FOUR CYLINDER SEALS from KITION Kition, Near Modern

FOUR CYLINDER SEALS FROM KITION

by V. E. G. KENNA and V. KARAGEORGHIS

(a) KITION

Kition, near modern Larnaca on the south coast of Cyprus, discovered as recently as 1959, seems to have been an important harbour town in the Late Bronze Age. Previously it was considered as a Phoenician foundation of the Geometric period. In the 14th and 13th centuries it was a flourishing city where copper was smelted extensively in its foundries and no doubt was exported from its har­ bour to Near-Eastern countries. Quantities of copper slag together with evi­ dence of its smelting have been found on the floors of houses which were destroyed during the last quarter of the 13th century B.C. Though we do not suggest that Kition rather than Enkomi should be identified with the Alashia of the Tell-el-Amarna tablets, the king of which sent copper to the Pharaoh, his " brother", we would emphasize that Ki­ tion offers the same possibilities for this equation as Enkomi. Moreover Ki­ tion is nearer to Egypt than Enkomi, and nearer to the copper mines of Troulli and Kalavassos. We believe, however, that the whole island and not any particular town should be identified with Alashia, if indeed this should be Cyprus and not another land altogether. Complexes of houses were excavated in 1963 at site Chrysopolitissa, almost in the centre of the Late Bronze Age city. In the 13th century levels (Late Cypriote II) these present the same characteristics as the houses of Late Bronze Age Enkomi; the rooms are arranged in the form of IT, round a courtyard in which chamber tombs were carved in the rock. The cylinder seals which are described below were found in one of these, Tomb 9, excavated in 1963. Its chamber measures 5.70 m. X 3 m., with three niches around it. Its roof had already collapsed before the construction of the buildings associated with the arrival of the Achaeans 94 v. Karageorghis at the end of the 13th century, which were built directly on top of the roof without disturbing the contents of the chamber below. There were two distinct burial periods in the tomb. The lower (and ear­ lier) contained very fragmentary Mycenaean pottery of Myc. IIIB types. The upper (latest) burial layer had large quantities of late Mycenaean I1IB dishes, and some deep bowls; the latter recall in their shape and decora­ tion the Mycenaean IIIC: 1 bowls. This is of the utmost importance for the date of the last burial in this upper burial layer, which must be placed a few years before the general catastrophe of the city at a time when Myce­ naean IIIC: 1 pottery was introduced, i. e. ca. 1230 B. C. An almost iden­ tical phenomenon may be observed in Tomb 18 at Enkomi (Swedish Cyprus Expedition) where the last burial may be dated just before or just after the arrival of the first Achaeans, as a pair of bronze greaves and a bronze sword, all of Mycenaean type, were found in association with the last burial in the tomb. It should be noted that both Enkomi Tomb 18 and the upper burial of Kition Tomb 9 have produced the same kind of pottery. The comparison with Enkomi Tomb 18 may go even further: Large quantities of gold, ivory and faience objects have been found in the Kition Tomb: fourteen gold diadems and mouth-pieces, finger-rings, ear-rings, necklaces, all of gold. There were also necklaces of faience and cornelian beads. Ivory objects include a beautiful miniature bath. There were also bowls and flasks of faience with painted decoration, scarabs in faience, ala­ baster vases, bronze weapons and bowls, and finally the three cylinder seals which are described below. Kition Tomb 9 (upper burial) may be conside­ red, together with Enkomi Tomb 18, as one of the richest ever found in Cyprus. The wealth in both these tombs illustrates the importance of En­ komi and Kition but also their great prosperity at the time just preceding the arrival of the Achaeans. The alabaster and the faience vases, the jewellery and the scarabs in Tomb 9, betray a strong Egyptian influence which will become more appa­ rent when the material is published in detail. The fourth cylinder seal (1966/508) which is described below was found in Area I1, just inside the northern part of the city wall, in a disturbed layer, and therefore not associated with any particular layer. The area near the city wall (excavated since 1963) presents the same stratification as the area of Tomb 9 (Area I). There are houses of the Late Cypriote II period, succee­ ded by houses of later periods down to the end of the 11th century B. C. The reason why these four cylinder seals are published now is to make them available to specialists in Late Bronze Age glyptic before the final publication which must await completion of the excavation which is conti­ nuing on a large scale every year. Their quality illustrates the importance of Cyprus as an artistic centre, and of Kition in particular as a prosperous city. (V.K.) Cylinder Seals from Kition 95

(b) THE SEALS

Tomb 9/16 (Fig. 1) Material: Haematite. Dimensions. Length: 3.1 cm.; diam.: 1.3 cm.; string-hole diam.: 0.5 cm. The motif is in two registers: a) Two kneeling male attendants, each of which support the sun disc by one hand, raising the other in prayer. On either side of the sun disc is a representation of the heavenly bodies, and underneath is the tree of life. Next to this group is a bucranium in a cult position, attended by two ibe­ xes rampant, outward, but regardant, and two seated female divinities. b) In the lower register, immediately underneath the display of the sun disc, is a group of two sphinxes in profile, who attend a hanging bu­ cranium. Next to this group is a squatting Bifrons male, guarded by two winged lions. The stylistic and technical relatedness of this cylinder with BM. 124 from Maroni, tomb 4, is so close, as to imply that they are both products of the same school. This seems evident when the treatment of the winged lions and attendant women divinities are considered. The use of the "love symbol" as fruit of the sacred tree in BM.124, is matched by the use of a similar quantity on the dividing line between the two registers of 9fl6. The accumulation and arrangement of the forms show an Aegean rather than Mitannian or Syrian origin. These similarities add support to a belief that these two cylinders are representative of one Cypriot-Aegean workshop as the fine cylinders e.g. BM. Ill, from Hala Sultan, are representative of ano­ ther more elegant school.

Tomb 9 /205 (Fig. 2) Material: Haematite. Dimensions. Length: 2.4 cm.; diam.: 1.3 cm.; string-hole diam.: 0.4 cm. Three Panels: a) Egyptian King holding flail, receives his VIZIer. Above, the ankh sign; below, perhaps a rapresentation of Horus, the hawk­ headed God. b) Panel divided into two. Above, two attendants facing each other hold papyrus flowers. Below, two monkeys attend the sacred tree. c) A three row guilloche. Stylistic features in the figures suggest that this is not Egyptian work, although the treatment of the heads show the influence of the Amarna style; 96 V.E.G. Kenna nor in the slightly awkward rendering of the coils in panel C, could it be Anatolian. This cylinder should, however, be compared with one said to have been excavated at Ras Shamra, with the motif of one of the Amarna princesses and her maid engraved thereon. Because of stylistic and techni­ cal characteristics, it is possible that these two fine cylinders were engraved by Cypriote artists who were acquainted with both Egyptian and Anatolian work, but whose skill derived from the Aegean. A few parallels are known, associated with Syrian coastal tombs of the Late Bronze Age. These should not be confused with an earlier Syro-Egyptian class of cylinders, which affected Cypriote glyptic in other ways.

Tomb 9/293 (Fig. 3)

Material: Beaten gold over a stone or faience core. Dimensions. Length: 2.8 cm.; diam.: 1.1 cm.; string-hole diam.: 0.25 cm. Man to the right walking, with two birds; a swimming fish, and two snakes entwined round the sacred tree (a possible prototype of the Cadu­ ceus). Sundry small dots are used either to represent the stars, or as filling ornaments. The style ultimately derives from Syro-Egyptian cylinders of the IS-14th century B.C., which affected three groups of Cypriote cylinders. 9/293 appears to be a votive object or jewel, rather than a seal.

Kition 1966/508 (Fig. 4) Material: Steatite. Dimensions .. Length: 2.5 cm.; diam.: 1.1 cm.; string-hole diam.: 0.4 cm. A man, a lion and perhaps three birds before the sacred tree, whose top has been transformed into a rudimentary likeness of the Kassite Cross. The man is armed with a giant spear. The figure of the man has been affec­ ted by the Syro-Egyptian style of some cylinders found in Cyprus and the form of the standing bird is known from other examples. The whole enclo­ sed between two lines. The style and workmanship suggest that this cylinder lies between the sphragistic and talismanic traditions and has been affected by both.

(V.E.G.K.) fig. 1: Kition, Tomb 9/16 (2: 1)

fig. 2: JGtion, Tomb 9/205 (2: 1) fig. 3: Kition, Tomb 9/293 (2: 1)

fig. 4: Kition 1966/508 (2: 1)