Project Manager
Fischer, PeterProject manager
Friends of the Swedish Cyprus ExpeditionAmount granted
250 000 SEKYear
2017In international archaeological circles, the Cypriot Bronze Age city of Hala Sultan Tekke, excavated by the Söderberg expedition led by the University of Gothenburg applicant, is widely recognized as one of the most important during the period 1600-1150 BC. The protected location of the port city favored long-distance trade with cultures around the Mediterranean including Egypt but also with Mesopotamia, Central Europe and the North. Cyprian copper from this period has been found e.g. on Öland, in Uppland and Värmland and on Jutland. The aim of this subproject is to map the extent of the Bronze Age city and harbor and to search for possible shipwrecks. Preliminary surveys in 2017 with several magnetometers mounted in parallel on a cart enabled a scanning width of 5 meters, allowing a 20 hectare area within the city to be surveyed in one week. The objective of the complementary project is to 1. determine the total area of the city through continued magnetic prospecting which is fast and efficient but does not provide details of buried structures; 2. complete the survey of interesting structures with georadar providing more detailed information; 3. survey the harbor/shipwreck with magnetometer and georadar. According to Cypriot law, all areas where ancient remains can be detected by exploration are protected. The results of the project will therefore contribute to the protection of our common cultural heritage and provide opportunities to continue a Swedish archaeological tradition in Cyprus that dates back to the 1920s.