Ancient Cyprus

by Veronica Tatton-Brown

This concise survey is an introduction to the art and culture of ancient Cyprus, from the time of the first settlers around 7000 B.C. to the end of the Roman period in the late fourth century A.D..

72 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1988

Reviews

[John Isles · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short account of Cyprus Archaeology with numerous illustrations, some in black and white, of material from the island now in the British Museum. Other museums such as the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York have more extensive collections and better-illustrated catalogues, but I appreciated the chapters on the coinage of Cyprus and its ancient writing.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one afternoon, it was so fascinating. I have a love and passion for Cyprus as I've been visiting my Cypriot friends often since I was 19 (I am now 38). Their ancient past is quite intriguing as it is more influenced by the Levant than it is the Greek and Roman empires.
Often Cyprus gets forgotten or dissipitates into the umbrella history of Greece or ancient Greeks, but it actually has its own unique identity and even Aphrodite is originally NOT Greek and not just a goddess of love either. Our modern understanding of Cyprus have been misconstrued so to read about this culture and it's history as it's own entity and power house of the ancient world is a real pleasure.
I have a love of their pottery, ancient magic and folklore the most.

[Apocryphal Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book by the British Museum Press was originally published as a companion to the British Museum Collection in 1987 and updated in 1997 to expand the scope of the book a little to include objects from outside the museum.

This book is really an art history books with a little added detail. It's organized, not by period, but by class of objects - architecture and mosaics, metalwork, the human form, jewelry, coinage, etc. As such, it neither painted enough of a picture of Cypriot culture, nor told enough of a story about how that society unfolded and changed over time - so it's well-illustrated, but didn't quite scratch my itch.