Archaic Cyprus

de Reyes. A. T.

Archaic Cyprus examines the textual and archaeological evidence for the history of Cyprus from 750 to 500 BC, a significant period of the island's past. The book begins by surveying what is known about the local populations of Cyprus and the political and social organisation of the island. A narrative account of the period follows, using a chronological framework that is more detailed than any currently available. This account suggests that the defining feature of the Cypro-Archaic period was the way in which local kingdoms adapted to and took advantage of different political and economic conditions in the Near East and Egypt. It challenges the prevalent view of a succession of foreign overlords controlling the island through military means. Finally, the book discusses internal and external relations of Cyprus, by considering specific groups of pottery, seals and sculpture. . As a whole, this study provides a more complete picture of Archaic Cyprus than ever previously attempted. Generously illustrated with plates and figures, it will be an invaluable work of reference for archaeologists and ancient historians of Cyprus, Greece and the Near East. For the more general reader, who simply wishes to know about the island's history, all ancient languages have been translated, and the specialist terms have been explained in a glossary and kept to a minimum.