Human-environment interactions at Hala Sultan Tekke, SE Cyprus: changing landscapes, human impact and sustainability
ID
MSCA-2020-KNys01
Supervisors
Project description
The archaeological site of Hala Sultan Tekke has been excavated for more than 40 years by the Swedish archaeological expeditions, in cooperation with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel since 2001. The site had its floruit in the Late Cypriot IIC and IIIA periods (13th and 12th centuries BCE), when Cyprus played a crucial role within the Late Bronze Age East Mediterranean exchange networks. During this time the SE of Cyprus was dominated by major coastal sites among which Hala Sultan Tekke and its fertile and Cu-rich hinterland. However, very little systematic research has been carried out on this hinterland. We are initiating an archaeological survey within the Tremitos river valley and the Troodos foothills in order to understand the settlement system developments and human activities in general over time. To support this survey project we are looking for researchers to set up and carry out geoarchaeological research in the area. This would comprise the study of sedimentation and erosion processes within the river valley in order to assess the changes within the landscape and its possible causes, among which human impact. In addition, we plan to assess the environmental records of the region with pollen and isotope data to document the environmental changes. By combining all these data we aim to achieve the ultimate goal of the project: to reconstruct the diachronic human-environment interactions of the region.
About the research Group
Maritime Cultures Research Institute (MARI)
The Maritime Cultures Research Institute (MARI) is a fundamental research center that explores how people in or close to a maritime environment created particular ‘fluid’ cultures and societies based on connectivity and transience. Seas and coastal areas, including islands, estuarine and riverine environments, are liminal zones where products, people and ideas are exchanged and transformed. Indeed, traveling the seas connects people and coastal and riverine societies are well known for their ‘access’ to the world, both from the material as well as immaterial point of view. Liminal makes central, so to speak.
The center investigates the archaeology of maritime cultures and societies, which includes:
- the comparative study of societal and environmental dynamics, crises and resilience and the interaction between people and landscape
- the investigation of travels, connections and exchanges;
- access to and transfers of material culture and (cultural) knowledge.
It also comprises the study of a particular ‘maritime’ sense of place and identity, as well as the particular spaces and environments in which these travels and transactions take place, such as ships and vessels, ports of trade, towns and coastal landscapes.