Archaeologists have uncovered an Aegean bronze mirror during excavations at Hal Sultan Tekke, Cyprus.
Hal Sultan Tekke is a Late Bronze Age harbour city and cemetery on the south-eastern coast of Cyprus.
The cemetery covers an area of several hectares, in which subsequent excavations have uncovered tombs with associated pits and wells, but no architectural remains.
Archaeologists have recently excavated three tombs within an undisturbed chamber tomb where 264 complete objects have been recovered from Mycenaean, Minoan, Canaanite, Egyptian, and Levantine cultures.
The objects include everyday items such as jars, beads, bowls, vases, chalices, cups, in addition to funerary or votive offerings such as knives, daggers, a spear head, bracelets, rings and decorated discs.
The most notable discovery is a rare copper alloy mirror disc, which according to the researchers likely originates from the Aegean, in particular Crete.
The mirror has a diameter ranging between 11.2–11.4 cm, rendering it slightly broader and wider than in height. Neither the rivets nor the handle are preserved, which were likely crafted from perishable materials such as wood, ivory, or bone.
Apart from the mirror discovered at Hala Sultan Tekke, only one other riveted mirror is documented in Cyprus, discovered in Enkomi Tomb 66.
According to the study authors: “Although the handle type supporting the riveted mirror from Hala Sultan Tekke remains unknown, its diameter might well align with the average diameter and weight of mirrors produced in central-northern Crete during LM IIIA1–2.”
“This production, probably resulting from the activities of workshops located in Knossos and possibly in Chania, represents a relatively homogenous group of artefacts in terms of measurements, with production ceasing in the subsequent LM IIIB.”
Header Image Credit : Wiley
Sources : , , , , and (2024) AN AEGEAN MIRROR FROM HALA SULTAN TEKKE, CYPRUS. Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 43: 153–172. https://doi.org/10.1111/ojoa.12292.
