La figure hathorique à Chypre (IIe-Ier mill. av. J.-C.)

Both the definition and identification of the ‘Cypriot Goddess’ before the Hellenistic period are problematic. There is no secure evidence for the equation of a ‘Cypriot Goddess’ with Aphrodite before the late Cypro-Classical period. The presence of a single distinctive deity, who is specifically Cypriot, and her interaction with other Mediterranean female goddesses (especially before the Hellenistic period) are also complex issues. The function and meaning of any female image before Late Cypriot IIIB remains an open question. During that period, however, and for the first time in the history of the island, we find a terracotta female figure in a clearly (religious) ritual context. Based on the evidence from Enkomi, I argue that this figure relates to an indigenous goddess; and it is this goddess that in the Iron Age becomes directly linked to royal ideology at least in some kingdom-polities of the island. Eventually, shortly before the abolition of the kingdoms by Ptolemy I, she begins to be addressed as Aphrodite.

downloadDownload PDFView PDFchevron_right

The Egyptian goddess Hathor oversees the research and the trade of natural resources, and, more particularly, of precious metals such as copper. Since the Middle Kingdom, Hathor “nbt mfk³t” “Lady of the Turquoise”, was specialized in the protection of mining sites such as Serabit el-Khadim, Timna and Gebel Zeit. The discovery of representations of this goddess in Cyprus, the island of copper, allows us to examine the diffusion of these Egyptian theological concepts. Introduced in the Late Bronze Age, images of the Egyptian goddess reached a certain level of popularity, particularly in the 6th-5th centuries B.C. The discoveries of Enkomi reveal that from the 13th century BC the image of the Egyptian goddess was obviously identified with that of the “Great Goddess” who shared with her the duties of the guardian of mining. This city supplied Egypt with copper. In order to facilitate this trade, the Egyptians provided the main actors of the Cypriot copper trade with prestigious furniture with hathoric connotation: the presence at Enkomi, of a particular series of Egyptian faience bowls shows the diffusion of the theological concepts associated to this Egyptian goddess. In the 6th-5th centuries BC, this diffusion is still present and is confirmed by a series of contextual and divine associations founded on sites which benefited from the exploitation of Cypriot copper and its trade. The transposition of these theological concepts is particularly revealed by the presence of hathoric capitals of local manufacture in the sanctuaries of Aphrodite at Tamassos and Astarte at Kition-Bamboula, and in the palaces of Amathous and Idalion. Such monuments in Cyprus appear to have been linked, as in the case of Egypt, with the worship of the protective goddess of the mining activities.

downloadDownload PDFView PDFchevron_right

American Journal of Archaeology 119.1: 3-45., 2015

The island of Cyprus is well known for its abundance of masks, which have been the subject of focused studies as well as broader investigations on Phoenician and Punic masks. Yet, there is no comprehensive and diachronic overview of this important corpus contextualized within its Cypriot setting. This article reevaluates the evidence for masking rituals in Late Bronze and Iron Age Cyprus through close analysis of archaeological contexts and use patterns to reconstruct masked performances. The evidence underscores the long tradition of masking on the island and reveals use patterns that allow a partial reconstruction of the social significance of masking ceremonies. At the end of the Bronze Age through the era of the autonomous city-kingdoms, masks likely functioned as symbolic objects used in constructing social identities and can be associated with restricted groups practicing rituals at key sanctuaries. Masking rituals flourished within the autonomous city-kingdoms and dramatically ended with the incorporation of Cyprus into the Ptolemaic kingdom.

downloadDownload PDFView PDFchevron_right

See also Chapter 11 of Kinyras: The Divine Lyre.

downloadDownload PDFView PDFchevron_right

This is a draft paper. It aims to make an effort for understanding the origins of the ‘EteoCypriote’ language which is mostly traced on the Amathusian inscriptions. The suggested conclusion was formed based first and foremost on historical grounds since its cardinal argument was historiographical. However, to ground such an issue, one needs to extend the research beyond the historical perspective. For this reason other sources were employed from the archaeological and the linguistic fields resulting to a potential origin of this epichoric Cypriote language. Important Note: For the monetary section of this paper please see the revised interpretation of the ku-ru-ko sequence mentioned in the paper titled "Reconsidering and Rereading the Cypro-syllabic signs KU, RU and KO on Ancient Salamis Coins". See also my article ‘The Signs KU, RU and KO on Salaminian Coins of the 5th cent. BC’, in The Numismatic Chronicle 180 (2020), pp. 69-94.

downloadDownload PDFView PDFchevron_right

2011

downloadDownload PDFView PDFchevron_right