This paper aims to study the literature surrounding Cypriot Chalcolithic cruciform anthropomorphic figurines and their gendered identity. Within academia, we see issues arising from gendering of...Show moreThis paper aims to study the literature surrounding Cypriot Chalcolithic cruciform anthropomorphic figurines and their gendered identity. Within academia, we see issues arising from gendering of ancient bodies with modern views – creating cross-wired hypotheses on gender manifestation in prehistoric art. Concentrating on the Chalcolithic cruciform figurines, words patterns and trends will be analysed to gain a better understanding of how gendering ancient identities with modern biases is chronicled within a range of selected literature from the 1930s to the current day.Show less
During the Chalcolithic period (ca. 4000 – 2400 BCE) Cyprus was home to several highly distinctive styles of anthropomorphic figurines. These figurines were produced using clay and different types...Show moreDuring the Chalcolithic period (ca. 4000 – 2400 BCE) Cyprus was home to several highly distinctive styles of anthropomorphic figurines. These figurines were produced using clay and different types of stone. Picrolite, was the most common type of stone used for figurines. The figurines feature carved or painted figurative elements which are thought to represent concepts such as dress, hairdo, jewelry, tattoos, and body paint. There is no way to study the dress, hairdo, tattoos, and body paint worn by the Chalcolithic inhabitants of Cyprus directly. As such, these concepts can be studied within the confines of figurine studies, not necessarily in relation with the dress of the Chalcolithic population of Cyprus. In order to analyze the relationship between carved and painted figurative elements on picrolite and ceramic figurines and Chalcolithic bodies and their dress, jewelry, tattoos, or face and body painting, the following research question was established: “Do painted and carved elements on pottery and picrolite figurines from Chalcolithic Cyprus represent dress, hairdo, jewelry, tattoos, and body paint?” To answer this question, a database was established, using Winkelmann’s (2020) extensive catalog of Cypriot figurines, as well as the catalog of the Souskiou Project (Peltenburg et al., 2019). All painted and carved figurative elements, as well as their locations on the figurines were entered in the database. The figurative elements were analyzed and compared using charts and tables and results were compared with previous works on the topic. This thesis illustrates that certain figurative elements, such as hair and decoration on the neck, occur on both ceramic and picrolite figurines. However, their occurrence rates may differ between ceramic and picrolite. Most figurative elements occur in standard locations on the body, suggesting these elements represent concepts in relation to this location (e.g., tassels, clothing, and body paint). While many suggest ceramic and picrolite figurines represent the same concept, figurative elements rarely overlap between the two materials. Certain figurative elements appear to correspond to body adornments known from the archaeological record, while some painted figurative elements resemble common RW ware motifs, suggesting a purely decorative function. It is very likely that painted and carved figurative elements represent dress, hairdo, jewelry, tattoos, and body paint.Show less
The Chalcolithic on Cyprus (ca. 3900-2400 BCE) is an important period for the research of key developments taking place on the island, such as social differentiation, craft specialisation and long...Show moreThe Chalcolithic on Cyprus (ca. 3900-2400 BCE) is an important period for the research of key developments taking place on the island, such as social differentiation, craft specialisation and long-distance trade. With extensive excavations at the sites of Lemba-Lakkous, Kissonerga-Mosphilia and Kissonerga-Mylouthkia, the Chalcolithic is generally well investigated (see Peltenburg, 1985; 1998; 2003). The poorly investigated transition between the Middle (ca. 3400-2900 BCE) and the Late Chalcolithic (ca. 2800-2400 BCE), on the other hand, still leaves a research gap. The currently ongoing excavations at the site of Chlorakas-Palloures revealed remains of both the Middle and Late Chalcolithic and, therefore, have great potential to close this gap. This research involves analysing the ceramic assemblage of trench BU13 at Chlorakas-Palloures by investigating how this assemblage changes from the Middle to Late Chalcolithic. This leads to the following research question: How does the pottery assemblage of Chlorakas-Palloures change over time from the Middle to Late Chalcolithic and how does this improve our understanding of this transition? The analysis is conducted on the basis of four categories: ware, shape, fabric and surface and the results will be displayed using seriation diagrams. For this, a diagnostic selection was made consisting of 116 sherds, which was studied during the summer of 2021. This selection is placed alongside the stratigraphy of trench BU13 to create a chronological overview of the ceramic material. In this thesis, I show that the use of seriation to create a chronological overview of how pottery changes over time is a success. The ceramic assemblage of case study BU13 changes as expected. Moving from the Middle to the Late Chalcolithic, earlier wares get replaced by later ones and pottery becomes harder and more refined in texture. However, this research also importantly reveals an anomaly in the trench. Material belonging to one of the earliest units of BU13 actually matches the characteristics of that of Late Chalcolithic pottery, while Middle Chalcolithic pottery would be expected. It indicates that the trench needs to be investigated further and current interpretations perhaps need to be re-evaluated. This not only merits the ongoing excavations at Chlorakas-Palloures but the method can also be applied to other trenches and sites on the island to improve the knowledge of Cypriot Prehistory.Show less