Ancient Seafaring Explorers of Cyprus: Coastal Cliffhangers of the Epipalaeolithic

Maher in Cypress.

The recent recognition of Late Epipalaeolithic sites on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus moves the date of early explorers to the island back at least 3000 years, changing our preconceptions about the nature of these first settling communities. Evidence at these early sites suggests that people were bringing plants and animals with them from the mainland (Simmons 1999), creating a sense of home in an unfamiliar landscape.

Valentina Tumolo

Valentina excavating an 8th century structure in Lebanon
Research Associate

Valentina Tumolo has conducted research on glyptic and the phenomenon of seal impressions on pots in the Levant and Syria during the Early Bronze Age. Recent articles address the study of the corpora of vessels with seal impressions from diverse sites of the area, the petrographic investigation of the Early Bronze Age Levantine Combed Ware storage and transport jars from the Jordanian site of Khirbet ez-Zeraqon, and the development of olive production in southern and central Levant during the same period.

Region(s): 
Eastern Mediterranean, Levant, Syria, Turkey, Northern Iraq
Research Theme(s): 
Near Eastern Archaeology, Seals and Sealings, Ceramic Production, Food Storage Practices, Micromorphology

Jordan Brown

Jordan Brown
Graduate Student

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Region(s): 
Eastern Mediterranean
Research Theme(s): 
Geoarchaeology, Geomorphology, Environmental Archaeology, landscape archaeology; community-based participatory research, stewardship; socioecological systems, coupled human-natural systems, water management, pastoralism, settlement patterns, mobility, Lithic Technology, social learning, knowledge transmission; Bayesian statistics, quantitative methods, uncertainty analysis, data management, reproducibility

Ancient Explorers of Cyprus: Traversing Land and Sea in the Epipalaeolithic

The Ancient Seafaring Explorers in Cyprus (ASEC) project conducted its inaugural field season from September 10-September 20, 2019. The goals of the project are to investigate the earliest occupation of the island, specifically the Late Epi-Palaeolithic through early Neolithic periods, (ca. 10,000 -8000 years ago). The project aims to reveal evidence for the nature of these early hunter-gatherer occupations at sites on the south coast of Cyprus, both on land and those submerged by rising sea levels over subsequent millennia.

Ancient Explorers of Cyprus: Traversing Land and Sea in the Epipalaeolithic (2018 Season)

Although the Mediterranean islands produced some of the most sophisticated cultures of the ancient world, until recently there was little evidence that these islands were occupied prior to the Neolithic. This perception has radically changed over the past decade. New research indicates that some remote islands, such as Crete and Naxos, may have been occupied by Neanderthals, and certainly by the Epipaleolithic it appears that continental-island voyages were far more common than previously believed.

Lisa Maher

Lisa Maher
Affiliated Faculty
Research Website: 
Kharaneh IV Project Website
Teaching Website: 
Anthropology Department Profile

Research Description:   My research focuses on hunter-gatherer societies in the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa, with the aim of reconstructing human-environment interactions during the Late Pleistocene.

Region(s): 
Eastern Mediterranean, Jordan, Cyprus, Northern Iraq, Japan
Research Theme(s): 
Geoarchaeology, Micromorphology, Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology, Human Evolution, Lithic Technology, Mortuary Archaeology