Necropoleis at Palaepaphos from the End of the Late Bronze Age to the Cypro-Archaic Period

Vassos Karageorghis & Efstathios Raptou

City: Nicosia

Year: 2014

Publisher: The Cyprus Institute

Description: Text pages i-xiv+172, plates I-LXXVI in colour and LXXVII line drawings

Abstract

Extensive excavations in the Necropolis of Palaepaphos at site Skales undertaken by the Department of Antiquities in 1979 had demonstrated the importance of this kingdom of Cyprus from the early 11th century B.C. to the end of the Cypro-Geometric III period. The results of these excavatiuons were published in 1983 (V. Karageorghis, Palaepaphos-Skales, an Iron Age Cemetery in Cyprus, University of Kostanz). Continued levelling operations in the area of Palaepaphos obliged the Department of Antiquities to undertake further excavations of tombs in the wider area round the village of Kouklia (ancient Palaepaphos) from 1995 to 2011. Most of these tombs were excavated under the supervision of Archaeological Officer Efstathios Raptou.

In the 2014 volume nine tomb groups are published, of which one dates to the first half of the 11th cent. B.C., the others to the Cypro-Geometric and Cypro-Archaic periods. The early 11th cent. B.C. tombs yielded fine Proto-White Painted ware pottery. The Cypro-Geometric tombs were also rich in metallic objects, namely bronze vessels, gold jewellery, including a large number of plaques with embossed decoration, bronze and iron obeloi for roasting meat, bronze and iron weapons and armour (including two bronze cheek pieces of a helmet), a large number of iron knives, and three bath tabs, one of limestone and two of terracotta. This material may be linked with a “heroic” lifestyle of the deceased and recalls in many ways the Homeric epic.