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Extensively worked in antiquity, Skouriotissa remains the only active copper mine on the island of Cyprus. The modern, open-cast operation, however, has almost completely obliterated the earlier mining landscape. Here the authors report the results of investigations, including dating, of the ancient topography of the mine. They incorporate spatial data derived from archival sources, recent fieldwork and absolute dating into a geographical information system to reconstruct the ancient mining landscape around Skouriotissa. Their approach holds promise for understanding other mining regions in Cyprus and beyond, by providing an example of how diverse source material can be used to reconstruct landscapes now destroyed or buried by open-cast mining operations. Keywords: Cyprus, Skouriotissa, ancient mining, copper, archaeometallurgy, GIS, Introduction A number of recent studies have focused on the archaeological investigation of mining regions (see O'Brien (2015) and Table Si in the online supplementary material (OSM)). Inspired by this [...]

The exploitation of Cyprus's mineral wealth, mainly the copper deposits, and other natural resources, such as the forests, formed the basis of the island's economic prosperity and development from prehistoric times until Late Antiquity. The control of the metal resources of the island would have been a primary and pressing preoccupation of the kings--indeed, the successful management of this multi-stage activity must have defined, in part, the very identity and power structure of Cypriot kingship, as well as the geopolitical (territorial) and economic ambitions of the kings themselves. The following contribution focuses on the exploitation and control of the metal resources of the island by the Cypriot kingdoms in the Iron Age. It takes a regional approach in exploring the evidence for copper production in the Iron Age; it also examines the available information regarding the export of copper in this period. Before presenting the evidence from the Iron Age, a brief introduction to the geology of the island is offered. Then, in order to elucidate the metallurgical evidence during the age of the city kingdoms, a summary is presented of what is currently known about the exploitation of the copper deposits and the production and trade of copper before the first millennium B.C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: For metallurgical processes in antiquity functional materials were required, which were sufficiently heat resistant. Commonly, ceramics were used for the production of furnaces, tuyères and crucibles. Because normal pottery usually could not withstand the extreme temperatures, which were needed for metallurgical operations, the ceramic production process had to be modified. An analytical case study will be presented on refractory ceramics from the Late Bronze Age copper smelting site Politiko-Phorades (Cyprus). Cyprus had a major role in copper production, starting from this period, and the selected site is the earliest primary smelting site discovered in Cyprus until now. Furnace and tuyère fragments were analysed chemically and mineralogically, in order to investigate ancient ceramic technology in view of heat resistance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]