Waterways and the Political Geography of South-East Cyprus in the Second Millennium Bc

Abstract

This paper explores the role of waterways in shaping the settlement landscape of south-east Cyprus during the second millenniumbc. Particular emphasis is placed on the proposed use of the Gialias river, in conjunction with overland portages, for transporting bulk commodities from the island's interior to the coast. The geopolitical characteristics of Alashiya, as known from eastern Mediterranean court correspondence, are considered with reference to adjacent riverine and maritime regions. A dominant trend of continuity in settlement and societal development is identified for south-east Cyprus as a whole throughout the period under review.

The River as an Economic Asset: Settlement and Society in the Xeros Valley in Cyprus

“…Waterways had a prominent role in shaping the settled landscapes of southeast Cyprus diachronically [9]. Examining the Xeros River valley from the perspective of political economy and natural resources, we attempted to show how an 'un-central landscape' may have functioned as a place of economic or ideological centrality.…”

“…We also hope to be able to integrate geophysics and other disciplines into our study area in the future: The integration of zooarchaeology, archaeobotany and ethnoarchaeology in Cyprus, for example, has recently shown Future research should also integrate survey data with geological investigation, considering that some rivers along the southeast coast may (at least seasonally and/or simply via land routes) relate with a system of identified anchorages, used in conjunction with overland portages for transporting timber, copper, and other goods downstream to the coast for processing and cabotage [8] (cf. [9][10][11]). Although there is no evidence for built harbours, A. Bernard Knapp notes that several potential harbourages have been identified along the south coast between Palaipaphos and Hala Sultan Tekke [12] (pp.…”

Watery Entanglements in the Cypriot Hinterland

“…Drawing upon Devillers' detailed geomorphological study [78], Michael Brown has made the case that the waterways of eastern Cyprus were at least partly navigable during the Bronze Age [79]. The Alykos-Gialias-Pedieos river system was particularly important for movement east-west traversing the Mesaoria plain and connecting sites on the east coast with the cluster of settlements scattered around the northern edges of the Troodhos [80]. Other rivers radiating from the Troodhos mountains plausibly connected the interior directly down to the coast, at least during the wetter part of the year; for example, the Aloupos river in the northwest linking the Politiko-Arediou cluster of sites with Morphou Bay [81] and the Kouris river linking Alassa and Episkopi; moreover, if dry in the summer months, the riverbeds would provide an easy route for travel on foot or with pack animals.…”

Response of the Akrotiri Marsh, island of Cyprus, to Bronze Age climate change

“…At ca. 3.15 cal ka BP, archaeological records display the widespread voluntary abandonment of both coastal centres, such as Hala Sultan Tekke, Ayios Dhimitrios, Alassa, Maroni, Morphou Toumba tou Skourou, Maa Palaeokastro and Pyla Kokkinokremnos (Brown, 2013;Kaniewski et al, 2013Kaniewski et al, , 2019Knapp and Manning, 2016), and inland settlements specialising in agriculture, mining and pottery production, such as Myrtou Pigadhes, Athienou Bamboulari tis Koukounninas, and Apliki Karamallos (Knapp and Manning, 2016). Destruction of monumental structures and abandonment of town centres is also present at some of the largest societal structures on the island, including the nearest to the Akrotiri Marsh site Alassa Paleotaverna (Knapp and Manning, 2016).…”