L’apporto cipriota nella definizione della panoplia cretese alto arcaica: il caso di Orthi Petra

In the overall panorama of exchanges and interconnections peculiar to Early Iron Age Crete, the Eastern contribution, and especially that of Cyprus, plays a fundamental role. The influx and circulation of Cypriot artifacts, materials and ideas on Crete includes also a particular category of objects: the weapons. This paper focuses on Cypriot weapons found on the island, using as a guide the evidences of the necropolis of Orthi Petra at Eleutherna. These are analyzed in relation to their formal characteristics and their attestations in Cyprus, Crete and the main cultural areas of Early Iron Age Aegean. Particular attention is given to the function of Cypriot weapons in the definition of the Cretan panoply and their possible role in the elaboration of some original Cretan types. As a whole, the contribution constitutes a reflection on the role of Cyprus in the formation and development of Iron Age Cretan metallurgical tradition.