Becoming Cypriot: Identity Formation, Negotiation and Renegotiation on Bronze Age Cyprus

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Pushing the Envelope, Chasing Stone Age Sailors and Early Agriculture: Papers in Honor of the Career of Alan H. Simmons" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Work on Cypriot identity has a long history, beginning with the identification of the first Cypriots during the Neolithic. This presentation continues on in the direction begun by Alan Simmons at Ais Giorkis of examining physical remains to understand what it meant to become Cypriot; here I examine the role of interaction and trade in developing, negotiating and renegotiating Cypriot identity in the Bronze Age. Multiple lines of evidence are examined, including mortuary locations, particularly near administrative or storage areas and the analysis of human remains from six sites throughout the island spanning from the Early through Late Bronze Age. By examining these remains from a model of migration and integration as opposed to colonization with enforced social change, we begin to see the creation of a third-space. Cypriot identity can be seen as a product of integration of newcomers and local populations, a blending of traditions and cultures to create a vibrant and resilient Cypriot identity.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Pushing the Envelope, Chasing Stone Age Sailors and Early Agriculture: Papers in Honor of the Career of Alan H. Simmons

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 23773