Vasiliki Kassianidou

The Sydney Cyprus Survey Project: An Interdisciplinary Investigation of Long-Term Change in the North Central Troodos, Cyprus

AbstractThe Sydney Cyprus Survey Project (SCSP) began work in the north central Troodos Mountains of Cyprus in 1992. The aim of the project is to examine the relationships among the exploitation of natural resources (especially copper mining and agriculture), the development of complex social systems, and the changes taking place in the physical landscape. This interim report puts our fieldwork and interpretation into the context of contemporary regional survey practice, and describes our approaches to methodological problems such as sampling strategies, analytical units, and field walking techniques. We present an integrated discussion of two specific areas of interest and an overview of the main results and conclusions of the project to date.

Decadal-scale variations in geomagnetic field intensity from ancient Cypriot slag mounds

Geomagnetic models based on direct observations since the 1830s show that the averaged relative change in field intensity on Earths surface over the past 170 years is less than 4.8% per decade. It is unknown if these rates represent the typical behavior of secular variations due to insufficient temporal resolution of archaeomagnetic records from earlier periods. To address this question, we investigate two ancient slag mounds in Cyprus—Skouriotissa Vouppes (SU1, fourth to fifth centuries CE, 21 m in height), and Mitsero Kokkinoyia (MK1, seventh to fifth centuries BCE, 8 m in height). The mounds are multilayered sequences of slag and charcoals that accumulated near ancient copper production sites. We modeled the age-height relation of the mounds using radiocarbon dates, and estimated paleointensities using Thellier-type IZZI experiments with additional anisotropy, cooling rate, and nonlinear TRM assessments. To screen out ambiguous paleointensity interpretations, we applied strict selection criteria at the specimen/sample levels. To ensure objectivity, consistency, and robust error estimation, we employed an automatic interpretation technique and put the data available in the MagIC database. The analyses yielded two independent subcentury-scale paleointensity time series. The MK1 data indicate relatively stable field at the time the mound accumulated. In contrast, the SU1 data demonstrate changes that are comparable in magnitude to the fastest changes inferred from geomagnetic models. We suggest that fast changes observed in the published archaeomagnetic data from the Levant are driven by two longitudinally paired regions, the Middle East and South Africa, that show unusual activity in geomagnetic models.

Metalworking and Recycling in Late Bronze Age Cyprus – the Evidence from Kition

Excavations at the sacred precinct of the Late Bronze Age city of Kition uncovered the remains of metalworking workshops which were clearly associated with the temples. The results of the excavation as well as a number of specialist reports of the archaeometallurgical finds have already been published. Since their publication, however, archaeological research has progressed and new evidence has come to light regarding the Late Bronze Age in general and metalworking in particular. The object of this paper is to present the finds from these workshops and reconsider some of the issues that their discovery has raised. The results of the previous studies of the archaeometallurgical studies are critically assessed and the evidence reinterpreted based on what is available today. One of the issues addressed is that of metal recycling during the Late Bronze Age. This communication was presented at a research workshop organized by the Israel Science Foundation and the University of Haifa on ‘Recycling, Hoarding and Trade in Bronze, 13th–11th centuries BCE’ (Haifa 26–28 April, 1998). The first part of the paper was written by Karageorghis, the second part by Kassianidou.

Troodos Archaeological and Environmental Survey Project, Cyprus: Report on the 2001 Season

Abstract This report summarises the first field season of interdisciplinary field survey in the northern Troodos mountains in Cyprus. The overall objective of the project is to integrate intensive archaeological and geomorphological survey with a range of other analytical techniques, in order to understand the relationship between human activity and the environment. Particular focuses of the 2001 season included an area of Roman copper production and habitation; the mountainous Asinou area during the Medieval to Modern periods; and the fertile Karkotis Valley with its long history of cultivation and settlement. All areas were examined in the context of survey transects sampling the broader landscape at all periods.

The Exploitation of the Landscape: Metal Resources and the Copper Trade during the Age of the Cypriot City-Kingdoms

The exploitation of Cypruss mineral wealth, mainly the copper deposits, and other natural resources, such as the forests, formed the basis of the islands economic prosperity and development from prehistoric times until Late Antiquity. The control of the metal resources of the island would have been a primary and pressing preoccupation of the kings—indeed, the successful management of this multi-stage activity must have defined, in part, the very identity and power structure of Cypriot kingship, as well as the geopolitical (territorial) and economic ambitions of the kings themselves. The following contribution focuses on the exploitation and control of the metal resources of the island by the Cypriot kingdoms in the Iron Age. It takes a regional approach in exploring the evidence for copper production in the Iron Age; it also examines the available information regarding the export of copper in this period. Before presenting the evidence from the Iron Age, a brief introduction to the geology of the island is offered. Then, in order to elucidate the metallurgical evidence during the age of the city kingdoms, a summary is presented of what is currently known about the exploitation of the copper deposits and the production and trade of copper before the first millennium b.c.