The Department of Antiquities, of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, announces the end of the excavation period May-June 2022, at the location Dromolaxia-Vyzakia (Hala Sultan Tekke). The excavation in the Late Bronze Age port city is being carried out by a team from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, led by Professor Peter M. Fischer. This Late Bronze Age city, which flourished around 1630 and 1150 BC, is located on the coast of Aliki Larnaca, near the Hala Sultan Mosque, a short distance from Larnaca International Airport. In parallel with the excavations, a second team of the Swedish delegation, led by Dr. Teresa Bürge, studied the findings from previous excavations, which are kept in the warehouses of the Archaeological Museum of Larnaca District. Professors Kirsi Lorentz and Sorin Hermon and PhD students of the Cyprus Institute contributed to the work of the Swedish delegation. The team of the Cyprus Institute offered its experience in the excavation and recording of anthropological remains and prepared two-dimensional and three-dimensional representations of objects and assemblies, together with analyzes of the material.
Two Cypriot large-bodied white Slips II
The excavations focused on Area A, ie the city cemetery. Two tombs that had been identified, one of which was partially disturbed by the cultivation of the land, were secured and scientifically excavated. The location of the first tomb (TT Tomb) was indicated by a geophysical survey using a magnetometer, which was conducted in 2017 by the team, after which the site was fenced. Ceramic shells and bones revealed the exact location of the second tomb (UU Tomb), which was also visible on the magnetometer overview map. Also, the area around Tomb UU was fenced off by the mission. Both tombs contained material from the end of the 15th and the 14th century BC, which correspond 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 people buried in each, were carved into the ground. The study of anthropological remains has not yet been completed. Therefore, the calculation of the number of people, their sex and age of death needs further investigation. It is, however, our belief that the tombs belonged to two wealthy families, judging by the type of finds. Newborns, infants, young and old were associated with a large number of bounties. “Elderly” refers to people who are rarely over 40 years old, as life expectancy was low at this time.
Listed Mycenaean alabaster.
Ceramics is the main category of gifts and mainly high quality clay pots that were made in Cyprus but also many imports. The most common imports came from the Aegean, that is, from the Mycenaean and Minoan worlds. There are also imports from Anatolia, Syria and Palestine. In particular, elaborate alabaster vessels and scarabs were imported from Egypt. It is worth noting that one of the alabaster vessels from Egypt imitates Cypriot pottery and specifically the rhythm vessels with Ring Base I, which were very popular in Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Fountain III in the 15th century BC. Some of the scarabs have hieroglyphic inscriptions, which will be read soon. There are also many ivory items, which were immediately handed over to the Department of Antiquities conservationists to preserve this extremely fragile material.
In summary, the kind of findings testify to the existence of a rich Cypriot society, which had established relations with cultures 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 slag of copper and ore, which were processed in laboratories within the settlement.
Ring beams with ring-shaped base I. Below it, an Egyptian beam with alabaster lid, which imitates the ceramic of the type with ring-shaped base. Next to a vase in the shape of a duck made of ivory.
