Welcome to Ancient Cyprus
The island of Cyprus is host to an incredible archeological history, spanning over ten thousand years and a myriad of major civilizations. This website is dedicated to documenting its archeology and history.
Recent Articles
Smoking Strictly Prohibited: How the Cyprus Museum Sold Antiquities Across a Counter
For decades the Cyprus Museum kept a saleroom in its courtyard, selling pots it judged to be...
Three Necks, or One Neck and Two Locks of Hair
Two Bronze Age plank figures from Cyprus, with no recorded find-spot and fifty-three years in the...
Licence No. 7070: How Cypriot Antiquities Left the Island Legally
Between 1935 and 1978 the Cyprus government signed something like seven thousand licences to export...
Under a Kilogram
Everything metal that Chalcolithic Cyprus left behind weighs less than a bag of sugar, though the...
Cypro-Archaic Bird Motifs
The pottery of ancient Cyprus, especially throughout the Archaic period, is known for various repeating patterns and motifs, including intricate free-field birds. Let us explore commonly found bird motifs and the pottery on which they live.
3D Models of Cypriot Pottery
Through our cutting-edge Photogrammetry program we have published our first set of compressed 3D models featuring an impressive resolution of up to 20 pixels per mm.
Our models have been published with 8k textures downsampled from 16k, you can view them here.
You can also find out more about our Photogrammetry Program and future plans. We will be publishing articles detailing our photogrammetry approach and the use of 3D models in archeology.
Explore the History of Cyprus
Find out more about Cyprus from the first settlers to the late Archaic periods. Note we do not cover the later classical periods. For a short introduction to the history of Cyprus see the History Page.
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Our Mission
Our mission is to democratize access to the fascinating history and cultural heritage of Ancient Cyprus by collecting, preserving, and sharing all known knowledge in a way that is engaging, understandable, and free for everyone.
We are committed to breaking down barriers to learning by translating complex research and literature into accessible, easy-to-understand content, providing the tools and resources necessary for people of all backgrounds to explore and appreciate the rich history of Cyprus. Through our dedication to writing, collecting, and preserving the history of Cyprus, we aim to inspire curiosity, foster a deeper understanding, and ensure that the invaluable knowledge of this ancient civilization is accessible to generations to come.
Find out More About Our Projects
We have several ongoing and planned Projects:
- The Compendium of Cypriot Pottery
- End to End Course on Cypriot Archeology
- Largest Online Catalogue of Cypriot artefacts
- Research Unveiled: Simplifying & Documenting Research for All
- What really happened in the 1800s: Artifacts Lost to History
- An Interactive Historical Map of Ancient Cyprus
- A Comprehensive list of Cypriot Collections around the World
- A Complete Catalogue of Resources on Ancient Cyprus
