The cypro-geometric horizon, a view from below : identity and social change in the mortuary record

The Cypro-Geometric period (CG, 1100-750 BC) is a transitional period between two distinct socio-political landscapes – those of the Late Bronze Age and the Cypro-Archaic. Traditionally, the CG has been studied as a coda to other periods, mainly due to the mortuary-based evidence being considered complex and unwieldy and of little value to studies of social and political development. In reality, the vast quantity of data has huge potential for any study of the Early Iron Age on Cyprus. Furthermore, a shift in academic interest in Cypriot Iron Age archaeology has resulted in a move away from discussions centering on the origins and modes of foreign interaction on Cyprus at the end of the Bronze Age, towards a focus on all aspects of the emergence of the social and political institutions of the Cypro-Archaic period. The CG played a seminal role in these developments, yet the mortuary evidence has remained scattered throughout journals and excavation reports, restricting their use and leading conclusions to be drawn from limited datasets. The aim of this study is to facilitate a reconsideration of the CG as a vibrant and pivotal phase in Cypriot protohistory. It brings together an unprecedented database containing details of 1406 tombs, including all those currently known to date to the CG period. Drawing on three specific case-study sites at Amathus, Palaepaphos and Salamis, and through the application of a strict methodological approach, the mortuary evidence is examined for indications of changing mortuary practices and portrayals of identity. Employing a complex combination of mortuary and identity theory the data are examined to reveal social and political changes underway in the Cypro-Geometric period. This fresh look at the CG mortuary record highlights the quantity, quality and potential of the extant data, and offers a reinterpretation of the socio-political development of the island at the start of the Iron Age.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo