Priceless Bronze-age artefacts unearthed in north

TWENTY-SIX artefacts dating back to the Early Bronze Age were unearthed by Turkish Cypriot archaeologists near the village of Galinoporni on the Karpassia peninsula on Monday.

Archaeologists in the north say the find, which followed a tip-off to the museums and antiquities department by an American music lecturer at the north’s Eastern Mediterranean University, unearthed Bronze Age relics unlike others previously found on the island.

Head of the Famagusta branch of the museums and antiquities department Hasan Tekel said the objects found were “globally highly significant” as some of them “had no match anywhere in the world”.

The relics were all found in a large earthenware pot buried between two large, flat stones at the top of a hill overlooking the village of Galinoporni. They are all made of bronze and are believed to be around 3,200 years old.

Tekel explained that the relics were all domestic items designed for use either in the kitchen or in agriculture. None are thought to have a military application. A coal shovel found among the relics carries an inscription in Kripto Minoan, the oldest known language to have been used in Cyprus. Other relics found at the site include incense burners, bowls, pots, pans, knives and jugs. Some are said to be decorated with goat-head motifs.

The museums and antiquities department say the relics will be put on display at the north’s Somineli House in the near future.