Cyprus before the mycenaeans: tracing the prehistoric roots of the island’s first settlers

francescaqvisionfa
Jun 3
3 min read

Author: Aristi Christoforou

The first human traces on Cyprus

Cyprus holds one of the richest tapestries of prehistoric culture in the eastern Mediterranean. Archaeological evidencefrom Akrotiri Aetokremnos, a rock shelter on the southern coast, reveals human activity dating back 12,000 years.Interestingly, these early visitors may have been seafaring hunter-gatherers, not permanent settlers. Nevertheless, their arrival coincided with the extinction of the island’s dwarf hippos and elephants — a point still debated by scholars today.

The neolithic revolution: building a life

Eventually, by circa 9000 BCE, Cyprus was no longer just visited. It was settled. The most famous of these early communities was Khirokitia, home to around 2000 people living in round stone houses with organized layouts and communal structures.Moreover, the presence of obsidian, a volcanic glass not native to Cyprus, shows that the island’s first farmers were already trading over long distances. Their interaction with the Levant and Anatolia integrated the island into a growing regional network.

How farming changed everything

To begin with, the shift from hunting and gathering to farming completely changed life on Cyprus. Around 8500 BCE, people began domesticating animals and planting crops. This wasn't just a small change — it meant that families could settle in one place for good.Because of this, early settlers built villages with stone houses, created tools for farming, and started living in tighter-knit communities. Sites like Shillourokambos even show that people brought cattle, sheep, and goats from the mainland.Also, they didn’t come empty-handed. They brought seeds, skills, and maybe even early boats to make the journey. That alone shows how advanced their planning had to be.

Not just farmers — also sailors and traders

Surprisingly, even in these early days, Cypriots were already connected to other places. Archaeologists found obsidian on the island — a volcanic glass that comes from Turkey. That tells us they were already involved in trade networks, even in the Neolithic period.Then, later on in the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages, things got even more interesting. Copper mining began, and this turned Cyprus into a hotspot for trade across the Mediterranean. People from Egypt, Syria, and the Aegean all wanted what Cyprus had: metal.And let’s not forget — all of this happened long before the Greeks showed up. It’s easy to think of Cyprus as being "Greek," but its roots are much older and more complex.

Copper and trade: cyprus steps into the bronze age

By 4500–2500 BCE, Cyprus entered the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age, marked by a leap in technological sophistication. Villages like Sotira revealed the early use of copper and picrolite, the latter prized for its blue-green ornamental quality.At the same time, copper extraction positioned the island as the heart of ancient metal trade. The famed "oxhide ingots" found in shipwrecks across the Mediterranean confirm Cyprus as the likely source of much of the ancient world's bronze supply.

The influence of geography on cultural growth

Due to its central location between Asia, Africa, and Europe, Cyprus became a natural crossroads. This geographic advantage explains how it became a melting pot of Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and later Bronze Age cultures.However, it wasn’t always an easy transition. Archaeological records show mysterious gaps in settlement — periods when major sites were abandoned, likely due to climate shifts, migration, or simply gaps in what has been discovered.Still, the people of Cyprus adapted again and again. New cultures arrived, while others evolved locally. This ongoing change laid the foundation for Cyprus to thrive when the Bronze Age boom hit.

From outpost to regional player

By the Late Bronze Age (1600–1050 BCE), Cyprus had fully evolved from a remote island into a regional powerhouse. Major sites like Enkomi had developed grid-planned cities, monumental architecture, and signs of elite control over trade and religion.Furthermore, Cyprus was no longer isolated. It exchanged pottery, metalwork, and raw materials with cultures as distant as Egypt, Crete, and the Levant. Even writing, in the form of the Cypro-Minoan script, made its appearance — another sign of its growing complexity.It was this unique blend of island innovation and international connection that made prehistoric Cyprus one of the most fascinating players in early Mediterranean history.