Kaleburnu-Kraltepe / Galinoporni-Vasili

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The name Kaleburnu-Kraltepe / Galinoporni-Vasili (also Kaleburnu / Galinoporni , or these names in reverse order) is used to denote an archaeological site on the Karpas peninsula in northeastern Cyprus , which dates back to the Late Bronze Age IIC / IIIA (13th to 18th centuries ) 12th century BC). 26 bronze objects were found, including 16 storage vessels and three incense burners as well as seven tools. A stirrup vessel made of clay was found in the immediate vicinity.

Political requirements

The site had already been known since 1879 by the traveler and archaeologist David Hogarth , who discovered graves near "Gallibornu". Paul Åström found a grave outside the village “Galinoporni”.

The occupation by the Turkish army meant, in accordance with the UN conventions of 1954, 1970 and 1972, that no excavations were allowed to be carried out on illegally occupied territory; the United Nations Security Council viewed the North as a “secessionist entity”. Therefore, the excavation campaign from 2004 onwards was highly controversial for political reasons. Until then, only Ankara University, with its excavations in Salamis, had violated the principle that only the Republic of Cyprus, as the only recognized state, was allowed to authorize excavations. Only emergency excavations were therefore permitted. Therefore, only UNESCO personnel were allowed to dig there. Since the Cypriot Department of Antiquities had not issued a permit, the excavation was considered illegal under both international and Cypriot law, and the archaeologists had to face legal consequences. Proponents from Cyprus as well as from the international archaeological community, however, viewed the excavation as an emergency excavation, as the robbery had already started and the site was also threatened by erosion. The International Council on Monuments and Sites , even if this is sometimes presented differently, in no way condemned the excavation, but rather the change of the name "Gallinoporni". Against this background, the Fritz Thyssen Foundation froze its funding after the first excavation campaign, and the University of Tübingen initially withdrew from the project. In 2006, Oxford University , which was awaiting funding from the Greek Cypriot AG Leventis Foundation , was put under pressure by the latter. A letter was presented to one of the archaeologists, Martin Bartelheim , in which he was to apologize for digging at King's Hill and in which he was to promise not to dig in Northern Cyprus any more. Bartelheim refused. Turkish scientists also experienced similar professional problems. Even citing Turkish literature could have professional consequences for archaeologists, while this has apparently long been the practice in other sciences.

Excavations

In June 2004, an extremely rich Late Bronze Age hoard was discovered on a hill, which the Turkish people called Kraltepe, the Greek Vasili (both means 'Königsberg'). This belongs to the village of Kaleburnu or Galinoporni . The hill protrudes 100 m from the fertile plain and has terraces on its south and east slopes. At its top, about 30 m above the top terraces, remains of the settlement are visible. Large quantities of pottery shards from large storage vessels were found there. The settlement was probably an administrative or power center that is otherwise not known on the Karpas, but this is probably only due to a lack of archaeological research. The settlement also had ritual and economic functions.

Since the hill was badly affected by erosion and threatened by robbery graves , the first excavation campaign was carried out in the summer of 2005. In addition, geological surveys were started in the wider area.

Due to the enormous copper deposits and the proximity to the most economically active centers of the Mediterranean, the Karpas peninsula was of considerable importance. Under the influence of the Middle East, rich settlements with urban structures emerged on the island, which cultivated intensive contacts with the neighboring mainland cities. Kraltepe / Vasili is the first structure of this kind on the Karpas, the bronze find the largest of its kind from the Late Bronze Age Cyprus. The artifacts are of high quality and otherwise only appear in cities such as Ugarit , Megiddo , Akko or Beth Shan.

The archaeological program includes the exchange of students and lecturers from the Eastern Mediterranean University and the Institute for Prehistory and Archeology of the Middle Ages at the University of Tübingen .

literature

  • Martin Bartelheim, Bülent Kızılduman, Uwe Müller, Ernst Pernicka , Hasan Tekel: The Late Bronze Age Hoard of Kaleburnu / Galinoporni on Cyprus , in: Památky Archeologické 99 (2008) pp. 161–188.

Web links

Remarks

  1. ^ Samuel Andrew Hardy: Interrogating Archaeological Ethics in Conflict Zones: Cultural Heritage Work in Cyprus. Diss., University of Sussex, 2010, p. 74 ( online , PDF).
  2. ^ Samuel Andrew Hardy: Interrogating Archaeological Ethics in Conflict Zones: Cultural Heritage Work in Cyprus. Diss., University of Sussex, 2010, pp. 74 f.
  3. ^ Samuel Andrew Hardy: Interrogating Archaeological Ethics in Conflict Zones: Cultural Heritage Work in Cyprus. Diss., University of Sussex, 2010, p. 78.