X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy of picrolite raw material on Cyprus

Picrolite artefacts comprise some of the most distinctive material remains in the prehistory of the island of Cyprus, in the Eastern Mediterranean. Picrolite exploitation dates from at least 12,000 years ago for the manufacture of personal ornaments and items with a symbolic function. It is commonly assumed that picrolite nodules were collected in secondary deposits on an ad hoc basis. This narrative, however, ignores the fact that picrolite carriers can only be found in very specific locations on the island, discrete from each other. Here we report initial outcomes of the application of handheld portable X-ray fluorescence (HHpXRF) and synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (SR-μXRF) to the analysis of picrolite raw materials performed at the newly opened PUMA beamline of the SOLEIL Synchrotron Radiation Facility. Our work refines the basic characteristics of the elemental constituents of the picrolite raw material and highlights key micro-structural differences between two distinct source regions on the Troodos Massif in western Cyprus. Picrolite source characterisation is expected to contribute significant new knowledge to the study of rare raw material consumption, prehistoric social organisation, networking and possible long-distance exchange of this idiosyncratic raw material within and beyond the island’s geographic boundaries

Virtual Sea-Drifting Experiments between the Island of Cyprus and the Surrounding Mainland in the Early Prehistoric Eastern Mediterranean

Seaborne movement underpins frontier research in prehistoric archaeology, including water-crossings in the context of human dispersals, and island colonisation. Yet, it also controls the degree of interaction between locations, which in turn is essential for investigating the properties of maritime networks. The onset of the Holocene (circa 12,000 years ago) is a critical period for understanding the origins of early visitors/inhabitants to the island of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean in connection with the spread of Neolithic cultures in the region. The research undertaken in this work exemplifies the synergies between archaeology, physical sciences and geomatics, towards providing novel insights on the feasibility of drift-induced seaborne movement and the corresponding trip duration between Cyprus and coastal regions on the surrounding mainland. The overarching objective is to support archaeological inquiry regarding the possible origins of these visitors/inhabitants—Anatolia and/or the Levant being two suggested origins

Copper metallurgy in Iron Age Kition

Le site de Kition du Bronze Récent est bien connu pour sa zone sacrée et pour les ateliers métallurgiques qui ont été trouvés en association avec les temples et les téménè de Kathari. Pendant la période archaïque également, un petit atelier métallurgique a été installé à côté du grand temple d’Astarté des VIe-Ve siècles av. J.-C. Des indices limités d’un artisanat métallurgique ont aussi été relevés par la mission française lors de la fouille du sanctuaire phénicien dédié à la Grande Déesse à Bamboula. Les restes métallurgiques de ces deux ateliers ont été étudiés par l’auteur et son équipe de recherche, et les résultats d’analyses permettent de jeter un peu de lumière sur les procédés en usage dans ces ateliers. Le but de cet article est de présenter ces résultats et de discuter plus largement de la métallurgie du cuivre dans le royaume de Kition pendant l’Âge du Fer.Kassianidou Vasiliki. Copper metallurgy in Iron Age Kition. In: Cahiers du Centre d'Etudes Chypriotes. Volume 46, 2016. Hommage à Antoine Hermary. pp. 71-88

«And at Tamassos there are important mines of copper... »(Strabo, Geography, 14.6.5)

D'après Strabon, il y avait d'importantes mines de cuivre à Tamassos. Situé au pied du Troodos, le site de Tamassos se trouve, de fait, dans l'un des districts miniers de l'île, qui a été exploité de manière intensive durant toute l'Antiquité et à l'époque moderne. Cette région a fait l'objet d'une prospection extensive dans le cadre du Sydney Cyprus Survey Project, dirigé par A. B. Knapp. Au cours de ce programme, nous avons systématiquement enregistré les mines anciennes et les ateliers de fonte, certains d'entre eux n'étant d'ailleurs guère éloignés de Tamassos. Des datations au radiocarbone d'échantillons de charbon ont permis de dater ces installations, tandis que des analyses chimiques et microscopiques permettaient de mieux comprendre les techniques anciennes de la production du cuivre. Ces résultats sont présentés dans l'article, où est également envisagée l'importance des mines de cuivre de Tamassos pour l'économie et l'histoire de Chypre dans l'Antiquité.Kassianidou Vasiliki. «And at Tamassos there are important mines of copper... »(Strabo, Geography, 14.6.5) . In: Cahiers du Centre d'Etudes Chypriotes. Volume 34, 2004. pp. 33-46

Geochemical characterisation of carnelian beads from Aceramic Neolithic Cyprus using portable X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (pXRF)

This paper presents the results of the compositional analysis conducted on carnelian beads from Aceramic Neolithic sites on the island of Cyprus. Carnelian is a rare raw material with alleged geological sources in the broader eastern Mediterranean–western Asia region. Most of these sources remain little explored and no detailed data concerning their geochemical signatures and elemental composition are available. Carnelian, albeit an exogenous material, is found in small quantities in lithic assemblages from Cypriot sites dating to 8500–5200 Cal BCE. The paper discusses these occurrences and uses non-destructive pXRF technology to (a) attempt to identify distinct geochemical groups (i.e. exploited sources) within these assemblages, and (b) use this information to infer the role of Cyprus within the broader eastern Mediterranean social landscape and exchange networks of the Early Holocene. Our analyses suggest multiple origins for the carnelian raw material and, more significantly, demonstrate that occasionally other materials, visually indistinguishable from carnelian, were used in bead manufacture. We consider the symbolic role of these raw material choices and propose that these early island communities engaged in a system of linked values with their mainland counterparts dependent on the materials exchanged objects were made of

Reconstructing an ancient mining landscape: A multidisciplinary approach to copper mining at Skouriotissa, Cyprus

Extensively worked in antiquity, Skouriotissa remains the only active copper mine on the island of Cyprus. The modern, open-cast operation, however, has almost completely obliterated the earlier mining landscape. Here the authors report the results of investigations, including dating, of the ancient topography of the mine. They incorporate spatial data derived from archival sources, recent fieldwork and absolute dating into a geographical information system to reconstruct the ancient mining landscape around Skouriotissa. Their approach holds promise for understanding other mining regions in Cyprus and beyond, by providing an example of how diverse source material can be used to reconstruct landscapes now destroyed or buried by open-cast mining operations

The origins and evolution of Cypriot glazed ware productions during the 13th to 17th centuries CE

This paper challenges the conventional characterisation of glazed ware productions in the eastern Mediterranean, especially the ones which did not feature the use of opaque or tin-glazed technology, as technologically stagnant and unsusceptible to broader socio-economic developments from the late medieval period onwards. Focusing on the Cypriot example, we devise a new approach that combines scientific analyses (thin-section petrography and SEM-EDS) and a full consideration of the chaîne opératoire in context to highlight the changes in technology and craft organisation of glazed ware productions concentrating in the Paphos, Famagusta, and Lapithos region during the 13th to 17th centuries CE. Our results indicate that the Paphos production was short-lived, lasting from the establishment of Frankish rule in Cyprus in the 13th century to the aftermath of the fall of the Crusader campaigns in the 14th century. However, glazed ware production continued in Famagusta and Lapithos from the late 13th/14th centuries through to the 17th century, using technical practices that were evidently different from the Paphos production. It is possible that these productions were set up to serve the new, local demands deriving from an intensification of commercial activities on the island. Further changes occurred to the technical practices of the Famagusta and Lapithos productions around the 16th/17th centuries, coinciding with the displacement of populations and socio-political organisation brought by the Ottoman rule.H2020-MSCA-IF-2016; grant no.: 75090