Enkomi
Encyclopedia
This article is about the town and ancient settlement near Famagusta. For the suburb of Nicosia , see: Engomi
.
Enkomi is a village near Famagusta
on Cyprus
. It is the site of an important Bronze Age
city, possibly the capital of Alasiya. The name Tuzla means "salty" in Turkish
, the name it took on after the Turkish Cypriot inhabitants of old-Tuzla (a suburb west of Larnaca, next to the largest salt lake on the island) settled in the village after August 1974.
The village, as at 1974, had in the vicinity of 800 Greek Cypriot inhabitants who had all fled to the south of the island after Turkey's intervention in the aftermath of the July coup. Turkish settlements are illegal under the municipal law of Cyprus. Judge Loukēs G. Loukaidēs claims that such settlements are also illegal under international law
and the Permanent Court of International Justice
stated that repartition of Turkish settlers must take place to eliminate consequences of the "illegal act" of settlement.
, which was smelted at the site, with strong cultural links to Ugarit
on the facing coast of Syria
. The complicated and badly disturbed stratigraphy of the site resolves in the official publications in four major phases, with many subdivisions. The four phases comprise Level A, a poorly represented preliminary stratum on bedrock; Level I, at the beginning of the Late Bronze Age, when fortifications were twice destroyed; Level II, with many subdivisions, covering the elaborate expansion of the 14th and 13th centuries and ending in a mass destruction about 1220; Level III, with Mycenaean
settlers, with a destructive attack often related to the Sea Peoples
in IIIA, culturally continuous with IIIB, ending in a destruction about 1125, and IIIC, a final, Mycenaean phase with dwindling population.
During the 13th century BC, Enkomi was inhabited by Greeks, like most of the cities of Cyprus. From the 13th century, there are other towns along the south coast of Cyprus to compete with Enkomi. After an earthquake ca. 1050 BC, the site was abandoned, leaving an opening for the rise of Salamis
.
texts. Long after the town disappeared, Hellenes recalled it in the cult title of Apollo Alasiotas
, recorded in a Cypriote inscriprion as late as the fourth century BC. In 1900 Joseph Offord, working from the known to the unknown, suggested that Apollo Alasiotas was a Syrian god identical with Resheph
, transported to Cyprus, and some modern scholars remain unconvinced. The bronze statuette of a horned god (illustration) may represent this divinity whom Greeks identified, by interpretatio graeca
, with Apollo.
from 1896. From the 1930s, excavations were continued by Claude F. A. Schaeffer
for the Swedish Cyprus Expedition.
Notable finds from Enkomi include Linear C inscriptions and the so-called "horned god
", a bronze statuette dated to the early 12th century BC, depicting a deity wearing a horned helmet
. Another well-known statue is the "ingot god", a statue wearing a horned conical hat and greaves, armed with shield and spear, and standing on a miniature hide-shaped ingot.
Engomi
This article is about the suburb of Nicosia. For the ancient settlement near Famagusta, see: EnkomiEngomi is a suburb of the Cypriot capital Nicosia. It has a population of around 13,600 . It is a mainly residential neighbourhood with many large villas...
.
Enkomi is a village near Famagusta
Famagusta
Famagusta is a city on the east coast of Cyprus and is capital of the Famagusta District. It is located east of Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island.-Name:...
on Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. It is the site of an important Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
city, possibly the capital of Alasiya. The name Tuzla means "salty" in Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, the name it took on after the Turkish Cypriot inhabitants of old-Tuzla (a suburb west of Larnaca, next to the largest salt lake on the island) settled in the village after August 1974.
The village, as at 1974, had in the vicinity of 800 Greek Cypriot inhabitants who had all fled to the south of the island after Turkey's intervention in the aftermath of the July coup. Turkish settlements are illegal under the municipal law of Cyprus. Judge Loukēs G. Loukaidēs claims that such settlements are also illegal under international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
and the Permanent Court of International Justice
Permanent Court of International Justice
The Permanent Court of International Justice, often called the World Court, was an international court attached to the League of Nations. Created in 1922 , the Court was initially met with a good reaction from states and academics alike, with many cases submitted to it for its first decade of...
stated that repartition of Turkish settlers must take place to eliminate consequences of the "illegal act" of settlement.
History
Enkomi was settled in the Middle Bronze Age, near an inlet of the sea, now silted to form a plain. From about the 16th century BC to the 12th, it was an important trading center for copperCopper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, which was smelted at the site, with strong cultural links to Ugarit
Ugarit
Ugarit was an ancient port city in the eastern Mediterranean at the Ras Shamra headland near Latakia, Syria. It is located near Minet el-Beida in northern Syria. It is some seven miles north of Laodicea ad Mare and approximately fifty miles east of Cyprus...
on the facing coast of Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. The complicated and badly disturbed stratigraphy of the site resolves in the official publications in four major phases, with many subdivisions. The four phases comprise Level A, a poorly represented preliminary stratum on bedrock; Level I, at the beginning of the Late Bronze Age, when fortifications were twice destroyed; Level II, with many subdivisions, covering the elaborate expansion of the 14th and 13th centuries and ending in a mass destruction about 1220; Level III, with Mycenaean
Mycenaean Greece
Mycenaean Greece was a cultural period of Bronze Age Greece taking its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese of southern Greece. Athens, Pylos, Thebes, and Tiryns are also important Mycenaean sites...
settlers, with a destructive attack often related to the Sea Peoples
Sea Peoples
The Sea Peoples were a confederacy of seafaring raiders of the second millennium BC who sailed into the eastern Mediterranean, caused political unrest, and attempted to enter or control Egyptian territory during the late 19th dynasty and especially during year 8 of Ramesses III of the 20th Dynasty...
in IIIA, culturally continuous with IIIB, ending in a destruction about 1125, and IIIC, a final, Mycenaean phase with dwindling population.
During the 13th century BC, Enkomi was inhabited by Greeks, like most of the cities of Cyprus. From the 13th century, there are other towns along the south coast of Cyprus to compete with Enkomi. After an earthquake ca. 1050 BC, the site was abandoned, leaving an opening for the rise of Salamis
Salamis, Cyprus
Salamis was an ancient Greek city-state on the east coast of Cyprus, at the mouth of the river Pedieos, 6 km north of modern Famagusta. According to tradition the founder of Salamis was Teucer, son of Telamon, who could not return home after the Trojan war because he had failed to avenge his...
.
Alasia
René Dussaud demonstrated for most scholars that Enkomi is the Alasia of the Amarna correspondence and other texts, including HittiteHittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
texts. Long after the town disappeared, Hellenes recalled it in the cult title of Apollo Alasiotas
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
, recorded in a Cypriote inscriprion as late as the fourth century BC. In 1900 Joseph Offord, working from the known to the unknown, suggested that Apollo Alasiotas was a Syrian god identical with Resheph
Resheph
Resheph was a Canaanite deity of plague and war. In Egyptian iconography Resheph is depicted wearing the crown of Upper Egypt surmounted in front by the head of a gazelle. He has links with Theban war god Montu and was thought of as a guardian deity in battle by many Egyptian pharaohs...
, transported to Cyprus, and some modern scholars remain unconvinced. The bronze statuette of a horned god (illustration) may represent this divinity whom Greeks identified, by interpretatio graeca
Interpretatio graeca
Interpretatio graeca is a Latin term for the common tendency of ancient Greek writers to equate foreign divinities to members of their own pantheon. Herodotus, for example, refers to the ancient Egyptian gods Amon, Osiris and Ptah as "Zeus", "Dionysus" and "Hephaestus", respectively.-Roman...
, with Apollo.
Excavation
Following more than a decade of widespread looting drawn by the high quality of the tomb gifts, the site was excavated by A. S. Murray for the British MuseumBritish Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
from 1896. From the 1930s, excavations were continued by Claude F. A. Schaeffer
Claude F. A. Schaeffer
Claude Frédéric-Armand Schaeffer , aka Claude Schaeffer, led the French excavation team that begun working on the site of Ugarit in 1929, uncovering the Ugaritic religious texts.-References:...
for the Swedish Cyprus Expedition.
Horned God
The Horned God is one of the two primary deities found in some European pagan religions. He is often given various names and epithets, and represents the male part of the religion's duotheistic theological system, the other part being the female Triple Goddess. In common Wiccan belief, he is...
", a bronze statuette dated to the early 12th century BC, depicting a deity wearing a horned helmet
Horned helmet
European Bronze Age and Iron Age helmets with horns are known from a few depictions, and even fewer actual finds. Such helmets mounted with animal horns or replicas of them were probably used for religious ceremonial or ritual purposes.-Prehistoric Europe:...
. Another well-known statue is the "ingot god", a statue wearing a horned conical hat and greaves, armed with shield and spear, and standing on a miniature hide-shaped ingot.
