (lower) Arodes was predominantly Muslim, Pano (upper) Arodes was mixed. While the Muslim population of Pano Arodes often fluctuated and stagnated during the British period, the Greek Cypriot population increased steadily until 1946, after which it declined significantly. The total population of the village also dropped from 617 in 1946 to 492 in 1960.
Displacement:
No one was displaced from this village during the emergency years of the 1950s. However, during the intercommunal strife of 1963-64, the Turkish Cypriots of the village fled numerous times and sought refuge in Kato Arodes(294) for temporary periods.
After the division of the island in 1974, the village was evacuated in two phases. In the first phase, most of the Turkish Cypriot villagers fled first to Kato Arodes(294) on 20 July 1974 and later secretly fled over the mountains to the Turkish-controlled north, taking a dangerous route in which one person died falling from a cliff. In the second phase, the rest of the villagers were escorted by UNFICYP on 20 August 1975 to the northern part of the divide. They were mainly resettled in Kalo Chorio(Kapouti)/Kalkanlı(042), near the town of Morphou/Güzelyurt in the north. Some were also resettled in Varosha/Maraş in Famagusta(140). The number of the Pano Arodes/Aşağı Kalkanlı Turkish Cypriots who were displaced after 1974 was around 110-120 (101 in 1960 census).
Current Inhabitants:
After the departure of the Turkish Cypriots, only a few displaced Greek Cypriots from the north settled in Pano Arodes/Kalkanlı in the late 1970s. Most of the Turkish Cypriot houses of the village fell into ruin. During the late 1970s, the majority of the Greek Cypriot inhabitants of the village also left and went to live in towns. Goodwin claims that in 1982 half of the houses in the village were empty. The 2001 census recorded only 108 people permanently living there.
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