The New Swedish Cyprus Expedition: The 2023 and 2024 excavations at the Late Bronze Age cemetery of Hala Sultan Tekke

The 14th and 15th excavation seasons at the Late Bronze Age site of Hala Sultan Tekke focused on the excavation of tombs threatened by agricultural activities and erosion. Magnetic anomalies detected in 2017 aligned with concentrations of sherds in the ploughed soil, revealing six tombs: the partly looted Chamber Tomb VV and the intact Chamber Tombs XX, YY, ZZ, AB East and AB West. These stratified tombs, with successive interments, complement the occupation sequence of the 25+ ha city, where excavations have been ongoing since 2010. The rich mortuary goods, dating mainly to the 14th–13th centuries BC, confirm Hala Sultan Tekke’s role as a major Mediterranean trade hub. Material evidence indicates connections with Mycenaean, Minoan, Hittite, Levantine and Egyptian cultures, extending as far as Sardinia, the Baltic, Mesopotamia, Afghanistan and India. The tombs also provide insights into Late Cypriot mortuary customs.

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Publication Details

Journal
Opuscula Annual of the Swedish Institutes at Athens and Rome
Published
2025-09-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.30549/opathrom-18-02
Primary Topic
Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History
Type
article
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article

The New Swedish Cyprus Expedition: The 2023 and 2024 excavations at the Late Bronze Age cemetery of Hala Sultan Tekke

Sorin Hermon, Valentina Vassallo, Ropertos Georgiou, Teresa Bürge et al.
Opuscula Annual of the Swedish Institutes at Athens and Rome
Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History
article

The New Swedish Cyprus Expedition: The 2023 and 2024 excavations at the Late Bronze Age cemetery of Hala Sultan Tekke

Sorin Hermon, Valentina Vassallo, Ropertos Georgiou, Teresa Bürge, Raphaël Moreau, Kirsi O. Lorentz, J. G. Darwin, Rainer Feldbacher, Dominika Kofel, Yuko Miyauchi, Rahaf Orabi, Peter M. Fischer, Ane Dybkjær
article en

Abstract

The 14th and 15th excavation seasons at the Late Bronze Age site of Hala Sultan Tekke focused on the excavation of tombs threatened by agricultural activities and erosion. Magnetic anomalies detected in 2017 aligned with concentrations of sherds in the ploughed soil, revealing six tombs: the partly looted Chamber Tomb VV and the intact Chamber Tombs XX, YY, ZZ, AB East and AB West. These stratified tombs, with successive interments, complement the occupation sequence of the 25+ ha city, where excavations have been ongoing since 2010. The rich mortuary goods, dating mainly to the 14th–13th centuries BC, confirm Hala Sultan Tekke’s role as a major Mediterranean trade hub. Material evidence indicates connections with Mycenaean, Minoan, Hittite, Levantine and Egyptian cultures, extending as far as Sardinia, the Baltic, Mesopotamia, Afghanistan and India. The tombs also provide insights into Late Cypriot mortuary customs.

Opuscula Annual of the Swedish Institutes at Athens and RomeVol. 18
University of Bern (CH), Cyprus Institute (CY), Lund University (SE), Nicolaus Copernicus University (PL), University of Cyprus (CY), University of Gothenburg (SE), Capital Normal University (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 75%
Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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