Ancient ceramic vessels are not merely lumps of clay that were formed and fired to be utilised at some point in the past. They represent vigorous discourses among raw materials, technological knowhow and the societies that produced, used and discarded them. In addressing the complexities inherent in archaeological ceramics, we attain an indispensable insight into past communities and the antiquity of our own society.
Special-function vessels used in the transhipment of goods, termed Maritime Transport Containers (MTCs), can shed light on the multi-level mechanisms involved in ancient seaborne commerce. In the temporal and geographical context of the Late Bronze-Early Iron Age eastern Mediterranean (LBA-EIA, 1650-750 BC), the visible hallmarks of the flourishing trade between sophisticated states are the Canaanite Jars, Egyptian Jars and Transport Stirrup Jars, produced in the Levant, Egypt and the Aegean respectively. Smaller-sized, precious liquid containers constitute an additional, invaluable means to approach transmediterranean connectivity.
Cyprus was a key player within interregional commercial strategies, and its archaeological contexts have yielded prolific amounts of MTCs; however, the lack of a systematic study of these assemblages undermines our understanding of LBA-EIA Mediterranean interconnections.
The research project ComPAS aspires to provide a holistic study of the Levantine, Egyptian and Aegean transport containers encapsulated in the Cypriot archaeological contexts of the LBA-EIA periods, addressing their: 1) morphology and regional quantification, 2) provenance, 3) contents, 4) chronology, 5) capacity and standardisation, 6) manufacture technology, 7) marks and marking strategies, as well as 8) secondary uses and depositional practices. The project further addresses Cypriot finds exported across the Mediterranean, to attain an all-encompassing understanding of commercial and other connections.
ComPAS implements a bottom-up approach and a highly innovative methodology, integrating archaeological, scientific and technologically advanced approaches to illuminate all aspects pertaining to the life-cycle of imported vessels. Acknowledging these ceramic proxies as principal contributors to the study of interregional exchanges, ComPAS’ research agenda aspires to elucidate the transformative character of ancient commerce, and to provide substantial insights on intercultural connectivity in prehistoric and protohistoric Mediterranean.
