Longevity · Scientific direction
Professor Andrea Carteny
Scientific Director
Heritage profile
Sapienza University of Rome
A historian’s eye on the living heritage of Kition and the Mediterranean.
Professor Andrea Carteny is a historian at Sapienza University of Rome, where his academic fields include Modern History and the History of International Relations. His research looks at how peoples, identities and minorities shape European and Mediterranean history. He is often invited to speak at major international conferences on heritage, and also teaches in a master's programme in fashion studies.
Sapienza University of Rome is ranked N°1 in the world for Classics & Ancient History.
Sixth consecutive year at the top of the world ranking.
Source · QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026
As Scientific Director of the Longevity Academic Committee, he guides the historical and cultural dimension of the Kition Longevity Concept: the memory of Phoenician Kition, the Stoic legacy of Zeno, the island’s copper and the intangible traditions of care that Cyprus has carried through the centuries.
The committee
The Longevity Academic Committee brings together complementary perspectives around one idea: sustainable longevity. Heritage and culture, technical and scientific direction, the creative frontier of artificial intelligence, and the founding vision of ZeinAn.
Scientific Director · Heritage, Culture & Identity
Andrea Carteny brings a historian’s perspective to longevity: how knowledge, traditions and identities endure across generations. He guides the committee’s cultural scholarship, exploring Mediterranean heritage, the rituals of wellbeing and the relationship between lasting beauty and contemporary life.
Technical Director · Cosmetic Science & Innovation
Dr. Marco Oliva contributes expertise in cosmetic formulation, ingredient selection and product development. His perspective connects the philosophy of longevity with the practical science of care — considering product stability, sensorial quality and the evidence behind cosmetic benefits.
Discover moreAI Strategy · Knowledge & Digital Innovation
Andrea De Santis explores how artificial intelligence can preserve knowledge, extend access to expertise and support more personalised experiences of wellbeing. He brings a focus on responsible innovation, ensuring that technological progress serves human judgement, cultural identity and lasting value.
Co-Founder · Wellness Culture & Experience
Zeina Younane brings an international perspective on the evolving culture of wellbeing. Her contribution connects the committee’s ideas with lived experience, exploring how care, hospitality and sensorial rituals can encourage meaningful, enduring relationships with wellbeing.
Discover moreCo-Founder · Sustainable Cosmetics & Sensorial Rituals
Annette Pinna explores longevity through the relationship between cosmetic innovation, sustainable design and the senses. Her contribution centres on waterless formulations and personalised rituals — considering how products are created, used and cherished, and how daily care becomes a lasting practice.
Discover moreThe heritage journal
History, philosophy, geography and ingredients of Cyprus and the Mediterranean. Editorial essays by ZeinAn; myth and tradition are presented as such, and nothing here is a product or health claim.
01 · History
How an ancient port on the southern coast of Cyprus became a meeting point of Mediterranean peoples, crafts and ideas.
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02 · History
The island gave its name to a metal. The story of Cypriot copper, and why its warm glow lives in the ZA mark.
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03 · History
At Kition, Phoenician Astarte and Greek Aphrodite met. A short history of devotion, beauty and the sacred.
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04 · Geography
A shimmering salt lake beside the ancient city, a seasonal landscape that has shaped local life and imagination.
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05 · History
A Cypriot tradition of renewal speaks of a second life and a new chapter. A cultural inspiration for intentional care, continuity and wellbeing.
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06 · History
Copper, cities and contact with the Aegean: the island in the Late Bronze Age, when Kition first rose.
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07 · Philosophy
A merchant’s son from Cyprus founded one of the most influential philosophies of the ancient world: Stoicism.
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08 · Philosophy
What the Stoic idea of harmony with nature meant in antiquity, and how it can inspire sustainable living today.
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09 · Philosophy
Greek physicians and philosophers spoke of regimen — a whole way of living — long before the word ‘wellness’ existed.
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10 · Philosophy
From Greek gymnasia to Roman baths, bathing was a social, philosophical and sensory ritual across the Mediterranean.
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11 · Geography
The green heart of Cyprus, where geology, forests and painted churches tell a story of endurance.
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12 · Geography
The rocky coast near Paphos that tradition links with the birth of Aphrodite, and the light that makes it unforgettable.
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13 · Geography
Sunlight, sea breezes and a slow rhythm of seasons have shaped the way Cypriots live, eat and gather.
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14 · Geography
Recognised by UNESCO, the Mediterranean diet is about more than food: it is a way of sharing, growing and celebrating.
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15 · Ingredients
For thousands of years the olive tree has fed, lit and anointed the Mediterranean. A heritage of gesture and care.
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16 · Ingredients
Once one of the island’s most valuable exports, the carob tree tells a story of resilience in a dry land.
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17 · Ingredients
Wild aromatic plants have flavoured kitchens, scented homes and filled folk remedies across Cyprus for generations.
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18 · Ingredients
In a mountain village of Cyprus, the damask rose is still harvested at dawn and distilled into fragrant water.
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19 · Ingredients
Plants of goddesses and poets, myrtle and laurel carry some of the oldest symbolism of the Mediterranean.
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20 · History
A UNESCO-recognised craft from a Cypriot village shows how skill, time and community create lasting beauty.
Read the essay →Myth, place & culture
Mythology, places and cultural connections behind the ZeinAn story — presented as inspiration and brand interpretation, never as documented history or product claims.
In Greek mythology, Hermes is the messenger of the gods, associated with travellers and exchange. His winged symbolism inspires the ZeinAn messenger metaphor.
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Tradition places Aphrodite’s emergence from the sea foam at Petra tou Romiou on the coast of Paphos. ZeinAn draws inspiration from Cyprus, the island of Aphrodite, and ancient Kition.
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The Cypriot story of Pygmalion and the statue brought to life belongs to mythology. ZeinAn takes inspiration from the relationship between making and imagination, without presenting a legend as documented history.
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Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus depicts the goddess arriving on a shell. For ZeinAn, this work offers a visual connection between Cypriot mythology and Italian art; the connection to fashion and cosmetic ritual is our brand interpretation.
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The founders describe their cultural connections as Sardinian–Phoenician and Lebanese–Phoenician. These owner-confirmed identities inform the ZeinAn story; they are not presented as genealogical documentation. Ancient Kition provides a third Mediterranean setting for this cultural connection.
Read the story →Hermes is the messenger of the gods in mythology. ZeinAn is a messenger of sustainable longevity in its brand story: a philosophy of thoughtful care, not a claim of measured product efficacy or environmental superiority.
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Italian art, fashion and craftsmanship inspire a sensibility of texture, detail and proportion. This is ZeinAn’s creative interpretation, not a claim of historical lineage or Italian manufacture.
Read the story →The cultural setting
Ancient Kition is part of Cyprus’s rich heritage: a Mediterranean harbour, a Phoenician colony and the birthplace of Zeno. Its copper, sacred traditions and philosophy form the cultural setting of the Kition Longevity Concept.
I · History
Kition connects Cyprus with the Phoenician routes of the Mediterranean, from Lebanon to Sardinia.
Explore the heritageII · Material culture
Cypriot copper gives its warmth to the rose gold and gold of the winged ZA mark. The Latin word cuprum carries the island’s name.
Read the essayIII · Philosophy
Zeno’s Stoic legacy connects the ancient city with the idea of living in harmony with nature — a central thread of sustainable longevity.
Explore Stoic balance