Contextualising the Lustrous Wares at Enkomi: settlement and mortuary deposition during LCI–LCIIB.

The majority of information on Black, Red and White Lustrous Wheelmade wares on Cyprus comes from vessels deposited in tombs. This paper attempts to redress this imbalance by comparing the occurrences of these wares in both settlement and mortuary contexts during the first part of the Late Cypriot (LC) at the important coastal settlement of Enkomi. Current understanding of LCI–IIB is poor due to the lack of excavated settlements and disturbance of remains underlying the more substantial LCIIC architecture. It has long been understood that there were different processes operating in relation to ceramics considered appropriate for mortuary deposition and/or use in settlements. Therefore, examination of the Enkomi material will expand our understanding of the chronological horizon and useage of these wares. The focus of this paper is on Black Lustrous Wheelmade ware, as very few examples of Red or White Lustrous occur. The distinctive fabric and forms of the vessels, and low numbers present, suggests that the wares were not local to Enkomi. The fabric of the Black Lustrous Wheelmade ware is, however, extremely uniform and comparable to examples from LCI tombs at northern sites. This will also provide further information on the extent of contacts within the context of the widely recognised LCI ceramic regionalism.

Lindy Crewe