A. Bernard Knapp (Emeritus Professor at the University of Glasgow) has been at the forefront of Mediterranean scholarship, with a long track record of insightful publications predominately concerning the archaeology of Cyprus. He played an early pivotal role in applying theoretical approaches to Mediterranean archaeology (Knapp Reference Knapp1985, Reference Knapp1990; Knapp et al. Reference Knapp, Held and Manning1994), while also running highly regarded field survey projects highlighting innovative methodological approaches (the Sydney Cyprus Survey Project and the Troodos Archaeological and Environmental Survey Project). As the founder and one of the long-standing editors of the Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology (JMA), his impact has expanded to cover all aspects of Mediterranean archaeological research. This regional and academic breadth is a clear feature in the Festschrift volume in his honour that has been assembled here and was originally presented as a workshop held in Nicosia, Cyprus, in 2019.
This volume is a wide-ranging collection of papers that begins with a focus on the archaeology of Cyprus, before broadening out with case studies from the wider Mediterranean. Chronologically the volume is equally expansive, covering a sweep of time from the Bronze Age to the Roman period. The volume not only presents new research from a series of diverse Mediterranean contexts, but many of the contributions also reflect on methodological practice and theoretical concerns, with appeal for a wider audience.
The volume opens with a pair of introductory contributions reflecting on the career and legacy of Knapp, authored by his contemporary and co-editor of the JMA, John Cherry, and by Sturt Manning (this volume's editor). The following chapters are grouped in five thematic sections: ‘Cypriot Pre- and Proto-history and economy’, ‘Cyprus and metallurgy’, ‘Cypriot landscapes’, ‘The wider Mediterranean: prehistory, society and context’ and, finally, ‘Maritime archaeology of Cyprus and the Levant’. The integration of recipes and references to menus is a welcome, intimate note often found in the footnotes or acknowledgements of the papers that attest to the close relationships of the contributors with Knapp and gives the volume a welcome human touch that is often missing in these types of academic publications.
‘Cypriot Pre- and Proto-history and economy’ is an excellent section, with three contributions that are grounded in larger regional and often theoretical discussions. Webb's chapter reflects on the debate surrounding external contacts with Bronze Age Cyprus, focusing on the movement and trade of copper and copper-based artefacts. Fisher raises issues of agency in the built environment and the effects on social life and place-making at key elite sites in Cyprus. Kearns provides an interesting reflection on social transformation from the Late Bronze Age through to the Iron Age, looking at survey data using the polity of Amathus in southern Cyprus during the first millennium BC as a case study.
‘Cyprus and metallurgy’ is a short section that includes two contributions reporting on field projects looking at the role of metallurgy in prehistoric Cyprus—namely Politiko Phorades (a smelting site) and Mathiatis Mavrovouni (a suggested miner's sanctuary site). ‘Cypriot landscapes’ is another brief section, with two chapters looking at different methodological approaches to landscape archaeology in Cyprus. Andreou reassesses the impact of colonialism on our understanding of the mountain landscape of the Troodos Mountains, while Given reflects on the use and reliability of archaeological survey data.
‘The wider Mediterranean: prehistory, society and context’ section brings together case studies from across the Mediterranean that speak to the same methodological, chronological and epistemological concerns as those focusing on Cyprus. The case studies span from Sicily to Syria and from the Middle Bronze Age through to the Iron Age, touching on networks (Blake), landscapes of memory (Rupp & Tsipopoulou), routes and roadways (Brysbaert), trading networks and luxuries (Monroe) and the relationships and entanglements between cultures (van Dommelen). This section ends with a discussion of the difficulties surrounding correlation and causation when working with climate proxy data, with specific reference to the Late Bronze Age Mediterranean (Manning). It covers an impressive breadth of new research being undertaken throughout the Mediterranean. ‘Maritime archaeology of Cyprus and the Levant’ includes three contributions, two focusing on recent excavations—one in the Haifa Bay of Israel (Artzy & Martin-Garcia) and one on Cyprus (Atkins). The final contribution (Demesticha) outlines the relationship between potential mooring sites, their topographic setting and subsequent wind erosion, noting that the latter may have remodelled the coastline and destroyed several harbour sites.
As always with an edited volume, some projects are further along in their collection and analysis of evidence; however, all are clear in contextualising their interpretation in insightful and sometimes novel ways. In general, this volume will be of keen interest to both practitioners and students of the archaeology of Cyprus. The methodological, chronological and regional scope of most contributions will make it highly relevant to those interested in the Mediterranean and also to those interested in trade, metallurgy and maritime archaeology across the globe.
