From imitation to innovation: An insight on transpositions and local productions inspired by Cypriot Base-Ring jugs in the Levant and Egypt during the Late Bronze Age

International audienceLocated at the crossroads of major sea routes, the island of Cyprus played a central role in trading connections during the Middle and Late Bronze Ages. Sought-after for their resistance and their aesthetic qualities, Cypriot Base-Ring jugs broadly circulated within the Eastern Mediterranean. In the Levant, local populations quickly developed a vivid interest for these exogenous vessels, resulting in the creation of “entangled” ceramics combining Cypriot and local features. In Egypt, the characteristic form of Cypriot Base-Ring jugs was transposed in stone. While the presence of imports provides insights into trading connections and social practices, the development of transpositions and “entangled” productions provides a much more complex and multi-faceted picture of cultural interactions during the 2nd millennium BCE