Rethinking the aceramic neolithic: Insights from an ethnoarchaeological study on Cyprus

The so-called bizarre Aceramic Neolithic Period on the Mediterranean island of Cypros is reconsidered in light of an ethnoarchaeological study conducted in conjunction with the Kholetria-Ortos Project. The ethnoarchaeological study was designed to discover the organizational aspects of agropastoral strategies on the modern landscape and its relevance, if any, to the study of agropastoralism during the Aceramic Neolithic Period. As a result, a number of strategies considered irrational by agricultural policy analysts were identified, posing an analogical conceptual dilemma of contemporary phenomena. The presentation and discussion of the ethnoarchaeological results from the perspective of economic uncertainty, however, demonstrates that these strategies are in fact effective responses to environmental variability. The discussion of conceptual frameworks regarding economic uncertainty are considered relevant for rethinking the so-called bizarre Aceramic Neolithic on Cyprus