Performative Aspects of Early Monumental Architecture at Late Bronze I Phlamoudhi-Vounari, Cyprus

Summary

The small (1 hectare) site of Phlamoudhi-Vounari was built in Late Cypriot IA:1 and abandoned early in Late Cypriot IIA, a lifespan of c. 200 years. This paper presents a 3D model and spatial analysis suggesting that the site functioned as a stage during community gatherings (and greeting visitors). Vounari’s plan is unique on Cyprus: a likely man-made, eight-meter-high mound topped with a sequence of superimposed structures. Initially built with open access to the summit from the higher south side landscape, the monumental plastered north ramp, double gateway, 16 x 16m stone façade platform, and circuit wall added to Vounari in Phase IV restricted access to the hilltop as well as creating an imposing effect. Using a viewshed approach, this paper examines the monumental north façade and broad plaster ramp as seen from the seaward approach. As a comparanda to Vounari, the New World platform mound phenomenon is reviewed. These sites also arguably functioned as stages for ceremonial community activities that reinforced the corporate identity even as an elite class was beginning to emerge and increasingly circumscribe the space for themselves. This analysis is relevant to the ongoing debate about the first emergence of complex society in Cyprus.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22071