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Continuity Within Discontinuity: Cypriot Political Forms from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2024

Nathan Meyer Open the ORCID record for Nathan Meyer [Opens in a new window]
Nathan Meyer*
Affiliation:
British School at Athens, Greece
*
*Author for correspondence: nmeyer@bsc.ac.uk
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Abstract

Debate regarding the continuity of Cypriot political forms from the Late Bronze Age to the Cypro-Archaic is persistent, resulting in a scholarly divide with few signs of resolution. This article reviews the historiography of political forms proposed for Cyprus as the essential context for this debate. It considers several major themes that emerge from the debate: the use of anthropological models for state formation, regionalism, social networks, and the nature of spatial power. The author views the debate as centred on two equally valid motivations: using related social science theory to enhance archaeological explanation and emphasizing Cypriot autonomy. These motivations need not be set in opposition but, together, illustrate the island's unique history and provide the basis for vibrant scholarship.

Le débat concernant la continuité des formes politiques entre la fin de l’âge du Bronze et l’âge du Fer chypro-archaïque a créé un fossé entre spécialistes encore loin d’être résolu. Cet article est une mise au point historiographique des formes politiques que l'on a proposées pour Chypre, Pour situer ces discussions dans leur contexte, l'auteur considère plusieurs thèmes clés : l'utilisation de modèles anthropologiques sur la formation des états, le régionalisme, les réseaux sociaux et le caractère du pouvoir sur l'espace. Il voit le débat comme reposant sur deux motivations aussi valables l'une que l'autre : d'un côté l'usage de théories connexes en sciences sociales dans le but d'améliorer l'interprétation archéologique, de l'autre, l'accentuation de l'autonomie chypriote. Ces approches ne s'opposent pas l'une à l'autre ; ensemble, elles illustrent la singularité de l'histoire de l’île et servent un climat de recherche dynamique. Translation by Madeleine Hummler

In der Debatte über die Kontinuität der zypriotischen politischen Formen zwischen der Spätbronzezeit und der zypro-archaischen Eisenzeit sind sich die Forscher uneins und die Spaltung der Meinungen scheint unlösbar. Der vorliegende Beitrag ist eine forschungsgeschichtliche Untersuchung der politischen Formen, welche für Zypern vorgeschlagen worden sind. Um diese Diskussionen in Zusammenhang zu stellen, bespricht der Verfasser verschiedene Hauptthemen, die sich in dieser Debatte ergeben haben: die Anwendung von anthropologischen Modellen der Staatsbildung, Regionalismus, soziale Netzwerke und der Charakter der räumlichen Macht. Er ist der Meinung, dass die Debatte auf zwei gleichermaßen gültigen Motivationen beruht: einerseits die Anwendung von verwandten Theorien der Sozialwissenschaften, um archäologische Deutungen zu verbessern und andererseits die Betonung der zypriotischen Autonomie. Diese Perspektiven stehen nicht im Gegensatz zueinander, sondern verdeutlichen zusammen die einmalige Geschichte der Insel und dienen als Grundlage für eine lebhafte Fachdiskussion. Translation by Madeleine Hummler

Keywords

CyprusEarly Iron Ageresiliencepersistencesocial networkspolitical formsterritorial statesChyprepremier âge du Ferrésiliencepersistanceréseaux sociauxformes politiquesétats territoriauxZypernFrüheisenzeitResilienzBeharrlichkeitsoziale Netzwerkepolitische FormenTerritorialstaaten
Type
Article
Information
European Journal of Archaeology , First View , pp. 1 - 17
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Association of Archaeologists

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