Unlocking the Legacy of Ayia Irini–Paleokastro: Reassessing an Early-Excavated Late Bronze Age Cemetery in Cyprus

Ayia Irini–Paleokastro is one of the most significant Late Bronze Age (LC I, ca. 1650–1430 BC) funerary landscapes in Cyprus and a key site for understanding the emergence of early urban societies and their Mediterranean connections. Located in Morphou Bay, on the island’s northwestern coast, the cemetery preserves exceptional evidence for burial practices, social differentiation, and cultural interaction during a transformative phase in Bronze Age Cyprus.

Excavated in the 1970s by the Italian Archaeological Mission under the auspices of the National Research Council (CNR), the site includes two major funerary clusters. Fifty years after Paolo Emilio Pecorella’s first preliminary publication (1977), much of the archaeological material and archival documentation remains unpublished and difficult to access. Since the Turkish military occupation of the area following the 1974 crisis, no further fieldwork has been possible, increasing the importance of the existing collections.

This project aims to produce the first comprehensive, updated, and internationally accessible publication of the Ayia Irini–Paleokastro funerary evidence. Combining traditional archaeological analysis with multidisciplinary approaches, advanced digital documentation, and new visual recording, the project will reassess the cemetery within current interpretative frameworks. Beyond the publication of a major legacy excavation, it will contribute to generating new insights into social organization, cultural interaction, and technological practices in Bronze Age Cyprus, restoring Ayia Irini–Paleokastro to its central place in Mediterranean archaeology.

The publication project is directed by Drs. Luca Bombardieri and Marialucia Amadio.