Cyprus in Flux: Shedding Light on the 12th Century BCE through New Discoveries from Palaepaphos-Marchello, Cyprus (2021–2024)

Co-sponsored by the Aegean Bronze Age Colloquium

Zoom lecture, 12 PM EST (registration link below)

The archaeological site of Marchello-Palaepaphos, located near the village of Kouklia in Cyprus, has a rich history of excavations carried out by a British (J.H. Iliffe and T.B. Mitford: 1950-1955), Swiss-German (F.-G. Maier: 1966-1995), and a Cypriot archaeological team(M. Iacovou: 2006-2008). Among the most significant discoveries at Marchello are a long defensive wall, approximately 175 meters in length, a monumental gate, and a large deposit of stones containing fragments of architectural elements, inscriptions, and sculptures primarily from the Cypro-Archaic period. Since 2021, the University of Athens (Greece) has initiated a new excavation program at Marchello to gain a deeper understanding of the site's complex stratigraphy and architectural finds. This recent work has revealed new evidence suggesting that the earliest phase of the wall dates back not to the Cypro-Archaic period, but rather to the Late Cypriot IIC horizon (14th-13th century BCE). The wall fell out of use during the transition to the LC IIIA period. Furthermore, excavations have revealed a cluster of two tombs from the early LC IIIA (early 12th century BCE), both belonging to the shaft-niche type commonly found in Crete and mainland Greece. These tombs contained four inhumation burials with rich offerings from Egypt, the Levant, and the Aegean. Detailed micro-excavation and subsequent analysis of the human, animal, and plant remains have allowed for a precise reconstruction of the burial process. Close to the tombs, a contemporary monumental ritual structure was erected. Notably, carvings of two ships were discovered on one side of this structure, closely resembling the ship depictions on the exterior walls of the sanctuary of Kition-Kathari. These findings provide valuable new insights into the 12th century BCE, a time of crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean.There is no evidence of activity at the site from the LC IIIB to the end of the Cypro-Geometric period. However, during the Cypro-Archaic period, the defensive wall was repaired and widened. During this time, a large trench was dug vertically through the wall, where a pit containing the complete skeleton of a horse and at least two dogs was discovered. This discovery challenges the older theory that connected the tunnels found at Marchello with the Persian siege of Paphos.

Biography

Konstantinos Kopanias holds a degree in Archaeology from the Department of History and Archaeology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens(NKUA)(1992-96). He continued his postgraduate studies at the Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg (1997) and his doctoral studies at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen (as a recipient of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft scholarship and a member of the Graduate School "Anatolia and its Neighbors"), as well as at the University of Athens (2003). After fulfilling his military service (2002-03), he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the NKUA(2004-07). He also served as adjunct lecturer in the Department of History and Archaeology at the University of Crete (2006-08) and worked as a researcher at the German Archaeological Institute in Athens (2007-09).Subsequently, he was employed asLecturer (2009-15), Assistant Professor (2015-19), Associate Professor (2019-2024), and Professor (from 2024 onward) in the Department of History and Archaeology at the NKUA, specializing in the archaeology of Anatolia and the Near East. Kopanias has been a member of various committees at the NKUA, including the Research Committee and the International Relations and European Educational Programs Committee. He is the director of two English-language programs: the "MSc in Digital Humanities" (2022-2024) and the "MA in Greek and Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology" (since 2019). Additionally, he directs two excavation projects: 1) archaeological research at the sites of Tell Nader and Tell Baqrta in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (since 2011), and 2) archaeological research at the site of Marchello in Palaepaphos, Cyprus (since 2021). He has been awarded the "Distinguished Service Award" by the federal state of Iraq for his archaeological research in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. He has published four monographs, six volumes of conference proceedings, and numerous articles in academic journals and collective volumes.