Ritual or Refuse? Depositional Practices in Wells, Pits and Tombs at Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus

This volume investigates exceptional deposits of complete and broken objects in wells, shafts and a tomb at Hala Sultan Tekke, shedding new light on depositional practices as an important indicator of ritual activities in Late Bronze Age Cyprus. More than 60 ‘pits’ were uncovered during Swedish excavations conducted between 2014 and 2022 in an unbuilt area just outside the densely occupied city centre, including 21 wells, numerous tombs and 16 other pits and shafts whose function remains uncertain. Their fills contain peculiar assemblages of large quantities of pottery, ceramic figurines, seals, textile production tools, bronze and stone objects, animal bones and charred plant remains, which differ markedly from ordinary household or workshop refuse, indicating that they resulted from deliberate acts of deposition rather than incidental accumulation.

Drawing on a wealth of illustrations, the volume analyses how these deposits were formed, the functions and biographies of the objects they contain, their chronology and the regional and long-distance connections reflected in the material. Particular attention is paid to the presence and significance of imports from the Aegean, Egypt, the Levant, Anatolia and Sardinia. The volume also re-evaluates comparable deposits elsewhere on Cyprus in light of the findings from Hala Sultan Tekke and offers an important new perspective on the role of deliberate deposition in 2nd millennium Cyprus, situating these practices within the broader social and ritual landscapes of the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Asia.