2. Chalcolithic and Bronze Age Cyprus

Cyprus Metal Crafts Through Ages

Cyprus holds a unique position in metalworking history. The island gave its name to copper itself, with the Latin term "cuprum" deriving from "Cyprus." For over 6,000 years, Cypriot artisans have shaped metals into tools, weapons, jewelry, and decorative objects. The tradition spans from simple Chalcolithic copper tools around 4000 BCE to Byzantine gold treasures and modern handcrafted silver jewelry. This heritage connects ancient mining operations in the Troodos Mountains with contemporary workshops where craftspeople maintain techniques passed down through generations. myfirstticket.com Historical Background The metal story in Cyprus begins during the Chalcolithic period when early settlers discovered native copper deposits. By 3000 BCE, Cypriots were already working copper to create artifacts of high quality that circulated throughout the Mediterranean.…

Sotira Kaminoudhia

Sotira Kaminoudhia is an Early Bronze Age settlement and cemetery complex located in the Sotira parish and covering an area of approximately one hectare. The site was excavated by Stuart Swiny of the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute between 1978 and 1986 as part of a wider regional survey project. The settlement occupies the lower slopes and flat fields north of Teppes hill, where Porphyrios Dikaios had earlier excavated the well known Neolithic site that gave rise to the term Sotira culture. shutterstock-com The site spans three distinct phases: Philia, dated to approximately 2500 to 2300 BC, Early Cypriot I to II from 2300 to 2100 BC, and Early Cypriot III from 2100 to 2000 BC. The excavated settlement remains…

Ancient Enkomi Cyprus Bronze Age City

On the eastern coast of Cyprus near today’s Famagusta, Enkomi was one of the most important Bronze Age cities in the Mediterranean. For over 600 years, this walled city controlled much of the region’s copper trade and acted as a key link between the Near East, Egypt, and the Aegean world. visitnorthcyprus-com Enkomi was a major Late Bronze Age settlement, occupied from around 1650 BCE to 1050 BCE. The city grew near a Mediterranean inlet, which has since filled with silt, leaving the ruins several kilometers from the sea. At its height, between 1340 and 1200 BCE, Enkomi was one of Cyprus’s main centers for copper production and export. Historical Background Enkomi was first settled in the Middle Bronze Age,…

Maa-Palaiokastro: Bronze Age Copper Hub

Maa-Palaiokastro is an important site in Cyprus’s history. This Late Bronze Age settlement on the western coast near modern Paphos shows the arrival of Mycenaean Greeks to the island around 1200 BC. Built on a small peninsula and surrounded by strong walls, the site shows how Greek culture began to influence Cyprus during a period of major changes across the eastern Mediterranean. pafos region facebook The name "Palaiokastro" means "old castle" in Greek, referring to the large fortification walls that were still visible long after people left the settlement. The site includes the ruins of a small but strategically important community from the late 13th to mid-12th century BC, along with an underground museum built in 1996. The settlement sits…

Cyprus Birthplace Mediterranean Copper Trade

Long before Cyprus became known for beaches or crossroads of empires, it was known for something far more fundamental. Copper. Drawn from its mountains and carried across open water, this metal placed the island at the center of the ancient Mediterranean world. Cyprus did not merely export a resource. It supplied the material that powered the Bronze Age and, in doing so, helped shape the earliest long-distance trade networks ever formed at sea. wikipedia-com This is not a story of passive geography or accidental wealth. It is the story of how an island learned to move its resources outward, turning stone into influence and distance into connection. An Island Defined by What Lay Beneath Copper was the first metal to…

Copper Age Cyprus: Island That Shaped World

Long before Cyprus became famous for its beaches, it was known for something far more valuable: copper. Thousands of years ago, this small island became one of the most important places in the Mediterranean for the shimmering red metal buried in its mountains. The story of how Cyprus rose from simple farming villages to a Bronze Age powerhouse is one of innovation, trade, and transformation. Gherman Moiseyv What is Chalcolithic and Bronze Age Cyprus? The Chalcolithic and Bronze Age periods mark when Cyprus evolved from isolated farming communities into a wealthy, interconnected civilization. The Chalcolithic period (around 3900-2500 BC) was a transitional era when people first experimented with copper alongside traditional stone tools. The Bronze Age that followed (roughly 2500-1050…

Alampra Bronze Age Copper Town

Alampra Mouttes stands as one of Cyprus’s most significant Middle Bronze Age settlements. Located in central Cyprus near the modern village of Alampra, this archaeological site provides rare evidence of prehistoric urban life and early copper metallurgy between 1900 and 1650 BC. The excavated remains reveal a substantial community that occupied a strategic position close to copper ore deposits at the foothills of the Troodos Mountains. Wikipedia-com The archaeological site occupies the northeast facing flank of a ridge between two hills called Mouttes and Spileos. The settlement consists of multi room rectangular houses built from local limestone and flint, with walls still standing in several areas. During its period of occupation, Alampra functioned as a largely self sufficient agricultural and…

Chalcolithic and Bronze Age Cyprus

Articles: Chalcolithic and Bronze Age Cyprus

Cyprus Metal Crafts Through Ages

Sotira Kaminoudhia

Ancient Enkomi Cyprus Bronze Age City

Maa-Palaiokastro: Bronze Age Copper Hub

Cyprus Birthplace Mediterranean Copper Trade

Copper Age Cyprus: Island That Shaped World

Alampra Bronze Age Copper Town

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