Stylli: the Swedish Cyprus Expedition, 1930

In autumn 1930 Erik Sjöqvist directed the Swedish Cyprus Expedition's excavation of a necropolis about a mile east of the village of Stylli, along the road to Enkomi^1,2. Gjerstad notes that Mr. Rupert Gunnis had excavated the site in 1928¹. The expedition investigated the high terrace first and then dug trial pits on its southern slope, and 17 tombs were excavated^1,2. The Crown Prince of Sweden, Gustaf Adolf, actively assisted in the excavation, and his aide-de-camp, Major Ekeroth, excavated in a tomb beside him^1,3.

The 17 tombs were rock-cut chamber tombs of the dromos type, with irregular chambers, and they had been reused^1,2. Gjerstad's final account numbers them individually and records their architecture, stratification, burials and object groups; the registers include pottery of several wares and types, terracotta spindle-whorls and a circular bronze ring¹. Gjerstad concludes that the necropolis was first used in Cypro-Geometric III to Cypro-Archaic IA, and that in later periods tombs were reused and some new tombs were cut on the southern slope¹. Göransson gives the overall range as Cypro-Geometric IIIA to Cypro-Archaic IIA².

Gjerstad states that the finds from the Crown Prince's digging were allotted to Sweden in their entirety³. The expedition's collections are held at Medelhavsmuseet, together with an archive of excavation notebooks, original plans, drawings and photographic negatives².