Miniature oxhide ingots from Late Bronze Age Cyprus : An update on the material

by: Meneghetti, F.

Miniature oxhide ingots from late bronze age cyprus an update on the material
Authors:Francesca Meneghetti,

Table of contents
Preface and acknowledgements............................................................................................................................. 1
Researchissues.................................................................................................................................................. 2
Enkomi and the French Mission............................................................................................................... 2
Researching miniaturisation..................................................................................................................... 2
Acknowledgements.......................................................................................................................................... 3
Abbreviations........................................................................................................................................................ 5
1 Introduction.................................................................................................................................................... 7
1.1 A briefoverview ofLate Bronze Age Cyprus......................................................................................... 7
1.1.1 The socio-political organisation ofCyprus during the Late Bronze Age.................................. 10
1.1.2 External contacts and trade during the Late Bronze Age............................................................ 12
1.1.3 Late Cypriot material culture....................................................................................................... 13
1.1.3.1 Oxhide ingot iconography............................................................................................... 14
1.1.3.1.1 Cylinder seals (Fig. 3)............................................................................................. 14
1.1.3.1.2 Four-sided stands..................................................................................................... 15
1.1.3.1.3 Bronze figurines....................................................................................................... 18
1.1.3.1.3.1 The Bomford figurine..................................................................................... 18
1.1.3.1.3.2 The Ingot God................................................................................................. 20
1.1.4 Summary..................................................... 24
2 Miniature oxhide ingots from LC Cyprus................................................................................................... 25
2.1 Catalogue.................................................................................................................................................. 25
2.2 Analysis ofthe material........................................................................................................................... 35
2.2.1 Dimensions, weight and metal composition................................................................................ 35
2.2.2 Hoards............................................................................................................................................. 36
2.2.3 Cypro-Minoan inscriptions........................................................................................................... 37
2.2.4 Archaeological context................................................................................................................... 37
2.2.4.1 The issue ofsecondary contexts....................................................................................... 37
2.2.4.2 Massa-Pano Mandilaris..................................................................................................... 38
2.2.4.3 Enkomi............................................................................................................................... 42
2.2.4.3.1 History ofexcavations............................................................................................. 42
2.2.4.3.2 The debate about the abandonment ofEnkomi................................................... 44
2.2.4.3.3 Miniature oxhide ingots from Department ofAntiquities? excavations............ 44
2.2.4.3.3.1 Cat. no. 2......................................................................................................... 45
2.2.4.3.3.2 Cat. no. 3......................................................................................................... 48
2.2.4.3.3.3 Cat. no. 4......................................................................................................... 50
2.2.4.3.4 Miniature oxhide ingots found by the French Mission........................................ 50
2.2.4.3.4.1 Cat. nos. 5 and 6............................................................................................ 50
2.2.4.3.4.2 Cat. no. 7......................................................................................................... 56
2.2.4.4 Mathiatis........................................................................................................................... 58
2.2.4.5 VyXarKokkinokremos........................................................................................................... 59
2.3 Summary................................................................................................................................................... 66
3 Miniaturisation process and miniatures..................................................................................................... 69
3.1 History ofstudies..................................................................................................................................... 69
3.2 Miniaturisation and miniatures:definitions and approaches................................................................ 72
3.2.1 Bailey?s approach............................................................................................................................. 72
3.2.2 Pilz?s approach................................................................................................................................. 73
3.2.3 Kohring?s approach......................................................................................................................... 73
3.2.4 Knappett?s approach....................................................................................................................... 74
3.2.5 Langin-Hooper?s approach............................................................................................................. 75
3.2.6 Davy?s approach.............................................................................................................................. 75
3.3 Miniaturisation theories and miniature oxhide ingots.......................................................................... 77
4 Miniature oxhide ingots: analysis of current interpretations.................................................................... 81
4.1 Current interpretations............................................................................................................................. 81
4.1.1 The votives interpretation............................................................................................................. 82
4.1.1.1 Webb?s criteria for the individuation ofLC cult places................................................ 82
4.1.1.1.1 Miniature oxhide ingot Cat. no. 1.......................................................................... 84
4.1.1.1.2 Miniature oxhide ingot Cat. no. 3.......................................................................... 87
4.1.2 The weights interpretation............................................................................................................. 91
4.1.3 Miniature oxhide ingots as copper samples.................................................................................. 91
4.2 Summary................................................................................................................................................... 94
5 Re-appraising miniature oxhide ingots from Cyprus................................................................................ 95
5.1 Oxhide ingot iconography and the oxhide ingot phenomenon.......................................................... 95
5.2 Miniature oxhide ingots and LC Cyprus: a socio-historical snapshot................................................ 96
5.2.1 Enkomi........................................................................................................................................... 96
5.2.1.1 The chronology ofEnkomi miniature oxhide ingots.................................................... 96
5.2.1.1.1 Cat. no. 2................................................................................................................ 97
5.2.1.1.2 Cat. no. 7................................................................................................................. 97
5.2.1.1.3 Cat. no. 3................................................................................................................ 97
5.2.1.1.4 Cat. nos. 5 and 6..................................................................................................... 98
5.2.1.2 Copper re-evaluation in LC Enkomi.............................................................................. 98
5.2.2 Vya.-Kokkinokremos......................................................................................................................... 100
5.2.3 Alassa-TfzwoMandilaris................................................................................................................... 100
5.2.4 A special case: Mathiatis................................................................................................................. 101
5.3 New perspectives on miniature oxhide ingots........................................................................................ 101
5.3.1 The miniature oxhide ingots from Enkomi.................................................................................. 102
5-3.1.1 Understanding Enkomi miniature ingots through miniaturisation............................. 103
5-3.2 A different function: miniature oxhide ingots at Alassa-Zfzwo Mandilaris,
VyXz-Kokkinokremos and Mathiatis...................................................................................... 106
5.4 Summary................................................................................................................................................... 107
6 Conclusions........................... 109
6.1 Miniature oxhide ingots from LC Cyprus: an uneven corpus.............................................................. 109
6.2 Miniaturisation phenomena in LC Cyprus............................................................................................ 110
6.3 A dash offragmentation........................................................................................................................... Ill
6.4 Cypriot Miniature oxhide ingots from stratified contexts.................................................................... 112
6.5 A starting point......................................................................................................................................... 113
Table of contents IX
Bibliography.................................................................................................................................................... 115
Appendix: Miniature oxhide ingots coming from outside Cyprus............................................................ 129
8.1 Eastern Mediterranean............................................................................................................................. 129
8.1.1 Catalogue......................................................................................................................................... 129
8.1.2 General considerations on the material....................................................................................... 132
8.1.3 Archaeological context................................................................................................................... 133
8.1.3.1 Egypt................................................................................................................................... 133
8.1.3.1.1 Miniature ingots Cat. nos. EMI-4........................................................................ 133
8.1.3.1.2 Miniature oxhide ingot Cat. no. EM5.................................................................. 134
8.1.3.2Turkey................................................................................................................................. 134
8.1.4 Summary......................................................................................................................................... 135
8.1.5 Addendum: an oxhide ingot from Tell Beit Mirsim.................................................................... 136
8.1.5.1 Tell Beit Mirsim................................................................................................................. 136
8.1.5.2 The oxhide ingot Inv. no. SN 769 (Fig. 39).................................................................. 137
8.2 Eastern Europe......................................................................................................................................... 140
8.2.1 Catalogue......................................................................................................................................... 140
8.2.2 General considerations on the material....................................................................................... 145
8.2.3 Archaeological context................................................................................................................... 146
8.2.3.1 Croatia............................................................................................................................... 146
8.2.3.1.1 Cat. no. EE1............................................................................................................. 146
8.2.3.1.2 Cat. no. EE2............................................................................................................. 147
8.2.3.2 Hungary............................................................................................................................. 148
8.2.3.3 Romania............................................................................................................................. 150
8.2.3.4Bulgaria............................................................................................................................... 150
8.2.4 Summary........................................................................................................................................... 151

Series:
Frankfurter Archäologische Schriften = Frankfurt Archaeological Studies, 44

Miniature oxhide ingots from Late Bronze Age Cyprus : An update on the material

by: Meneghetti, F.

• ISBN-13: 9783774943346 / 978-3-7749-4334-6
• ISBN-03: 3774943346 / 3-7749-4334-6
• Rudolf Habelt, Bonn, 2023