Ancient Seafaring Explorers of Cyprus Project

Cyprus survey image

The discovery of new hunter-gatherer and early farming occupations on the Mediterranean Island of Cyprus is dramatically changing our understanding of the timing and nature of the first occupants of the island. Archaeological evidence suggests that Epipalaeolithic hunters-gatherers in Cyprus arrived by at least 13,000 years ago. These early islanders remained deeply connected to their mainland (Levantine and/or Aegean) counterparts and, like them, experimented with plant and animal management.

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.

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.