Archaeological Field Survey of the Neolithic and Chalcolithic Settlement Sites in Kyrenia District, North Cyprus

Description

For decades after the division of Cyprus in 1974, the majority of archaeological fieldwork carried out in the north consisted of small rescue excavations. The present work was undertaken with the ambitious aims of re-opening the archaeology of the north of Cyprus, re-assessing the information concerning known sites, and checking the current condition of sites to enable protection plans to be drawn up. It presents a survey of the prehistoric sites in Kyrenia during 1995 and 1996. A total of 22 known sites were re-surveyed, and several more were discovered. The main aims were re-investigating sites with current knowledge in mind; defining the chronology; investigating cultural homogeneity; and examining indications of multiperiod and shifting settlements through differential distribution of artefact scatters. It also considers the colonisation of the island and contacts with the mainland, variations in site size and location, and the identification of activity areas by means of surface scatters.