The Department of Antiquities, Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, announces the end of the May-June 2022 excavation period at the site of Dromolaxia-Vyzakia (Hala Sultan Tekke). The excavation at the Late Bronze Age port city is being conducted by a team from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, under the direction of Professor Peter M. Fischer. This Late Bronze Age city, which flourished between about 1630 and 1150 BC, is located on the coast of Larnaca Salt Lake, near the Hala Sultan Mosque, a short distance from Larnaca International Airport. Alongside the excavations, a second team of the Swedish expedition, under the direction of Dr Teresa Bürge, studied the finds from previous excavation periods, which are kept in the storage facilities of the Larnaca District Archaeological Museum. Professors Kirsi Lorentz and Sorin Hermon and PhD students of the Cyprus Institute assisted in the work of the Swedish delegation. The Institute of Cyprus team offered their expertise in excavation and recording of anthropological remains and prepared 2D and 3D illustrations of objects and artefacts, together with analyses of the material.
The excavations focused on Area A, i.e. the city cemetery. Two graves that had been identified, one of which was partially disturbed by land cultivation, were secured and scientifically excavated. The location of the first grave (Tomb TT) was indicated by a geophysical survey using a magnetometer, carried out in 2017 by the team, after which the site was fenced off. Pottery sherds and bones revealed the exact location of the second grave (Tomb UU), which was also discernible on the map of the magnetometer survey. Also, the area around Tomb UU was fenced off by the expedition. Both tombs contained material from the late 15th and 14th centuries BC, corresponding to the Late Cypriot IIA-B period, the Late Helladic IIIA1-2 period and the famous 18th Dynasty of Egypt.
The two tombs, apparently family tombs with a large number of interred individuals in each, were carved into the ground. The study of the anthropological remains has not yet been completed. Therefore, the calculation of the number of individuals, their sex and age of death needs further investigation. It is, however, our belief that the graves belonged to two wealthy families, judging by the type of finds. Neonates, infants, young and old individuals were associated with a large number of grave goods. The term "elderly" refers to people who rarely exceeded 40 years of age, as life expectancy was low during this period.
Pottery is the main category of grave goods, mainly high quality clay vessels made in Cyprus and many imports. The most common imports came from the Aegean, i.e. the Mycenaean and Minoan world. There are also imports from Anatolia, Syro-Palestine and Egypt. In particular, sophisticated alabaster vases and scarabs were imported from Egypt. It is worth noting that one of the alabaster vases from Egypt imitates Cypriot pottery, namely the vases of the Ringed Base I style, which were very popular in Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Tuthmosis III in the 15th century BC. Some of the scarabs bear hieroglyphic inscriptions, which will be read shortly. There are also many ivory objects, which were handed over immediately after their discovery to the conservators of the Department of Antiquities to preserve this extremely fragile material.
In summary, the nature of the finds testify to the existence of a wealthy Cypriot society, which had established relations with civilizations throughout the Mediterranean and beyond. The wealth of the inhabitants of the settlement at Dromolaxia-Vyzakia was based on the production and export of copper and long-distance trade. This is evidenced by the tons of copper slag and ore, which was processed in workshops within the settlement.
Images. Below this, Egyptian alabaster-capped prohus, which imitates the pottery of the type with Finger-shaped Base. Next to it is an ivory duck vase
(NΓ/EXP)
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