A Tale of Red and Black: Reconstructing Transfer of Knowledge in Late Chalcolithic Cyprus

This paper focuses on the interactions between communities in Late Chalcolithic Cyprus (c.2900/2700–2400 BC), when several red and black burnished pottery types were produced across the island. The aim is to investigate what that interaction can tell us about the sharing of technological knowledge between communities in western Cyprus, and about knowledge-scapes connecting communities of practice and sites. This paper builds upon studies on mobility, technology, and the social value of technology. A comparative macroscopic study of red monochrome pottery from three sites situated along western Cyprus is conducted to shed light on the intensity, nature and degree of contacts between these communities at the time. Specifically, the local variants of Red and Black Stroke Burnished Ware from Lemba-Lakkous, Kissonerga-Mosphilia and Chlorakas-Palloures are examined