TRANSFORMING THE LANDSCAPE: EVIDENCE FOR INCREASING GLOBALISATION IN THE TREMITHOSVALLEY
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 2020-12-19

On the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age, the settlement pattern in the Tremithos river valley (south-east Cyprus) shows a swift and drastic transformation from a few, relative isolated pastoral villages to a town-based landscape with associated hinterland involved in international trade. The inhabitants of the river valley founded new sites (Hala Sultan Tekke, Klavdia, Kalokorio) at strategic interfaces in the landscape to facilitate trade and communication. The course of the Tremithos river from the cop-per-rich Circumtroodos to the sea and its connection to one of the finest sheltered harbours on the island, i.e. the Larnaca salt lake (then a navigable lagoon), show the importance of the local topography. The transformation of the landscape was an intentional process of the valley’s inhabitants in response to the Eastern Mediterranean demand for copper and trade opportunities. In this way, the Cypriot upper classes formed alliances with Eastern Mediterranean societies characterised by a multifaceted social hierarchy. The material culture in the Tremithos valley testifies of an adaption of Levantine elite behaviour, visible in the increasing occurrence of imports (pottery, seals) and mortuary practices. Signs of an early involvement in international trade networks together with the evidence of extracting copper ore and crafting finished products, point to the regional autonomy of the Tremithos valley. The region’s independent economic activities eventually lead to the emergence of social stratification and globalisation.


Author(s): Coenaerts, Jan - Samaes, Melissa - Nys, Karin (Vrije Universiteit Brussel; Maritime Cultures Archaeological Institute)