Bronze Age tomb discovered in Cyprus containing luxury goods

Two Bronze Age burial chambers containing luxury goods have been discovered in Larnaca on the south coast of Cyprus. The objects were imported from across the Mediterranean and illustrate the relationships between elite families and the ancient city’s trading networks.

The ancient city of Dromolaxia-Vyzakia, known as Hala Sultan Tekke for a nearby mosque, was built around 1650 BC on the shores of the Larnaca Salt Lake, which at the time faced the Mediterranean Sea. The city prospered due to its copper production and reached its peak in the 12th century BC with a population of 11,000. Metalworkers source raw materials locally from the Troodos Mountains and then transport the processed copper for export through the city’s protected port. It had great appeal to merchants from all over the Mediterranean. Around 1150 BC, the city was destroyed by fire and permanently abandoned

The 2025 field season focuses on a portion of the ancient site’s out-of-city cemetery. Archaeologists have unearthed two burial chambers dating back to the 14th century BC. The ceiling collapsed in ancient times, damaging some of the grave goods, but most of them survived, and they testify to the widespread influence of the Dromoracia-Vizakia trade network.

A large number of artifacts were unearthed from the tombs, including finely crafted local pottery, tools and personal decorations. Of particular importance is the wide variety of imported goods, which testifies to Hara Sultan Turk’s active participation in long-distance trade networks. Luxurious ceramics came from mainland Greece (mainly Berbati and Tiryns), Crete and other Aegean islands, while Egypt contributed objects made of ivory and fine calcite (alabaster) vessels. Other imports include dark blue semi-precious lapis lazuli from Afghanistan (Sar i-Sang mine), reddish-brown agate stone from India (Gujarat mine), and amber from the Baltic region (some in the form of beads or even scarabs). These exotic items may have reached Cyprus via complex trade routes, often involving intermediate cultures such as Mycenaean, Egyptian and Mesopotamian.

Pottery from the Nuragic culture in Sardinia echoes previously documented exchanges of Cypriot copper ingots (particularly cowhide ingots) arriving in Sardinia, highlighting the key role of Cyprus in Bronze Age Mediterranean trade.

These tombs contain human remains that have been used by generations for more than a century. Older bones show evidence that they were carefully moved to make room for new burials. They are likely to be family graves and DNA analysis of the remains is currently being carried out to elucidate the relationships between the deceased. Preliminary analysis of the skeletal remains found that the remains ranged in age from newborn to adult, but that few of them were over 40 years old, suggesting that average lifespans were low even in such a prosperous town.

In conclusion, the discoveries at Hara Sultan Turk reaffirm the city’s importance as a major economic and cultural center during the Late Bronze Age. The abundance of imported goods and exquisite local artifacts found in the tombs suggest they belonged to an elite family engaged in copper export and international trade. A preference for certain foreign goods in particular burials may even hint at specialized trading roles or the presence of immigrant communities within the city.