Eastern Mediterranean Metallurgy in the Second Millennium BC: A conference in honour of James D. Muhly, Nicosia, 10th–11th October 2009

273 Pages·2012·27.86 MB·English

by  Vasiliki Kassianidou

E M M M
ASTERN EDITERRANEAN ETALLURGY AND ETALWORK

E M M
ASTERN EDITERRANEAN ETALLURGY
M
AND ETALWORK
S M BC
IN THE ECOND ILLENNIUM
A conference in honour of
James D. Muhly
Nicosia, 10th–11th October 2009
edited by
Vasiliki Kassianidou and George Papasavvas
Organized by the
Department of History and Archaeology
and the Archaeological Research Unit
of the University of Cyprus
OXBOW BOOKS
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© Oxbow Books and the individual authors, 2012
ISBN 978-1-84217-453-1
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Cover: The Ingot God from Enkomi. Drawn by Clara Vasitsek
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
Printed and bound at
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Contents
Preface V. Kassianidou and G. Papasavvas vii
List of contributors xi
Abbreviations xiv
1 Reminiscences: working with Jim Muhly 1
R. Maddin
2 Late Bronze Age copper production in Cyprus from a mining geologists perspective 4
G. Constantinou
3 Metallurgical production and trade on Bronze Age Cyprus: views and variations 14
A. B. Knapp
4 Pyrgos-Mavrorachi in Cypriot metallurgy 26
M. R. Belgiorno, D. Ferro and D. R. Loepp
5 Tinker, tailor, farmer, miner: metals in the Late Bronze Age economy at Kalavasos 35
A. K. South
6 Standing on ceremony: the metallurgical finds from Maroni-Vournes, Cyprus 48
R. Doonan, G. Cadogan, and D. Sewell
7 From regional gateway to Cypriot kingdom. Copper deposits and copper routes in the chora of Paphos 58
M. Iacovou
8 The role of the Apliki mine region in the post c. 1400 BC copper production and trade networks in Cyprus
and in the wider Mediterranean 70
N. H. Gale and Z. A. Stos-Gale
9 ‘Reconstructing’ the Enkomi tombs (British excavations): an instructive exercise 83
D. Pilides
10 Metallurgy and metalwork in Enkomi: the early phases 94
V. Kassianidou
11 The Enkomi cup: niello versus kuwano 107
A. Giumlia-Mair
12 Profusion of Cypriot copper abroad, dearth of bronzes at home: a paradox in Late Bronze Age Cyprus 117
G. Papasavvas
vi
13. Cyprus and Crete: the transformation of the Minoan metalworking industry 129
P. Betancourt
14. Metallurgy and metalworking in the harbour town of Knossos at Poros-Katsambas 135
N. Dimopoulou
15. Cyprus and Sardinia, beyond the oxhide ingots 142
F. Lo Schiavo
16. On the cessation of local copper production in the Aegean in the 2nd millennium BC 151
Y. Bassiakos and T. Tselios
17. Late Bronze Age Alalakh and Cyprus: a relationship of metals? 162
A. K. Yener
18. The evidence for metallurgical workshops of the 2nd millennium in Ugarit 169
E. Dardaillon
19. The merchants of Ugarit: oligarchs of the Late Bronze Age trade in metals? 180
C. Bell
20. A unique casting mould from the new excavations at Timna Site 30 (Israel): evidence 188
of western influence?
E. Ben-Yosef
21. New perspectives on Iron Age copper production and society in the Faynan region, Jordan 197
T. Levy, E. Ben-Yosef and M. Najjar
22. Alloying and resource management in New Kingdom Egypt: the bronze industry
at Qantir – Pi-Ramesse and its relationship to Egyptian copper sources 215
T. Rehren and E. B. Pusch
23. On ancient tin, its sources and trade: further comments 222
V. C. Pigott
24. Just a few rusty bits: the innovation of iron in the Eastern Mediterranean in the 2nd
and 1st millennia BC 237
H. A. Veldhuijzen
Preface
Fig. 0.1. Jim Muhly at the podium after receiving the honorary Doctorate from the School of Letters of the University of Cyprus
James D. Muhly, a distinguished ancient historian and stone for the endorsement of the true importance of Cyprus
archaeologist with a special interest in ancient metallurgy, as a copper producing region, as well as a pioneer in the
has dedicated much of his work to Cypriot archaeology. development and spread of metallurgy and metalwork in the
Through the years he has made a significant contribution in wider region of the Eastern and Central Mediterranean.
revealing the special character of the island and the pivotal In recognition of his work, the University of Cyprus,
role it has played in the Eastern Mediterranean from the following a proposal from the Department of History and
Bronze Age to the Iron Age. The research he undertook Archaeology, decided to bestow on Jim Muhly an honorary
together with Bob Maddin and Tamara Stech on the Ph.D. As part of the celebrations, we suggested to our
archaeometallurgy of ancient Cyprus forms the foundation Department the organisation of a workshop on archaeo-
viii
Fig. 0. 2. Jim Muhly and members of the School of Letters Fig. 0. 3. View of the audience attending the ceremony
metallurgy on the following day. In this way scholars who notice. As a result, the initial list of speakers had to be
had worked with Jim Muhly over the years could be here modified, as well as expanded through the help and advice
for the celebration. Bob Maddin, one of Jim’s oldest friends of Vince Piggott, Yiannis Bassiakos and even Jim Muhly
and closest collaborators was one of the first to be invited himself, all of whom we would like to thank for their
and he eagerly accepted the invitation to come from the valuable contribution.
U.S. We would particularly like to thank Prof. Maddin for Although we tried to have presentations on all the
joining us and for addressing the conference with remin- surrounding metallurgical regions this was not possible.
iscences of the years he and Jim worked together. In a way Furthermore, strictly speaking the workshop does not really
this event was also dedicated to him. cover the whole of the 2nd millennium as most of the papers,
Taking into consideration Jim Muhly’s main focus of with the exception of that of Belgiorno et al., chronologically
research, we decided that the subject of the conference fall mainly within the second half of the second millennium
should be ‘Eastern Mediterranean Metallurgy and Metalwork (in other words the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age).
in the Second Millennium BC’. The idea was to invite a Nevertheless, what was initially thought of as a one day
small number of archaeologists and archaeometallurgists workshop eventually developed to a two day international
who have focused their research on the metallurgy of this conference which brought together world class academics
period in the regions around Cyprus, as well as Cyprus itself, from the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Turkey,
in order to compare and contrast the material culture Greece and Cyprus. The conference was opened by the
(smelting installations, waste material, etc.) and the context director of the Archaeological Research Unit Prof. Demetrios
of the metallurgical workshops, as well as to discuss Michaelides who was followed at the podium by Prof.
technological issues. However, we strongly believe that, as Constantinos Christophides, Vice Rector of Academic
important as the study of technology may be, it is not as Affairs, University of Cyprus, and Professor Emeritus
valuable if it is removed from its cultural and archaeological Vassos Karageorghis, Director of the A. G. Leventis
context. Therefore, a number of the invited speakers are in Foundation. The first invited speaker was then Prof. Emeritus
fact archaeologists, who are not specialized in archaeo- Robert Maddin who shared with us some memories of his
metallurgy but have either excavated important sites of this long and fruitful collaboration with Jim Muhly.
period which include metallurgical workshops or have dealt As Cyprus was the focal point most of the first day was
with other issues regarding the use and trade of metals in dedicated to papers from excavators and archaeometal-
the same period. Finally, we also invited some researchers lurgists who have excavated and studied metallurgical
who had recently completed their doctoral thesis on relevant workshops and remains in Cyprus. We then moved to the
subjects, so that we could also be informed on new west stopping first in Crete and then proceeding to Sardinia.
developments in the field. From Sardinia we made our way to the Aegean, the Balkans
Because we had to wait for the University to set the date and to Anatolia. Turning south we heard about Syria and
of the ceremony, which eventually took place on Friday the Egypt. Although Jordan and Timna were not represented in
9th of October 2009, we started to send out invitations rather the conference because Tom Levy and Erez Ben-Yosef,
late, namely at the end of spring of that year. We were very whom we had invited, were actually in the field at the time,
fortunate that most scholars we contacted accepted, but it these important metallurgical regions are represented in the
was understandable that some could not join us at such short Proceedings, as they were kind enough to submit their
ix
Fig. 0. 4. Jim Muhly, Bernard Knapp and Philip Betancourt Fig. 0. 5. Bob Maddin opening the conference
Fig. 0. 6. View of the audience attending the conference Fig. 0. 7. Jim Muhly receiving a replica of an oxhide ingot made
of copper from Skouriotissa mine by the CEO of Hellenic Copper
Mines Dr Constantinos Xydas
manuscripts for publication. We closed the conference with
two papers on subjects which are always in Jim Muhly’s
heart: the early production of iron and the question of the
sources and trade of tin. A total of 24 papers were presented,
each followed by questions. It is needless to say that Jim
Muhly played a most active role in the discussion that
followed each paper. In some cases this discussion was quite
intense. The general feeling among all participants was that
the conference felt like a reunion of old and new friends
who came together to honour one of the most distinguished
scholars in our field, one who played a major role in the
development of their own research.
From the very beginning it was our intention to publish
the workshop proceedings. In this volume all but two of the
papers that were presented at the conference are published,
together with two additional papers (those of T. Levy and
Fig. 0.8. Fulvia Lo Schiavo, Bob Maddin, Jim Muhly and Vassos
E. Ben-Yosef) which were submitted subsequently.
Karageorghis
Many thanks are due to the University of Cyprus and