The Cypriot Extra-Urban Sanctuary as a Central Place: the Case of Agia Irini

Giorgos Papantoniou,Giorgos Bourogiannis

doi:10.3390/land7040139

Abstract

This article contributes to the ongoing debate on the relationship between sanctuaries and the territoriality of the Iron Age polities of Cyprus. The sanctuary site of Agia Irini, at the locality Alonia, is used as a case-study to test hypotheses regarding the connection between extra-urban sacred space and the formation of political and cultural identities. After a short introduction to the theme, a combination of archaeological (context and iconography) and geographic data is implemented in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analyses in order to contextualise the centrality of this sanctuary within its political, economic, cultural and symbolic landscapes. The discussion proceeds with the examination of pottery evidence from the sanctuary, both published and unpublished, in order to reveal if and how site based analysis of a category of material may help to further reveal the significance of this sanctuary as a central place, albeit lying in an un-central landscape.

Highlights

The study of Cypriot sacred landscapes within the longue durée, their transformations and their possible change of meanings reinforce current interpretations suggesting that extra-urban sanctuaries played an important role in the political setting of the city-kingdoms, which transformed over time (Figure 1)
After a presentation of the archaeological evidence from the sanctuary we proceed to a combination of archaeological and geographic data implementing them in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analyses in order to contextualise the sanctuary within its political, economic, cultural and symbolic landscapes
Archaeological context and iconography, landscape and ceramic analysis, taken altogether, manifest how an ‘un-central’ area, in what seems to have been the outskirts of the territory of Soloi, came to become a ‘central place.’

Summary

Introduction

The study of Cypriot sacred landscapes within the longue durée, their transformations and their possible change of meanings reinforce current interpretations suggesting that extra-urban sanctuaries played an important role in the political setting of the city-kingdoms, which transformed over time (Figure 1). 90–116), [2,3,4]) In this contribution, we take the well-known Cypriot sanctuary site of Agia Irini as a case study to test hypotheses regarding the connection between extra-urban sacred space and the formation of political and cultural identities. Building upon previous research using longue durée approaches, the application of GIS and landscape archaeology, what we argue is that the model can only be refined when, along with archaeological evidence, one takes into consideration environmental and topographical characteristics and especially the terrain; the function and significance of extra-urban sanctuaries can further be clarified [2,4].

The Sanctuary Site of Agia Irini

Applying GIS and Landscape Archaeology

Pottery Analysis and the Centrality of a Sacred Place

Findings

Conclusions