ABSTRACT

This chapter’s goal is to explore how local cultural identities are constructed under imperial rule through a comparative archaeology of Hellenistic (ca. 311/10–30 BCE) and Roman (ca. 30 BCE–284 CE) Cyprus informed by post-Braudelian discourse. I suggest that an archaeological focus on cultural identities that integrates both long-term geohistorical factors as well as short-term processes represents a constructive way to understand imperialism. I also provide new insights into two eras in Cypriot history when social development was transformed under specific political circumstances. My focus on Cyprus sheds light on history in the Mediterranean. 2 However, this study also provides insights into histories of the Mediterranean focused on how the “mechanics of interaction” between regions were influenced by imperial polities. 3 It is hoped that this comparative case study of empires and Cyprus—a Mediterranean island weathered by history—can contribute to post-Braudelian debates on Mediterranean paradigms’ utility and to our understanding of cross-cultural interaction in today’s globalized world. 4