Multi-facetted Anthropology: Recent Work of the Athienou Archaeological Project in Central Cyprus

Summary

The Athienou Archaeological Project (AAP) has conducted multi-pronged investigations in central Cyprus over the past 27 years. The research has included excavation, survey, geophysical prospection, ethnoarchaeology, bioarchaeology, and cultural studies. The unifying thread in these endeavors has been a theoretical perspective that draws on Braudel’s concern with the central role of the environment in the Mediterranean’s historical development, world-systems analysis, and landscape archaeology. Field research has examined an Archaic to Early Roman rural sanctuary, a Roman to Venetian era village, and a funerary landscape with tombs (Archaic to Venetian) scattered throughout the valley. Ethnoarchaeological research has focused on a recent Turkish village, traditional agricultural practices and tools, current herding practices, local water systems, and ephemeral sites for the production of charcoal and bee-keeping. Our team has also examined the role of historic preservation in consolidating a local identity linked to restored buildings, and efforts to maintain traditional crafts, such as the manufacture of lace and production of cheese. As John White emphasized throughout his career, the holistic scope of anthropology is necessary to understand the multiple dimensions of life in the past and present. That approach has been a guiding principle for the work of the AAP.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21054