Sotira Kaminoudhia: An Early Bronze Age Site in Cyprus. by Jennifer M. Webb Sotira Kaminoudhia: An Early Bronze Age Site in Cyprus. By STUART SWINY, GEORGE (RIP) RAPP, and ELLEN HERSCHER. CAARI Monograph Series, vol. 4. Boston: AMERICAN SCHOOLS OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH, 2003. Pp. xxviii + 556, plates. $99.95. Few occupation sites of the Early Bronze Age have been excavated in Cyprus. The publication of the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute's project of excavation and regional survey at Sotira Kaminoudhia is thus especially welcome. Kaminoudhia is currently the only excavated settlement of this period in southern Cyprus and will play a key role in refining and expanding our understanding of material culture sequences in this part of the island. Surface survey at Kaminoudhia suggests a settlement of approximately one hectare. Excavation was undertaken in three areas, the largest representing an exposure of 375[m.sup.2]. Of particular interest is the fact that Kaminoudhia appears to have been founded at the very beginning of the Early Bronze Age (EBA), during the so-called Philia phase, and occupied through the subsequent Early Cypriot I and II (EC I and II) periods into Early Cypriot III (EC III). Although Philia and EC I and II deposits are not represented in the settlement exposures, which are dated exclusively to EC III, three of the associated tombs produced diagnostic Philia assemblages and at least six are of EC I or II date. These earlier occupation phases must therefore be present in the settlement beyond the excavated areas. As a Philia foundation with an unbroken history of occupation through the EC period, Kaminoudhia may be compared with a number of other sites for which similarly lengthy sequences are now indicated, challenging a long-held assumption that short-term shifting settlement was the norm in EBA Cyprus. The multidisciplinary approach taken by the excavators is reflected in the publication. An introduction by Rapp and Swiny is followed by seventeen chapters written by the excavators and twelve specialists covering the excavation of the settlement and cemeteries, ceramics (typology and petrology), ground and knapped stone, metal and archaeometallurgy, terracottas, skeletal, faunal and botanical remains, geology and geomorphology, regional and environmental survey, and chronology. The most substantive, and the most critical for the overall interpretation of the site, are those which report the excavation of the settlement (Swiny) and cemetery (Swiny and Herscher) and the ceramics (Herscher). Swiny's chapter on the excavation of the settlement provides a detailed description of rooms, walls, and features, and a listing of stratified finds, teamed with a fine set of area plans, presented as inserts. The settlement is typified by a rectilinear architectural system, comprising stone-built domestic structures linked by narrow alleyways. Although no attempt is made to identify households, individual "units," it is suggested, consisted of two or three interconnecting rooms used for habitation and storage. Hearths were typically rectangular and located along walls, and low narrow benches, monolithic stone thresholds, rock-cut mortars, and lime plaster bins were common installations. The general impression 1

is of multipurpose units, serving a range of domestic functions. More specialized activities are suggested, however, for units 2 and 10. Unit 10 produced seven gaming stones, for which a religious connection is suggested, and a cattle skull with the facial bones removed. In addition, stratified sherd material is said to suggest the presence of a maximum of ninety-three small bowls. These, in turn, are thought to indicate feasting activities, possibly also of a "ritualistic" nature. This latter observation highlights one of several conceptual problems in this chapter. In the description of each unit it is assumed that sherds can be read directly as representative of whole vessels in systemic use, rather than as incidentally present in abandonment or post-abandonment accumulation or as a by-product of roof collapse (so that, in the case of unit 10, rim sherds representing a maximum of ninety-three bowls are taken as evidence that up to ninety-three bowls were once in use in this unit, allowing assumptions about feasting on an abnormal scale, despite the fact that no complete or fully restorable small bowls were found). This is equally problematic in the case of unit 2, where large numbers of small bowl sherds are also cited in support of an argument for special status, and for unit 8, where a pithos rim sherd and handle are seen as direct evidence of a storage function for this room. The reading of orphan sherds as remnants of systemic inventories is made more problematic by Swiny's argument that Kaminoudhia was destroyed by an earthquake. Catastrophic abandonment typically results in the recovery of the full set of durable objects in use at the time of the event. Thus the absence of complete small bowls in the rooms which Swiny suggests may have been given over to feasting is a serious problem. Indeed the settlement pottery catalogue lists eighty percent of the seventy-four registered vessels as incomplete, making the overall case for catastrophic abandonment difficult to sustain. While it is true that ground stone artifacts were recovered in remarkable numbers (seventy-eight, for example, from phase II of unit 1), the majority are unmodified handstones, and their presence may have more to do with opportunistic discard practices associated with expedient tool use than with sudden abandonment. Some problems arise, also, from the fact that the publication of Kaminoudhia comes about almost two decades after the completion of fieldwork. While most chapters (e.g., Herscher's chapter 4) incorporate the results of fieldwork at comparable sites to 2000, some were written as long ago as 1984 (e.g., Walz on the terracottas) and others have not been fully updated. Swiny (chapter 2), for example, refers to the 1996 publication of the excavations at Marki and Alambra but not to subsequent work at Marki, described in substantial preliminary reports, which have revealed architectural remains of Philia and EC I/II. His important discussion of Cypriot Bronze Age building traditions would have benefitted considerably from incorporation of these findings. Similarly, seven burials within the settlement at Marki show that intramural burial was not an extraordinary event in prehistoric Bronze Age Cyprus and cast doubt on the argument that the skeleton in unit 22 at Kaminoudhia was the victim of an earthquake. The ceramic data from Kaminoudhia is of considerable importance. The Philia and EC I and II pottery from the cemetery and the EC III ceramics from the settlement show continuous typological development, with particularly close connections between Red Polished Philia and Red Polished South Coast wares. As Herscher suggests, the Red Polished sequence on the north coast, previously supposed to be standard, appears increasingly anomalous. Recent data suggest that the central and southern areas of the island shared a common ceramic 2

tradition, with Red Polished South Coast and Drab Polished wares produced at regional centers in the southwest and distributed in more limited quantities. The chapters on ground stone (Swiny), chipped stone (Kingsnorth), and metal (Swiny, with an appendix by Giardino, Gigante, and Ridolfi) will be of considerable value to those working on the material culture of EBA Cyprus. Of particular interest is the recovery of an unforged dagger preform (or dagger-shaped ingot) and two gold and four tin-copper alloy earrings from a Philia tomb, the latter representing the earliest known occurrence of tin bronze on the island. It is suggested that tin bronze was used in this instance for aesthetic reasons, to lighten the color of the metal in imitation of gold. Briefer chapters on animal bone (Croft), botanical remains (Hansen), and molluscs (Reese) make the most of relatively small samples. Cattle provided the main source of meat, followed by deer, pigs, and caprines, while emmer wheat, grape, almond, and olive were the primary plant species represented. Marine shells probably reached the site as ornaments rather than food items. The final chapters cover geology and geomorphology (Rapp), regional archaeological survey (Held), and an environmental study of the Paramali village area (van Warmelo). The volume is handsomely produced and illustrated. It is a welcome addition to the growing literature on EBA Cyprus and sets a high standard for others to follow. JENNIFER M. WEBB

Cyprus: Island of Love - and War by Helena Zukowski At certain times of the year the sea foam whirls itself into a great, bubbling lather around the rocks of Petra tou Romiou on the western shore of Cyprus. Locals say a kind of magic seems to hang heavily in the air and they insist Aphrodite has returned to cast her spell over the island once more. According to legend, this is the very spot where the goddess emerged from the sea and where the Cult of Aphrodite, the love goddess (also called Venus), began in the 12th century B.C. Since that time, Cyprus has been known as the island of love. However, as anyone who has loved knows, it always comes with a price. For Cyprus, it has been war and strife. As the template for feminine beauty and the patroness of sexual desire and love, Aphrodite lured pilgrims from all over the known world to Cyprus to take part in fertility rituals on the island. Assyrians, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Greeks and Byzantines all made the pilgrimage, sometimes bringing gold, sometimes their daughters who would become ritual prostitutes in the service of the goddess. Ancient Greek writers hinted that Aphrodite loved to flirt with danger and blamed her for starting the long series of wars that plagued the island. They accused her of launching the Trojan War by arranging for Helen to run off with the Trojan prince Paris, and of throwing herself into an affair with Ares, the god of war, just to royally tick off her husband. Later, Cleopatra used love to persuade Caesar into giving her Cyprus as a love token. Other leaders, such as Richard the Lion- Hearted, battled for the island because of love. 3

The island's association with war actually started somewhere around the third millennium B.C. when Cyprus was found to hold immense deposits of copper, which, when blended with tin, created bronze. (It's said that the word "Cyprus" comes from a primitive word meaning copper.) Because bronze could be transformed into swords and chariots to wage war, Cyprus drew a yeasty mix of traders and conquerors with a nose for early international commerce. Among the island's conquerors, Assyrians, Phoenicians and Egyptians gave way to Persians, Greeks and Romans. Of all of them, the Greeks planted the deepest roots. In the mid-15th century the Ottoman Turks began to threaten the island and waged a devastating war with 80,000 Turkish casualties. Even though they established a strong foothold, this was the Age of Navigation and the island was no longer as important as it once had been. For the next 400 years, it became a sleepy backwater. Suddenly in the middle of the 20th century, Aphrodite returned, this time fanning nationalistic love into ethnic rivalry. Greeks and Turks who lived side by side for centuries became overnight enemies and fighting broke out in a series of wars that left animosity and revenge. The island was divided into two rigidly defined zones with Turks in the north and Greeks in the south, and with little hope of bringing the two sides to any kind of understanding. Tourists cross the line for short visits, but most opt to stay in the south. Even though remains of temples dedicated to Aphrodite exist all over the island, the main place of pilgrimage and the center for fertility rituals for travelers in the Hellenistic world was the Paphos district in western Cyprus. Always the least-developed part of Cyprus, today's visitors find some of the island's best Greek and Roman archaeological treasures there. Paphos at first glance looks like an unlikely treasure house. It slumbers in a wild, stark terrain bordered by a craggy coastline. Terraced vineyards splay across empty limestone hills set against the Troodos mountains. The city of Paphos is one of the smallest of the Cypriot district capitals, but a new airport helped transform it recently into a full-blown tourist resort where visitors come armed with Nikons to capture the golden light as it transforms the ancient monuments. During Roman and Hellenistic times, Paphos was a great city and the capital of Cyprus, so visitors can expect compelling historical treasures. Modern life focuses on the harbor with its string of shops, cafes and small, open-air seafood restaurants that hug the ocean. Dine here on the freshest fish imaginable, sample culinary Cypriot delicacies such as meza (a kind of tapas), stroll, feed pet pelicans and tick off a fortune in Fuji film at the seaside fort. This squat Turkish fortress, still surrounded by a moat and entered by drawbridge, sits battered by wind and surf today rather than by intruders. An Arabic inscription above the door says it was built in 1592 by one Ahmed Pasha, an early recycler who used building materials from a medieval fortress sacked by the Venetians. North of the harbor and sprawling across a hillside, you'll find the ruins of the ancient city of Neo Paphos, founded by King Nicocles, a high priest of Aphrodite. Anxious to appease the Greeks, he decided to move his capital from its original spot beside the ancient temple of Aphrodite to this lonely promontory on the coast. Once moved, he "Hellenized" with fury, building theaters and temples to Zeus and Artemis and laying out his city in the approved Greek fashion. 4

There are so many Greek treasures that Cypriots often tell tourists they'll see more of ancient Greece here than in Greece. A small second-century Odeon built entirely of limestone still is used for musical and theatrical performances. You can visit a building dedicated to Asclepius, the god of medicine, a fifth- century basilica and underground tombs dating back to the fourth century B.C. where kings were buried. Today the ruins of Neo Paphos stand open to the wind and you can walk through the once-thriving city without paying an admission ticket. Another evocative spot, Saranta Kolones, rests high above the town overlooking the harbor. This castle dates back to the time when the Crusaders ruled over Cyprus and was built by the Lusignans who ruled the island for 300 years after Richard the Lion-Hearted captured it in A.D. 1191. The original castle was finished near the beginning of the 13th century, but was destroyed by an earthquake in 1222. Graceful arches and walkways give you an idea of its former splendor. Less than 10 miles from this spot you'll find the ruins of old Paphos, where the most famous of all of Aphrodite's temples stood. You first encounter a group of massive limestone blocks with strange holes drilled through them. They are believed to be part of a late Bronze Age sanctuary and the holes show evidence that hunters searched here for the mythical treasure of Aphrodite. Nearby, you'll find the Mosaics of Paphos in the ruins of several villas on a hillside high above the harbor. The floors of these villas, which belonged to noblemen in the third to fifth centuries, are considered to be some of the most beautiful ever found. Most of the tile paintings retell stories from Greek mythology and remain in exceptional condition. These and the other ruins in Paphos are so remarkable that the entire town has been placed on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. Further along the coast toward Limassol and high above the sea sits another sanctuary dedicated to an immortal - this time Apollo. As part of the ruins near Kourion, the temple stands on a dramatic rock ledge, a most suitable spot in which to worship Apollo, protector of trees, flocks and herds, and the god of beauty, music and prophecy. This sanctuary of Apollo Hylates served as a center for pilgrimages for more than a thousand years and, according to ancient writers, its altar was deemed so sacred that anyone who dared touch it was thrown over the cliffs of Kourion. As you wander through the grounds you can easily identify the baths, the gymnasium where wrestling matches would take place, the sacred gardens and the temple itself. Twelve steps lead up to the altar where sacrifices of young men and male animals were made. The temple (as well as the rest of Kourion ) was destroyed by an earthquake in A.D. 365. The Kourion complex is one of the three best archaeological sites on Cyprus and includes the ruins of a cathedral, one of the largest and oldest Christian sanctuaries on the island, a huge Greek amphitheater looking out to the sea that has almost perfect acoustics, a stadium and the Villa of Eustolios complete with baths, hypocaust heating system, frigidarium and mosaics. With all these monuments to love gods and goddesses around and the bewitching sensuality of Petra tou Romiou at sunset, I was a little disappointed Mr. Right didn't materialize on the craggy shore. A Cypriot explained that I should perhaps drag a likely prospect to the Fontana Amorosa, a spring not far from the Baths of Aphrodite on the Akamas peninsula. 5

Here, he said, anyone who takes a sip from the waters falls immediately in love. Isadora Duncan once said, "Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is war." Aphrodite, I think I'll take a rain check. Information for this article was gathered on a research trip sponsored by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation. If you go Getting there: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has daily flights to Amsterdam with convenient connections to Larnaca in Cyprus via Cyprus Airways. Accommodations: You'll find hotels in every price range and most are of a high standard. For five-star luxury, the Cyprus Four Seasons is probably the finest hotel on the island. A good choice for beach lovers is the Golden Coast Hotel near Larnaca Airport. Climate: Cyprus has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild winters. Trade winds keep even hot days bearable and most rain falls from October to February. Documents: Visas are not required for U.S. citizens, but passports must be valid for up to three months after day of departure. Currency: The Cyprus pound is divided into 100 cents (known as shillings). One Cyprus pound equals about $1.78. Shopping: Pottery is distinctive and inexpensive. Handmade embroidery known as OlefkaritikaO makes a lovely gift. Legend has it that Leonardo da Vinci found this work so beautiful that he took a tablecloth back with him to place on the altar of the Milan Cathedral. Local silver and copperwork, baskets, tapestries, shoes and other leather goods are also good buys. Food and drink: Cypriot food means lots of fresh seafood and barbecued kebabs, dolmas and tava (meat stew). The best introduction is a mezze, which is a large selection of different local dishes. Cyprus produces excellent wines, spirits and beer. Helena Zukowski

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