The Cypriot Extra-Urban Sanctuary as a Central Place: the Case of Agia Irini
Giorgos Papantoniou and
Giorgos Bourogiannis
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Giorgos Papantoniou: Department of History and Archaeology, University of Cyprus, P.O. Box 20537, 1678 Nicosia, Cyprus
Giorgos Bourogiannis: Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities (Medelhavsmuseet) Stockholm, Fredsgatan 2, P.O. Box 16008, 10321 Stockholm, Sweden
Land, 2018, vol. 7, issue 4, 1-27
Abstract:
This article contributes to the ongoing debate on the relationship between sanctuaries and the territoriality of the Iron Age polities of Cyprus. The sanctuary site of Agia Irini, at the locality Alonia, is used as a case-study to test hypotheses regarding the connection between extra-urban sacred space and the formation of political and cultural identities. After a short introduction to the theme, a combination of archaeological (context and iconography) and geographic data is implemented in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analyses in order to contextualise the centrality of this sanctuary within its political, economic, cultural and symbolic landscapes. The discussion proceeds with the examination of pottery evidence from the sanctuary, both published and unpublished, in order to reveal if and how site based analysis of a category of material may help to further reveal the significance of this sanctuary as a central place, albeit lying in an un-central landscape.
Keywords: Cypriot archaeology; Mediterranean archaeology; landscape archaeology; central places; sacred space; political power; economy; religion; ideology; ancient sanctuaries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:7:y:2018:i:4:p:139-:d:183372
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