Cyprus and Egypt in the Late Bronze Age

Abstract

The socioeconomic and ideological transformations that characterize Late Bronze Age Cyprus have been linked to a major expansion in interconnections with the older cultures of ancient western Asia and Egypt. This study considers the likely impact of Egyptian symbolism and royal ideology on Cyprus, explicitly from a perspective that sees distance and access to 'exotic' goods as possible sources of elite power. Several gold, metal, faience, ivory and glyptic items -- decorated with sphinxes, hieroglyphic signs, and other images –- suggest a sophisticated manipulation of 'Oriental' ideologies of kingship and royal power.