The sociopolitical organisation of Cyprus during the Late Bronze Age (LBA) is still an active field of scholarly debate. In the second half of the 2nd mil. BCE, the prevailing interpretations favour either a unified or a decentralised administration model on the island. Enkomi is listed as one of the most important Late Cypriot (LC) sites in both models. The rise of this urban centre can be largely attributed to the control of copper production during the LC period. The results of the chemical and microstructural analysis of the archaeometallurgical ceramic assemblage from the copper workshops in Area III at Enkomi are presented here. Our research revealed that the ceramics were exclusively used for copper-based secondary metallurgical activities. This project, the first in Cypriot archaeometallurgy to focus solely on technical ceramics, adds significant new knowledge to the reconstruction of the copper production organisation and Enkomi’s standing among the LC polities. Furthermore, these new findings pave the way for the development of a comparative analysis of the various stages of the copper production sequence in Cyprus, as reflected in metallurgical ceramic assemblages.

Picrolite artefacts comprise some of the most distinctive material remains in the prehistory of the island of Cyprus, in the Eastern Mediterranean. Picrolite exploitation dates from at least 12,000 years ago for the manufacture of personal ornaments and items with a symbolic function. It is commonly assumed that picrolite nodules were collected in secondary deposits on an ad hoc basis. This narrative, however, ignores the fact that picrolite carriers can only be found in very specific locations on the island, discrete from each other. Here we report initial outcomes of the application of handheld portable X-ray fluorescence (HHpXRF) and synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (SR-μXRF) to the analysis of picrolite raw materials performed at the newly opened PUMA beamline of the SOLEIL Synchrotron Radiation Facility. Our work refines the basic characteristics of the elemental constituents of the picrolite raw material and highlights key micro-structural differences between two distinct source regions on the Troodos Massif in western Cyprus. Picrolite source characterisation is expected to contribute significant new knowledge to the study of rare raw material consumption, prehistoric social organisation, networking and possible long-distance exchange of this idiosyncratic raw material within and beyond the island’s geographic boundaries.

The procurement of copper by the polity of Paphos, and the contribution of local metal resources in the political and economic development of the Paphian region, from the foundation of Paphos in the LBA to the abolition of its autonomous city-state at the end of the 4th c. BC, is one of the research questions that the Palaepaphos Urban Landscape Project (hereon PULP) has been at pain to address. Since its initiation in 2006, PULP has carried out targeted excavations that inform the urban structure of the polity in the longue durée, and surveys in the cupriferous zone of the Paphos catchment (hydrological basin), which is the maximum spatial extent of the project’s landscape analysis. Following the discovery of well-preserved secular monuments, one km east of the emblematic sanctuary of Aphrodite, a new project, entitled “From the metalliferous sources to the citadel complex of ancient Paphos: Archaeo-environmental analysis of the mining and the built environment” (acronym MEANING), was developed under the umbrella of PULP. This paper presents the results of the ‘Mining environment study’ carried out in the context of MEANING. It is a pioneering interdisciplinary study of the copper slag heaps in the hinterland of Paphos, and it paves the way for the development of a comparative archaeo-metallurgical project that will define the fingerprint of the Paphos copper deposits.

This chapter outlines the integrated analytical programme developed within the framework of the ComPAS project (ERC Starting Grant GA no. 947749), which investigates interregional commercial networks and patterns of intercultural connectivity in the Eastern Mediterranean from ca. 1650 to 750 BCE. Focusing on Levantine, Egyptian, and Aegean Maritime Transport Containers (MTCs) recovered across Cyprus, the study integrates detailed typo-chronological analysis with interdisciplinary scientific methods to reconstruct the life cycles of these vessels, from production to discard. The methodology includes ceramic thin-section petrography, elemental analysis (wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence and neutron activation analysis), and scanning electron microscopy, supported by a standardised protocol for macroscopic examination, to investigate patterns of provenance and technology. A case study from the large corpus unearthed at the Late Bronze Age coastal site of Pyla- Kokkinokremos demonstrates the importance of in-depth systematic macroscopic characterisation and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometry for guiding the selection of samples for laboratory-based and comparative analyses. Although this contribution represents an initial step within a wider research agenda, the results presented here already constitute a valid methodological and operational tool for future studies on MTCs, offering a standardised visual and descriptive reference for macroscopic fabrics and establishing a reliable interpretative foundation for future integrative analyses. Ultimately, the results will enhance understanding the complex trade networks and historical trajectories that shaped the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age transition in the Eastern Mediterranean.