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

Abstract

In the seventh season at the Bronze Age city of Hala Sultan Tekke excavations continued in City Quarter 1 (CQ1) where georadar indicated stone structures to the south of the area excavated in 2010–2012. Massive domestic structures, which belong to three phases of occupation (Strata 1–3), were exposed. Both the most recent Stratum 1, and Stratum 2 were destroyed in a conflagration. The three phases are preliminarily dated to the 13th and 12th centuries BC. Excavations were also carried out in Area A, roughly 600 m to the south-east of CQ1. Seven circular anomalies indicated by our geomagnetic survey were excavated. Two were pits of modern date, and three were identified as Late Cypriot wells. Another anomaly turned out to represent a rich Late Cypriot offering pit with figurines and more than 60 ceramic vessels. Amongst the Mycenaean vessels are several “chariot kraters” and a large vessel with the oversized image of a female robed in a splendidly adorned Minoan-style dress. The remaining anomaly probably represents a tomb of a very wealthy family so far containing, inter alia, 80 locally produced and imported vessels, gold jewellery, weapons, scarabs, and seals. The material in the offering pit and the tomb reflects far-reaching intercultural connections in the period from the 16th to the 13th centuries BC.

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

“…30 According to a message from the Department of Antiquities dated 1 September 2019, the Ministry of Interior of Cyprus has decided to prohibit continued farming and fence the 14-hectares-large centre of the city. 31 Fischer & Bürge 2019, 306, fig. 21.…”

Late Bronze Age Metal Exploitation and Trade: Sardinia and Cyprus

“…At least four different molds have been retrieved from the site through the years [144] and three possible workshop areas with traces of metallurgical activity dated to different phases have been also identified. [13,16,23,145,146] Most relevant in size is the area in the so-called City Quarter 2, in which a pit with over 300 kg of material related to copperworking, including slags, fragments of copper and bronze, parts of furnace walls and crucibles, was found. [146] The presence in relation to these areas of an extraordinary doughnut-shaped bronze ingot [14,146,147] and an unusual, seemingly rectangular lead ingot [29,147] suggest that an original, but still to be understood, production of metal might have taken place there.…”

“…Over the years, the investigations at the site of Hala Sultan Tekke have provided many interesting features and finds. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] Hala was an urban settlement of considerable size and wealth, with a strategic position close to the sea, and a natural harbor, which had roughly the contour of today's local salt lake. The excavations at the site revealed, among other things, striking evidence of varied craft production, [18,[23][24][25][26] including metalworking of consistent scale.…”

“…The excavations at the site revealed, among other things, striking evidence of varied craft production, [18,[23][24][25][26] including metalworking of consistent scale. [13,14,16,17,[27][28][29] In addition to the settlement, an extra-urban necropolis has also been detected. [9,[14][15][16]30] The discovery of Nuragic tableware from Hala Sultan Tekke arrives as a welcome addition to a long-lived debate on the character of the specific connections between Sardinia and Cyprus.…”

“…[13,14,16,17,[27][28][29] In addition to the settlement, an extra-urban necropolis has also been detected. [9,[14][15][16]30] The discovery of Nuragic tableware from Hala Sultan Tekke arrives as a welcome addition to a long-lived debate on the character of the specific connections between Sardinia and Cyprus. Despite diverging positions, [31] the new finds provide strong evidence for the idea of a distinctive and intensive relationship between Cyprus and Sardinia.…”