HOARDS D'OEUVRES: OF METALS & MEN ON BRONZE AGE CYPRUS

Summary. Diverse streams of archaeological and metallurgical research have demonstrated that Cyprus was an important regional copper producer and supplier during the eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age, at least from 1700–1100 BC. Until recently, research into metallurgical production and exchange on Bronze Age Cyprus necessarily focused on technological change and chronological division. Metals' provenience studies have begun to mature, and economic approaches related to copper production and exchange have begun to appear. In stark contrast to recent literature on "hoarding" activity in Bronze and Iron Age Europe, virtually no attention has been paid to the manner in which metals enter the archaeological record. In response to a growing body of theoretical literature, this study examines the gift-commodity model and finds it wanting; instead the deposition of Cypriote hoards is considered from a politico-economic perspective, and in light of socio-historical and metallurgical data relevant to interregional developments in the contemporary Mediterranean world.     

PRODUCTION,EXCHANGE, AND SOCIO-POLITICAL COMPLEXITY ON BRONZE AGE CYPRUS1

Summary. During the centuries 1700–1400 BC, the archaeological record of the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus shows a number of significant innovations: urban centres with public and ceremonial architecture, differential burial practices, writing, an intensification of metallurgical production and export, extensive trade relations with the surrounding cultures of the eastern Mediterranean, fortifications, ‘mass’burials, and increased finds of weaponry. Documentary evidence from Egypt, the Levant, and the Aegean sheds further light on these developments. These changes represent the transformation of an isolated, village-based culture into an international, urban-oriented, complex society. One of the key questions to consider is why these developments in Cyprus lagged so far (400-1200 years) behind those of the island's neighbours: Egypt, Crete, Syria-Palestine, and Anatolia. Using concepts from development economics and political anthropology, and models developed by archaeologists working on similar problems elsewhere, this study attempts to explain the process of change and innovation apparent in the Cypriot archaeological record of 1700–1400 BC.     

Rethinking Middle Bronze Age Communities on Cyprus: “Egalitarian” and Isolated or Complex and Interconnected?

Current views of Cyprus during the Middle Bronze Age (or Middle Cypriot period) depict an island largely isolated from the wider eastern Mediterranean world and comprised largely if not exclusively of “egalitarian,” agropastoral communities. In this respect, its economy stands at odds with those of polities in other, nearby regions such as the Levant, or Crete in the Aegean. The publication of new excavations and new readings of legacy data necessitate modification of earlier views about Cyprus’s political economy during the Middle Bronze Age, prompting this review. We discuss at some length the island’s settlement and mortuary records, materials related to internal production, external exchange and connectivities, and the earliest of the much discussed but still enigmatic fortifications. We suggest that Middle Bronze Age communities are likely to have been significantly more complex, mobile, and interconnected than once envisaged and that the changes that mark the closing years of this period and the transition to the internationalism of Late Bronze Age Cyprus represent the culmination of an evolving series of internal developments and external interactions.

     

Vasilikos Valley Project: Fourth Preliminary Report, 1979–1980

Abstract

During the fourth season of the Vasilikos Valley Project in the Larnaca District of southern Cyprus, excavations were continued at the Aceramic and Ceramic Neolithic site of Kalavasos-Tenta. Excavation on the west side of the top of the site revealed more of the plan of the earliest curvilinear building that underlies the stone complex. Elsewhere on the top of the site, further mud-brick and stone structures were uncovered, and a unique wall painting was found on the central pier of one building. Excavations in the Lower South Slope area confirmed the existence of a deep ditch outside the outer settlement wall. Five Aceramic phase burials were excavated in different parts of the site. Investigation of the Ceramic phase deposits on the eastern flanks of the site revealed a series of pits, but no standing architectural remains.

Excavations at the Chalcolithic site of Kalavasos-Ayious on the east side of the valley were also continued. A series of pits of widely varying size was brought to light in several different areas of the site. The largest pits contained numerous artifacts, sometimes in situ on distinct surfaces. At the north end of the site three pits were found connected by subterranean tunnels.

Rescue excavations, lasting from July 1979 through February 1980. were also undertaken at the Late Bronze Age site of A. Dhimitrios, a short distance to the south of Tenta. An extensive architectural complex of finely built stone structures was uncovered within the line of the new Nicosia-Limassol highway. The quality of the building, and the clear degree of planning that underlies the whole architectural layout, betoken a site of considerable importance. The architectural levels on the site may be dated to a late phase of Late Cypriote II, but one of the tombs also contains material of Late Cypriote I or early Late Cypriote II date.

A systematic field survey of the southern half of the Vasilikos valley, employing a regularly spaced series of transects, revealed a number of additional sites of varying type and period. A chronological outline of prehistoric Cyprus is provided in Table 1. Specialist reports on geographical, fluvial geomorphological, faunal, and conservation studies are also included.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant no. BNS77–07685 A02.     

Geochemical and Petrographic Analysis of Late Bronze Age Cypriot Ceramics (White Slip I and II and Monochrome) from Tell Atchana/Alalakh (Hatay) in the Amuq Valley

White Slip ware, both White Slip I and II, and Monochrome ware are Middle to Late Bronze Age Cypriot pottery types found across a large area of the Eastern Mediterranean region. A vast quantity of these wares has also been uncovered in Tell Atchana/ancient Alalakh in Hatay in southern Anatolia. We analysed a total of 56 White Slip (n = 36) and Monochrome potsherds (n = 20) from Tell Atchana using XRF, ICP–MS and petrographic thin‐section methods. The main aim of the study was to explore the compositional characteristics of the wares and to determine whether they are local imitations of the Cypriot White Slip and Monochrome wares or represent Cypriot exports to this region. The analytical results proved that White Slip I and II were produced from raw clay of mafic and ultramafic source rocks exposed in the Troodos Massif, available in the Limassol area of southern Cyprus and traded to Tell Atchana. Examples of Monochrome ware excavated in Tell Atchana were also imported to the region, most probably from east/north‐east Cyprus. These results demonstrate a close trading connection between Tell Atchana/Alalakh and southern Cyprus during the Middle to Late Bronze Age.     

LAND USE IN THE EASTERN ALPS DURING THE BRONZE AGE—AN ARCHAEOBOTANICAL CASE STUDY OF A HILLTOP SETTLEMENT IN THE MONTAFON (WESTERN AUSTRIA)*

Investigations of the oldest prehistoric settlement in the western Austrian county of the Vorarlberg reveal a deeper insight into the colonization of the Alps. The human presence is recorded from the Late Neolithic (c. 3000 cal. bc ) onwards, reflecting farming and possible mining activities. Three distinct settlement phases are recognized palynologically: (1) in the Early and Middle Bronze Ages (c. 1700 cal. bc ), (2) during the Iron Age (c. 500 cal. bc ) and (3) at the beginning of the medieval era (c. cal. ad 800). In addition plant macrofossil analyses of soil samples from the archaeological excavation of the Bronze Age settlement of Friaga indicate a complex subsistence strategy of the Middle Bronze Age settlers, whereby cereals and pulses reveal a balanced diet.     

Women's and men's lives and work in Sweden

Kvinnors och Mäns Liv och Arbete. J. Acker, A. Baude, U. Björnberg, E. Dahlström, G. Forsberg, L. Gonäs, H. Holter & A. Nilsson, 1992. Stockholm, SNS Förlag. ISBN 91–7150–451–6.     

Landscape and Settlement in Late Bronze Age Cyprus: Investigations at Pyla-Kokkinokremos, 2007–2009

Pyla-Kokkinokremos is a fortified hilltop settlement in Cyprus founded towards the end of the Late Bronze Age. It has played a prominent role in discussions concerning the c. 1200 BC ‘collapse’ in the wider eastern Mediterranean. Results from survey and soundings (2007–09) provide significant new information about the site and its relationship to the surrounding landscape. This includes the discovery of a large intramural feature in the form of a shallow bedrock terrace with associated architecture running through the centre of the settlement. Consideration is also given to broader regional patterns of settlement in the surrounding Pyla littoral and south-east Cyprus.     

Maritime Archaeology and Maritime Heritage Protection in the Disputed Territory of Northern Cyprus

Between 1967 and 1974, the island of Cyprus was a centre of maritime archaeology in the eastern Mediterranean. Individuals such as Michael and Susan Katzev, George Bass, Jeremy Green and Richard Steffy were living on and visiting the island, and testing and developing methods still common in the discipline. The hostilities on Cyprus in the summer of 1974 and the implementation of international regulations limiting archaeological work in the northern portion of the island, however, had repercussions still evident today. This article summarizes past maritime archaeological work along the northern coastline, addresses the regulations limiting archaeological activity in the region and discusses a new training program licensed by the Nautical Archaeology Society aiding in the protection of the island’s maritime heritage representing approximately 10,000 years of activity.

BULK STABLE LIGHT ISOTOPIC RATIOS IN RECENT AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESINS: TOWARDS DETECTING THE TRANSPORT OF RESINS IN ANTIQUITY?*

We have applied and refined methods for the determination of bulk hydrogen, carbon and oxygen isotope ratios in modern and archaeological resins. The modern resins have a wide range of isotopic values and vary within the same tree, between individual trees, with species and location. For all isotopes measured, there is a general trend of increasing depletion of the heavier isotope with increasing altitude. There is also a linear trend between depletion of δD and δ¹³C values with increasing latitude; this trend is less clear for oxygen, but is related to the meteoric water line. Two case studies using archaeological resins known or suspected to have been transported in antiquity have been investigated to determine whether isotopic signatures can assist in pinpointing the geographical origin of the resin: Pistacia sp. resin from Canaanite amphorae imported into Egypt from known geographical locations in the eastern Mediterranean during the Late Bronze Age, and Roman amphorae sherds lined with Pinus sp. resin from sites ranging from Britain to the eastern Mediterranean. These results show separate groupings between the two resin types (pine/pistacia) and between the modern/archaeological resins. Some archaeological samples are distinct from the others and the modern resins show differences between geographical areas. However, there are no clear patterns relating the different Canaanite fabrics or the suggested manufacturing site of the Roman amphorae.     

Reviews

Til kamp for friheden. Sociale opr?r i nordisk middlelalder (For freedom. Social unrest in medieval Scandinavia), edited by Anders, J?rgen Würtz S?rensen and Lars Tvede‐Jensen (Borgsmedjen, Ålborg, 1988), ISBN 87–89123–02–6.

Göran Dahlbäck, I medeltidens Stockholm (In Medieval Stockholm), Monografier utgivna av Stockholms stad 81 (Stockholms medeltidsmuseum Stockholm, 1988), 218 pp., ISBN 91–38–09712–5.

Ole Degn, Christian 4.s kansler. Christen Friis til Kragerup (1581–1639) som menneske og politiker (The chancellor of Christian IV. The life and political activity of Christen Friis‐Kragerup) (Viborg: Udgiverselskabet ved Landsarkivet for N?rrejylland, 1988), 260 pp., ISBN 87–89039–02–05, Dkr. 240.

Ditlev Tamm, Christian den Fjerdes kanslerd (The chancellors of Christian IV) (Copenhagen: Gad, 1988), 176 pp., ISBN 87–12–01692–6, Dkr. 188.

Steffen Heiberg, Christian 4. Monarken, mennesket og myten (Christian IV. The monarch, the man and the myth). (Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1988), 476 pp., ISBN 87–01–30864–5, Dkr. 398. All richly illustrated.

Magnus Nyman, Press mot friheten. Opinionsbildning i de svenska tidningama och åsiktsbtytningar om minoriteter 1772–1786 (Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, Studier i idé‐och lärdoms‐historia 3, 1988), Skr. 180.

Thomas Magnusson, Proletar i uniform. Studier kring den värvade armén, arbetsmarknadens kommersialisering och urbaniseringen i frihetstidens västsvenska samhålle (Proletarians in uniform. The professional army, the commercialization of the labour market and the urbanization of eighteenth‐century western Sweden) (Meddelanden från Historiska Institutionen i Göteborg 32, Göteborg, 1987), 208 pp., ISBN 91–7900–359–1.

Anders N?rgaard, Mission und Obrigkeit. Die Dånisch‐hallische Mission in Tranquebar 1706–1845 (Mission and authority. The Danish Halle Mission in Tranquebar 1706–1845). Missionswissenschaftliche Forschungen, vol. 22. Herausgegeben von der Deutscher Gesellschaft für Missionswissenschaft (Gütersloher Verlagshaus Gerd Mohn. Gütersloh, 1988), 312 pp., ISBN 3–579–00242–2.

Jonathan Wylie, The Faroe Islands. Interpretations of History (Kentucky University Press, 1987), 257 pp., ill., ISBN 0–8131–1578–7

Tor Egil F?rland, Vi sier intet. Norgei COCOM 1948–53 (No comments. Norway in COCOM. 1948–53) (Oslo, 1988), 390 pp., ISBN 82–530–1432–5.     

Hesitant hunters: a review of the introduction of agriculture in western Norway

Abstract

Evidence for the introduction of agriculture in western Norway is presented, using three categories of data: (1) palaeobotanical data, including pollen diagrams from lakes, bogs and archaeological sites, focusing on the presence of cereals, Plantago lanceolata L. and anthropogenic pollen indicators, and charred macro remains of cereals from archaeological sites; (2) osteological data, focusing on the occurrences of bones of cattle, sheep and goats in three rock-shelters, and the bone material from one open-air Neolithic site; (3) archaeological data, including artefacts indicating agricultural practices, distribution of residential settlement sites, and stray finds. The evidence for agricultural activity at the beginning of the fourth millennium BC (Early Neolithic, EN) is low, whereas the presence of both cereals and animal husbandry is indicated in the palaeobotanical material from the Middle Neolithic A (MNA, 3400–2600 cal. BC). The earliest record of domesticated animal bones is dated to the Middle Neolithic B (MNB, 2600–2200 cal. BC), while palynological and archaeological data also indicate an expansion in the area cultivated by early farmers. All data confirm the establishment of an agrarian society and animal husbandry in the Late Neolithic (LN, 2200–1700 cal. BC). It is concluded that agriculture was introduced into western Norway by the indigenous hunter-fisher populations. During this process, social and ideological factors played principal roles.     

Archaeobotanical inference of Bronze Age land use and land cover in the eastern Mediterranean

Charcoal and charred seeds at five Bronze Age archaeological sites discern ancient land use in the eastern Mediterranean. Seed frequencies of orchard crops, annual cereals and pulses, and wild or weedy plants are used to characterize plant utilization at different archaeological sites on the island of Cyprus, in the Rift Valley of Jordan, and in the Jabbul Plain and along the upper Euphrates River valley in Syria. Seed to charcoal ratios provide proxies to determine the relative usage of dung versus wood for fuel across the ancient Mediterranean landscape. Greater charcoal and lower charred seed values are interpreted to represent a wooded environment, while higher amounts of charred seeds and minimal wood charcoal suggest a much great use of dung as a fuel source. Interestingly, Politiko-Troullia (Cyprus, Cypriot archaeological sites are, by convention, named for the nearest modern village (Politiko), followed by an italicized toponym (Troullia) referring to the plot of land that incorporates the site) has the lowest seed to charcoal ratio, suggesting its residents primarily burned wood and that the landscape surrounding Troullia remained relatively wooded during the Bronze Age. In contrast, villagers at Tell el-Hayyat (Jordan) utilized a mixture of wood and dung, in contrast to Tell Abu en-Ni’aj (Jordan), and especially Umm el-Marra and Tell es-Sweyhat (Syria), where inhabitants relied solely on dung fuel. Comparative analysis and interpretation of seed and charcoal evidence thus illustrates the variety of fuel use strategies necessitated by the dynamic and diverse Bronze Age landscapes of the Eastern Mediterranean.     

Paleolithic occupations of the Göllü Dağ, Central Anatolia,Turkey

Abstract

Systematic archaeological surface reconnaissance of the Göllü Da? volcanic complex from 2007 to 2012 documented more than 230 findspots with Paleolithic artifacts, ranging from isolated finds to extensive and dense scatters of artifacts. Most of the activities represented relate to exploitation of the rich obsidian resources in the region. Paleolithic artifacts are attributed mainly to the Middle Paleolithic based on the presence of Levallois technology but there is a substantial Lower Paleolithic component represented by handaxes and other large bifacial tools. Upper and Epipaleolithic sites and artifacts are scarce or absent in the survey sample. The distributions of handaxes and Levallois elements differ substantially, reflecting differences in site preservation and exposure as well as organization of prehistoric activities. Multiple variants of Levallois are represented but centripetal preferential and unipolar flake production dominate. The frequent co-occurrence of different Levallois forms suggests flexible reduction strategies. Distributions of different classes of artifact across the survey area indicate that the Middle Paleolithic occupations of Göllü Da? were not entirely oriented toward workshop activities.     

The 24th International Conference on the History of Cartography,Moscow, Russia, 10–15 July 2011

Introduction to the History of Science. Volume III. Science and Learning in the Fourteenth Century. By George Sarton. Baltimore 1947. In 2 parts: XXXV + XI + 2155 PP.

W. W. Hyde. Ancient Greek Mariners. New York. 1947. XII+360. 5 maps.

Some American Contributions to the Art of Navigation 1519–1802. By Lawrence C. Wroth. Providence. 1947. 41 p.

Marcel Destombes. La Mappemonde de Petrus Plancius. Grav´e Par Josua van den Ende 1604, D'apràs L'unique Exemplaire de la Bibliothàque Nationale de Paris. Publication de la Société de Géographie de Hanoi. Tonkin. 1944. 52 p. XIII tab. Folio.

Ermano Armao. Vincenzo Coronelli. Cenni sull'Uomo e la sua vita‐‐‐catalogo ragionato delle sue opere —— Lettere — Fonti bibliografiche —— Indici. Biblicteca di bibliografia italiana diretta da Albano Sorbelli. XVII. Firenze. 1944. XI + 326. Fig.

El Rio Del Espi'Ritu Santo. An Essay on the Cartography or the Gulf Coast and the Adjacent Territory during the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries by Jean Delanglez, S. J. Edited by Th. J. Me. Mahon. U. S. Catholic Historical Society, Monograph Series. XXI. New York. 1945. XIII+182 p. Facs.

Gamla Kartor. Varlden— Norden — Västkusten — Göteborg. Sjöfartsmuseet 4–30 Maj 1948. Göteborg. 1948. (Lund) 91 p. 12 Tab.

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Catalogue of Maps in the Essex Record Office, 1566 —1875. Edited, for the Records Committee by F. G. Emmison. Essex County Council, Chelmsford. 1947, 106 p., 30 pl. Facs.

The John Carter Brown Library. Annual Report 1946–1947. Providence. 1947. 63 P.     

New Evidence for Fish Processing in the Ancient Eastern Mediterranean: Formalised Epinephelus Butchery in Fifth Century bc Kinet Höyük,Turkey

Archaeological evidence for fish preparation in the Eastern Mediterranean is scarce. A Late fifth century deposit at Kinet Höyük provides tangible evidence for the systematic butchering of large individuals of Epinephelus (groupers), and possibly of Mugilidae (mullets), and Clarias gariepinus (African catfish). Butchery marks on head and proximal trunk regions of groupers follow a consistent pattern, indicating the processing of large fish heads for, apparently, local redistribution and consumption at the settlement. Although elements of the vertebral column remaining between the atlas and the ultimate vertebra are virtually absent in the assemblage associated with these butchered fish remains, this differential representation of elements does not appear to be an unequivocal reflection of fish processing techniques and subsequent trade. The insufficiency of research on ancient fisheries and fishing in the Eastern Mediterranean poses an obstacle to contextualise this deposit within a general historical and archaeological framework. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ceramic Petrology and the Study of Anglo-Saxon and Later Medieval Ceramics

Abstract

A SURVEY of archaeological ceramic thin sections held by institutions and individuals in the United Kingdom was undertaken in the early 1990s by the City of Lincoln Archaeology Unit and funded by English Heritage. Over 6,000 thin sections of Anglo-Saxon or medieval date (or reports on their analysis) were located. For the Middle to Late Anglo-Saxon and the post-Conquest Periods, these studies have confirmed that pottery production was carried out in a limited number of centres and that most pottery, including handmade coarsewares, was therefore produced for trade. The distances over which pottery was carried vary from period to period but were actually as high or higher in the Middle to Late Anglo-Saxon Period as in the 13th to 14h centuries. However, for the Early Anglo-Saxon Period (and the Middle Anglo-Saxon Period outside of eastern England) the evidence of ceramic petrology is equivocal and requires more study. These 6,000–odd thin sections represent a resource which could be used for various future studies, some of which are discussed here, and as an aid to their further use a database containing information on the sampled ceramics, their location and publications of their analyses will be published online through Internet Archaeology.     

INSTRUMENTAL NEUTRON ACTIVATION BASED PROVENANCE STUDIES AT THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM,WITH A CASE STUDY ON MYCENAEAN POTTERY FROM CYPRUS

A neutron activation programme aimed at archaeological provenance research operated at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem between the years 1974 and 1997. The history and accomplishments of that laboratory are presented. Endeavours to preserve unpublished results are described. Results on Cypriote pottery are presented.     

Spinning Yarns: The Archaeological Evidence for Hand Spinning and its Social Implications,c ad 1200–1500

THIS PAPER EXAMINES the archaeological evidence for hand spinning in medieval Britain from c 1200 to c 1500. Ceramic, stone and baked clay spindle whorls have dominated the excavated finds, but a new corpus of lead-alloy spindle whorls, recorded through the Portable Antiquities Scheme and Scottish Treasure Trove, is presented here. Analysis of the metal whorls’ distribution, manufacture, dating and decoration is provided, illuminating the wide social and economic contexts in which they were used. From memento mori of pious spinners to sexually potent objects representative of lubricious gossips, the ubiquitous spindle whorl was a universal tool that had a powerful agency. The artefacts are small finds embodying daily life but also tie into the wider national economy of the High and Late Middle Ages.     

Separating Sheep (Ovis aries L.) and Goats (Capra hircus L.) Using Geometric Morphometric Methods: An Investigation of Astragalus Morphology from Late and Final Bronze Age Central Asian Contexts

Many qualitative and quantitative methods for the separation of sheep and goat bones are based upon Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and European specimens. However, these methods may not be as applicable in other geographical contexts due to regional morphological variation. In order to address this, both traditional and geometric morphometric methods were applied to sheep, (Ovis aries L.) and goat (Capra hircus L.) astragali from archaeological sites from Kazakhstan dating to the Late and Final Bronze Age (1900–900 bce ). This exploratory research confirmed that qualitative features remained useful for distinguishing between species, while traditional morphometric methods were unable to conclusively support the field identification of species. Geometric morphometric methods found significant morphological differences between species and confirmed group membership while exploring specific qualitative features that were effective in distinguishing between sheep and goat in Central Asian contexts. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.