Hala Sultan Tekke Research Articles

The Cemetery of Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus

The Cemetery of Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus

AN AEGEAN MIRROR FROM HALA SULTAN TEKKE, CYPRUS

SummaryThis study deals with the results of the 2023 fieldwork at the extramural cemetery of the Late Bronze Age harbour city of Hala Sultan Tekke. One of the three excavated tombs in 2023 was the undisturbed Chamber Tomb XX, which is dated around 1300 BC. It contained a riveted bronze mirror, a rare type in Cyprus at that time, which is part of a mortuary context of four individuals out of a total of 17 individuals and 264 complete objects, many of them imported from a vast area, which includes the Mycenaean, Minoan, Egyptian and Levantine cultures. The current paper presents this mirror and associated contexts. As regards the provenance of the mirror, the Aegean is suggested as the area of manufacture, and more precisely Crete, suggesting potential evidence of direct contact between individuals from Crete and Hala Sultan Tekke.

The New Swedish Cyprus Expedition (The Söderberg Expedition): Excavations at Hala Sultan Tekke autumn 2021 and spring 2022. Preliminary results

In 2021 and 2022, the 13th and 14th seasons of excavations at the Late Bronze Age site of Hala Sultan Tekke were carried out in Area A, and as a result of these investigations numerous tombs were found. These tombs were threatened by farming. Four magnetic anomalies, indicated in the 2017 survey magnetometer map, were investigated. They represent three tombs, L198, TT, and UU, and the probable Offering Pit SS-S. The minimum number of individuals (MNI) in Pit Tomb L198, which contains only secondary burials, is six. They are associated with 21 ceramic vessels of which a few were imported from Anatolia. Chamber Tomb TT was completely excavated and contained a minimum of 25 individuals and 78 objects. Among these are 47 ceramic vessels of which a few are from the Mycenaean sphere of culture. Other mortuary gifts are various objects of metal, faience, carnelian, haematite, and rock crystal in addition to three scarabs. The incompletely excavated large (Chamber?) Tomb UU contained, so far, a minimum of 19 individuals and 140 objects. They comprise 124 ceramic vessels including numerous Late Helladic, Late Minoan, and Anatolian pottery. Other finds are bronze and gold jewellery, the latter including a diadem, and a duck-shaped ivory box from the same context as Egyptian-imported vessels of calcite. None of the tombs and the offering pit, which can all be roughly dated to the 14th century BC, were looted. The special arrangements of the human bones in Chamber Tomb TT and the multitude of imported materials in Tomb UU offer additional insights into complex Late Cypriot mortuary practices and the far-reaching interregional connections of the urban élites of Hala Sultan Tekke.

Petrographic studies of Late Bronze Age pottery from Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus

Petrographic analysis of ceramics allows for the high-resolution distinction between locally-produced ceramics and imports and provides a more comprehensive understanding of ancient production and exchange patterns. This paper analyses Cypriot-produced tablewares of the Late Bronze Age at Hala Sultan Tekke, a major trading hub in the eastern Mediterranean, focusing on the transition from Late Cypriot (LC) IIC to LC IIIA (c. 13th to mid-12th century BCE). In this study, a wide range of tablewares were analysed, with a particular focus on Cypriot-produced plain ware (Plain White Hand- and Wheel-Made; PWHM/PWWM) and painted wheel-made fineware (White Painted Wheel-Made Ware; WPWM), using petrography to determine their mineralogical composition, production technique, and provenance. In addition, reference samples were collected and experimentally fired to identify potential raw materials in the Circum-Troodos Sedimentary Succession region, with additional basaltic soil samples collected from the slopes of the Troodos.The results show that there was a local production at Hala Sultan Tekke of Aegean-type painted and unpainted finewares in LC IIC. The adaptation of Aegean technologies, shapes and decoration patterns, sometimes in combination with traditional Cypriot characteristics, became prevalent in the local production of tableware in LC IIIA until the city was abandoned around the mid-12th century BCE. Evidence for coastal imports, e.g. from the wider Larnaca Bay region, the Famagusta Bay and western Cyprus, particularly painted wheel-made fineware bowls from LC IIIA, reveal new economic patterns and supply chains that emerged after the decline of interregional trade in the eastern Mediterranean around 1200 BCE.

The New Swedish Cyprus Expedition (The Söderberg Expedition): Excavations at Hala Sultan Tekke 2020 and 2021. Preliminary results

In 2020 and 2021, the eleventh and twelfth seasons of excavations at the Late Bronze Age city of Hala Sultan Tekke were carried out in the cemetery of Area A. Based on indications provided by a large-scale magnetometer survey, two tombs exposed by intensive farming were located, Tombs RR and SS. The excavation of Tomb RR, which had started in 2018, was concluded. The total minimum number (MNI) of skeletons in this tomb, of which most were incomplete and disarticulated, is estimated at 137. In addition to clay figurines, seals and scarabs, objects of ivory, as well as jewellery of gold, silver, bronze, faience and carnelian, the inhumations are associated with more than 100 intact or complete ceramic vessels, many of them imported from the Mycenaean, Minoan, Hittite and Levantine spheres of culture. The pottery indicates a LC II(A/)B–C1 date of the inhumations, i.e., covering the 14th and the beginning of the 13th centuries BC. The excavations of the adjacent Tomb SS began in 2020 and has been concluded in May 2022. It contained a minimum of eleven inhumations, most of them (almost) complete and articulated, and large deposits of Cypriot and imported pottery, in total over 300 vessels mainly from the LC (I–)IIB, i.e., from the 16th/15th to mainly the 14th centuries BC. These contexts not only offer an insight into the complex Late Cypriot mortuary practices and funerary rituals but also reflect the urban élites with far-reaching inter-cultural connections.

Interregional trade at Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus: Analysis and chronology of imports

This paper presents the results from extensive and intensive field work at Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus, supported by scientific analyses. They shed light on the scope of interregional trade in which this Late Bronze Age harbour city participated from the 15th to the 12th centuries B.C. Although the results from older excavations suggested the city’s engagement in interregional trade, these preliminary conclusions were based on chronologically and geographically restricted material and only a few scientific analyses, which have since been complemented and partly revised. It is now clear that long-distance exchange, based on the large-scale intra-urban production and distribution of copper, involved regional and more distant suppliers of coveted goods, and resulted in the transition of the settlement from a late 17th century B.C. village to a trade hub with a minimum extent of 25 ha.

Mortuary Landscapes Revisited: Dynamics of Insularity and Connectivity in Mortuary Ritual, Feasting, and Commemoration in Late Bronze Age Cyprus

The aim of the paper is to discuss mortuary contexts and possible related ritual features as parts of sacred landscapes in Late Bronze Age Cyprus. Since the island was an important node in the Eastern Mediterranean economic network, it will be explored whether and how connectivity and insularity may be reflected in ritual and mortuary practices. The article concentrates on the extra-urban cemetery of Area A at the harbour city of Hala Sultan Tekke, where numerous pits and other shafts with peculiar deposits of complete and broken objects as well as faunal remains have been found. These will be evaluated and set in relation to the contexts of the nearby tombs to reconstruct ritual activities in connection with funerals and possible rituals of commemoration or ancestral rites. The evidence from Hala Sultan Tekke and other selected Late Cypriot sites demonstrates that these practices were highly dynamic in integrating and adopting external objects, symbols, and concepts, while, nevertheless, definite island-specific characteristics remain visible.

Crops and food choices at the Late Bronze Age city of Hala Sultan Tekke

The Late Bronze Age city of Hala Sultan Tekke (HST) is located on the south-eastern coast of Cyprus, c. 7 km south of modern-day Larnaca. The most recent excavations revealed four new city quarters (CQ1–4), where domestic and industrial activities took place. While the earliest occupational remains are from c. 1650/1600 BCE, the so far best attested period lasted from the 13th century to its final destruction in the mid-12th century BCE, after which the city was abandoned, never to be occupied again. The find material demonstrates intense industrial and trade activities resulting in an increased wealth. Agricultural products from the city’s hinterland certainly added to its rank as a leading trade hub in the eastern Mediterranean. The most recent archaeobotanical research revealed charred plant remains including that of barley, einkorn and emmer wheat, fig, olive, grape and lentil. These contribute to understanding the function and use of areas, spaces and specific installations at HST, and shed further light on Late Bronze Age agriculture on Cyprus.

Book Review of Two Late Cypriot City Quarters at Hala Sultan Tekke: The Söderberg Expedition 2010–2017, by Peter M. Fischer and Teresa Bürge

Book Review of Two Late Cypriot City Quarters at Hala Sultan Tekke: The Söderberg Expedition 2010–2017, by Peter M. Fischer and Teresa Bürge

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Previous articleNext article FreeOnline-Only ContentPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreOnline-only content accompanying American Journal of ArchaeologyVolume 125, Number 1 (January 2021)SUPPLEMENTARY CONTENTImage Gallery: Excavating and Conserving Europe's Oldest Books: A Papyrus from Mangalia on the Black Sea (P. Callatis 1), by Richard Janko, Sorin M. Colesniuc, Mihai Ionescu, and Ion PâslaruImage Gallery: Online Encounters with Museum Antiquities, by Caitlin Chien Clerkin and Bradley L. TaylorBOOK REVIEWSThe Genesis of the Textile Industry from Adorned Nudity to Ritual Regalia: The Changing Role of Fibre Crafts and Their Evolving Techniques of Manufacture in the Ancient Near East from the Natufian to the Ghassulian, by Janet Levy. Reviewed by E.J.W. BarberTesting the Canon of Ancient Near Eastern Art and Archaeology, edited by Amy Rebecca Gansell and Ann Shafer. Reviewed by Allison ThomasonReligious Convergence in the Ancient Mediterranean, edited by Sandra Blakely and Billie Jean Collins. Reviewed by Lynn E. RollerTwo Late Cypriot City Quarters at Hala Sultan Tekke: The Söderberg Expedition 2010–2017, by Peter M. Fischer and Teresa Bürge. Reviewed by Mara T. HorowitzΗ Κεραμική της Κλασικής Εποχής στο Βόρειο Αιγαίο και την Περιφέρειά του (480–323/300 π. Χ.). Classical Pottery of the Northern Aegean and Its Periphery (480–323/300 BC): Proceedings of the International Archaeological Conference, Thessaloniki, 17–20 May 2017, edited by Eleni Manakidou and Amalia Avramidou. Reviewed by Tyler Jo SmithThesprotia Expedition IV: Region Transformed by Empire, edited by Björn Forsén. Reviewed by Jack L. DavisElite Burial Practices and Processes of Urbanization at Gabii: The Non-adult Tombs from Area D of the Gabii Project Excavations, edited by Marcello Mogetta. Reviewed by Marshall Joseph BeckerThe Role of Zooarchaeology in the Study of the Western Roman Empire, edited by Martyn G. Allen. Reviewed by Victoria C. MosesUn-Roman Sex: Gender, Sexuality, and Lovemaking in the Roman Provinces and Frontiers, edited by Tatiana Ivleva and Rob Collins. Reviewed by John R. ClarkeJulius Caesar's Battle for Gaul: New Archaeological Perspectives, edited by Andrew P. Fitzpatrick and Colin Haselgrove. Reviewed by Michael J. TaylorRoman Artists, Patrons, and Public Consumption: Familiar Works Reconsidered, edited by Brenda Longfellow and Ellen E. Perry. Reviewed by Susann S. LusniaProtecting the Roman Empire: Fortlets, Frontiers, and the Quest for Post-conquest Security, by Matthew F.A. Symonds. Reviewed by Anna H. WalasUrbaner Ballungsraum im römischen Nordafrika: Zum Einfluss von mikroregionalen Wirschafts-und Sozialstrukturen auf den Städtebau in der Africa Proconsularis, by Paul Scheding. Reviewed by Matthew HobsonList of Books Received Previous articleNext article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by American Journal of Archaeology Volume 125, Number 1January 2021 The journal of the Archaeological Institute of America Views: 54Total views on this site Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.3764/aja.125.1.online Views: 54Total views on this site Copyright © 2021 by the Archaeological Institute of America. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

The New Swedish Cyprus Expedition 2020 (The Söderberg Expedition): Excavations in the cemetery of Hala Sultan Tekke

In autumn 2020, the 11th season of excavations at the Late Bronze Age city of Hala Sultan Tekke took place in extramural Area A, where, based on indications provided by magnetometer surveys, tombs, possible ritual pits, and numerous wells were found, but no architectural remains. Tomb RR, which had been partly exposed in 2018 and 2019, was further excavated. It revealed a preliminary minimum total of 54 individuals (MNI) and numerous artefacts including, inter alia, complete ceramic vessels, figurines, jewellery, ivory objects, a scarab and a cylinder seal. The life span of the tomb can, on the evidence to date, be assigned from the LC IIA1 to LC IIC1 period, i.e., roughly from the last quarter of the 15th to the end of the 14th or the beginning of the 13th century BCE. Just to the south of Tomb RR another magnetic anomaly, Tomb SS, was investigated. Only the uppermost burial layer was reached, which was covered by two large deposits of several hundred intact or fully restorable ceramic vessels. These include various types of Cypriot tableware, as well as imports from the Aegean, Anatolia and the Levant. The preliminary date of these contexts is LC IIA˗B, i.e., roughly the last quarter of the 15th to the last quarter of the 14th century BCE. Since neither tomb has been completely exposed, excavations in the protected area will continue in spring 2021.

The New Swedish Cyprus Expedition 2019: Excavations at Hala Sultan Tekke (The Söderberg Expedition). Preliminary results, with contributions by L. Recht, B. Placiente Robedizo, C. Eriksson, L. Andersson, M. Svensson, L. Avial Chicharro, S. Hermon, M. Polig, & D. Kofel

The tenth season of excavations at the Late Bronze Age city of Hala Sultan Tekke was carried out in four areas: City Quarter 1 (CQ1), CQ4, City Wall 1 (CW1), and Area A (Tomb RR). The excavations in CQ1 provided additional information on the pre-LC IIIA occupation of the city. Stratum 3 which can be dated to the LC IIC (13th century BC) was further exposed. For the first time in the city even older phases, Strata 4 and 5, were found. These are tentatively dated to the LC I–II (15th to 14th century BC). In CQ4 numerous storage areas were exposed, which belong to a large compound. There is also evidence of production of textiles and purple dye. All remains can be associated to the most recent Stratum 1 and can be securely dated in the LC IIIA, i.e. the 12th century BC. A test trench (CW1) was opened up 150 m to the south-east of CQ4, in an area where the magnetometer survey indicated a possible city wall with moat. A c. 2.5 m-wide man-made construction consisting of small stones intermingled with larger blocks of stones was found running north–south. Built against the interior of this structure is a copper-producing workshop as indicated by much slag, ash, and remains of a furnace, which is preliminarily dated to the 13th century BC. Tomb RR, which was partly excavated in 2018 and secured, was reopened and additional burials came to light. The total number of skeletons now stands at 37; these are associated with 74 complete/intact finds of mainly pottery vessels of which some contained food remains. The pottery comprises Cypriot-produced wares and Mycenaean imports, which indicate a LC IIB–C date of the burials. Other finds include a unique Minoan female figurine and a bronze knife with ivory handle.

Cyprus and Sardinia in the Late Bronze Age: Nuragic table ware at Hala Sultan Tekke

In the course of the Swedish excavations at Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus, table ware and domestic pottery of unknown provenance were discovered in offering pits dating to the 13th century BCE. These vessels comprise six hand-made and black burnished vessels, all of which have close typological parallels in the Nuragic culture of Sardinia. Comparative petrographic investigation confirmed their Sardinian provenance. Other archaeometric analyses include FTIR on the Cypriot and Sardinian material, and NAA on the Sardinian vessels from Hala Sultan Tekke. These vessels further extend the nature of intercultural relations of the site, which comprise a vast area including the Aegean, Anatolia, the Levant and Egypt. The paper presents the archaeometric results and briefly discusses their implication for Cypro-Sardinian connections in the Late Bronze Age.

Late Bronze Age Metal Exploitation and Trade: Sardinia and Cyprus

ABSTRACT Since the 1980s, extensive archeological studies have provided us with knowledge about the multifaceted relations between Nuragic Sardinia and Bronze Age Cyprus. During the winter of 2019, Nuragic tableware of Sardinian origin was discovered at the harbor site of Hala Sultan Tekke, on the south-eastern coast of Cyprus, providing the opportunity to return to the question of the reasons behind this presence. The aim of this paper is to reflect on the characteristics and role of Sardinian maritime “enterprises” in the long-distance metal trade in the Mediterranean and beyond, including continental Europe. An array of new provenance studies demonstrates the complexity of the Bronze Age metal trade and, taking a maritime perspective, provides the opportunity to reveal how strategically positioned actors such as Nuragic Sardinia managed to dominate sea-borne routes, and gained a prominent and independent international position.

Climate Change and Social Unrest: A 6,000‐Year Chronicle From the Eastern Mediterranean

AbstractThe history of the Eastern Mediterranean is punctuated by major crises that have influenced many of the region's established socioeconomic models. Recent studies have underscored the role of drought and temperature oscillations in driving changes but attempts to quantify their magnitude remain equivocal, hindering long‐term assessments of the potential interplay between climate and society. Here, we fill this knowledge gap using a 6,000‐year pollen‐based reconstruction of temperature and precipitation from Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus. We find that major social changes and plague outbreaks often occurred in tandem with cooler climate conditions, with anomalies ranging from −3 ± 0.4 °C to −1 ± 0.5 °C, coupled with changing precipitation patterns. We suggest that major climate changes may weaken societies by affecting primary livelihood systems. This long‐term view highlights recurrent cold periods in the Eastern Mediterranean's climate history and advocates that, despite frequent adversity and pandemics, Near Eastern populations adapted and were ultimately resilient to major climate changes.

Nuragic Pottery from Hala Sultan Tekke: The Cypriot-Sardinian Connection

The present paper describes, for the first time, Cypriot evidence of Nuragic tableware from Sardinia discovered at Hala Sultan Tekke. This Late Bronze Age harbour and trade metropolis is situated near modern Larnaca on the southern littoral of Cyprus. The city’s exceptional wealth during the Late Bronze Age (1650–1050 BCE) was based on trade and cross-cultural connections with a vast area, including the entire Aegean, Anatolia, the Levant and Egypt. This is exemplified by the enormous amount of imported goods, most of which originated in the Mycenaean sphere of culture. Five handmade and burnished bowls of dark grey fabric with highly lustrous surfaces found at Hala Sultan Tekke were recently identified as imports from Sardinia. The main purpose of this article is to provide primary information about these exceptional finds and to place them in the context of trade between Sardinia and the eastern Mediterranean.

Nuragic Pottery from Hala Sultan Tekke: The Cypriot-Sardinian Connection

The present paper describes, for the first time, Cypriot evidence of Nuragic tableware from Sardinia discovered at Hala Sultan Tekke. This Late Bronze Age harbour and trade metropolis is situated near modern Larnaca on the southern littoral of Cyprus. The city’s exceptional wealth during the Late Bronze Age (1650–1050 BCE) was based on trade and cross-cultural connections with a vast area, including the entire Aegean, Anatolia, the Levant and Egypt. This is exemplified by the enormous amount of imported goods, most of which originated in the Mycenaean sphere of culture. Five handmade and burnished bowls of dark grey fabric with highly lustrous surfaces found at Hala Sultan Tekke were recently identified as imports from Sardinia. The main purpose of this article is to provide primary information about these exceptional finds and to place them in the context of trade between Sardinia and the eastern Mediterranean.

Nuragic Pottery from Hala Sultan Tekke: The Cypriot-Sardinian Connection

The present paper describes, for the first time, Cypriot evidence of Nuragic tableware from Sardinia discovered at Hala Sultan Tekke. This Late Bronze Age harbour and trade metropolis is situated near modern Larnaca on the southern littoral of Cyprus. The city’s exceptional wealth during the Late Bronze Age (1650–1050 BCE) was based on trade and cross-cultural connections with a vast area, including the entire Aegean, Anatolia, the Levant and Egypt. This is exemplified by the enormous amount of imported goods, most of which originated in the Mycenaean sphere of culture. Five handmade and burnished bowls of dark grey fabric with highly lustrous surfaces found at Hala Sultan Tekke were recently identified as imports from Sardinia. The main purpose of this article is to provide primary information about these exceptional finds and to place them in the context of trade between Sardinia and the eastern Mediterranean.

The Occupational History of the Bronze Age Harbour City of Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus

The present paper is a synthesis of nine seasons of excavations supported by geophysical surveys at the Late Bronze Age harbour city of Hala Sultan Tekke near Larnaca on the southern littoral of Cyprus. Conclusions and hypotheses dealing with the origin, the heydays and the decline of this eastern Mediterranean trade metropolis are presented in addition to a summary of the previous field reports. A summary of the results from excavations in the recently discovered extramural cemetery with numerous rich tombs, offering pits and wells is included. The city’s vast intercultural relationships, which are based on trade, and chronological and terminological issues are particularly considered. Special attention is devoted to the final decades of the life cycle of this city which fall into the period of years of a widespread crisis at the waning Bronze Age, characterised by the ‘Sea Peoples Phenomenon.

The Occupational History of the Bronze Age Harbour City of Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus

The present paper is a synthesis of nine seasons of excavations supported by geophysical surveys at the Late Bronze Age harbour city of Hala Sultan Tekke near Larnaca on the southern littoral of Cyprus. Conclusions and hypotheses dealing with the origin, the heydays and the decline of this eastern Mediterranean trade metropolis are presented in addition to a summary of the previous field reports. A summary of the results from excavations in the recently discovered extramural cemetery with numerous rich tombs, offering pits and wells is included. The city’s vast intercultural relationships, which are based on trade, and chronological and terminological issues are particularly considered. Special attention is devoted to the final decades of the life cycle of this city which fall into the period of years of a widespread crisis at the waning Bronze Age, characterised by the ‘Sea Peoples Phenomenon.