The Pottery of Ancient Cyprus
From the earliest handmade vessels of the Ceramic Neolithic to the late Archaic period, Cypriot potters produced unique and wide range of interesting pottery.
In order to facilitate discussion of this pottery, it is broken down into distinct pages and sections based on the appearance of the finished product or the manufacturing process and materials involved in its creation. Two separate classification schemes are used called the Shape and Type.
The patterns & motifs of Cypriot pottery are discussed in a separate section to allow for reference and comparison.
Pottery Shapes
The pottery shape takes all Cypriot pottery and breaks it down into 9 separate buckets, with a tenth for pieces which don't conform to the 9. Their classification is based purely on the appearance and do not assign a specific utility or style.
Pottery Types
The pottery type classification is based on the materials and process used to develop the pottery, as well as the final appearance. For example if a wheel was used in one period, but wasn't in another, even if the appearance is the same the types are not. Similarly if the pottery was made in a similar way, but the end result looked different, for example due to the addition of a separate pigment, the classification will also differ.
Unlike the shapes of Cypriot pottery, the types do significantly change between different time periods. We therefore split the Pottery by Early & Middle Bronze age, Late Bronze age and Iron age.
Early & Middle Bronze Age
Late Bronze Age
Iron Age
Pottery Motifs & Patterns
The pottery of ancient Cyprus was often decorated with a variety of motifs and patterns. As part of the Compendium initiative, we are documenting these motifs and patterns for reference.
Bronze Age
Bronze Age motifs & patterns have not yet been catalogued.
