ABSTRACT
Cypriot archaeology is a lively and flourishing area of international research, with numerous ongoing fieldwork projects, vibrant postgraduate research and an impeccable tradition in detailed, up-to-date publication. The diverse collection of stimulating papers marks a significant contribution to Cypriot archaeology in the twenty-first century. It comes at an exciting time when the narratives and discourse of archaeology are being re-imagined through new methodological and theoretical lenses and the colonial foundations of the discipline are being re-evaluated, which are fostering new and exciting directions of thought. The primary interpretative paradigm for Cypriot archaeology traditionally has been cultural-historical within a social evolutionary framework9 that does not easily fit the Cypriot material and which leaves little room to explore the role played by social agents in the dynamics of cultural change. The materiality of Bronze Age society – focusing on the social life of objects and how these are in relationship with people – is progressively being woven into the Cypriot literature.
