Former head of the Antiquities Department Vassos Karageorghis describes what it was like the last time Cyprus had an important natural resource to trade. It was around 3,500 years ago and the resource was copper
AFTER ABOUT six thousand years of relative isolation Cyprus started exploiting her rich copper mines at the beginning of the second millennium BC.
Copper not only changed the lifestyle of the Cypriots, who started making more effective tools, weapons, and other utensils with this new material, but thanks to technologies introduced from neighbouring countries they were able to make an alloy of copper and zinc, which resulted in a much harder alloy, bronze. Numerous such examples have been found in tombs throughout the island.
Cyprus was privileged by nature to have rich resources of copper which were very much in demand throughout the ‘Old World’ of the Mediterranean and even beyond. Written tablets from the Palace of Mari in Mesopotamia refer to Cyprus, under the name of Alasia, as a copper producing country. Cypriot copper, in the form of ingots, was exported as far as the central Mediterranean, Egypt, the Aegean, Anatolia and even the Black Sea.
The Pharaoh of Egypt, the ‘superpower’ of the Bronze Age, had a regular correspondence with the King of Alasia, who used to send him hundreds of copper ingots, in exchange for luxury goods.
In a shipwreck near the south western coast of Asia Minor dating to the end of the 14th century BC, 355 copper ingots were found weighing ten tons. Scientific analysis has demonstrated that the copper came from Cyprus and was destined for the Aegean. Ingots have also been found in Crete and the Greek mainland.
The King of Cyprus became very influential among the rulers of the great powers of the ‘Old World’. The King of Ugarit in Syria referred to him as ‘my brother’. Further loads of copper were also found in shipwrecks dating back to 1200 BC.
Installations for the smelting of copper were situated in the main urban centres along the eastern and southern coasts of Cyprus and from its harbours the precious commodity was exported to east and west. The wealth of Cyprus is reflected in the rich gifts found in tombs of the Late Bronze Age, mainly during the 14th and 13th centuries BC. The treasures included Mycenaean vases, objects of gold and silver, as well as other luxury goods, such as alabaster, and faience imported from Egypt.

View of the shipwreck off the coast of Asia Minor (Ulu Burun), dating to the end of the 14th century BC
The Late Bronze Age was the island’s ‘Golden Age’. It was copper which attracted the first Aegean immigrants who settled on the island and gradually caused the hellenisation of Cyprus. Copper was needed for the manufacture of weapons and all those who wanted to dominate in the Mediterranean needed large quantities of it. Cyprus could supply them.
The Cypriots were very conscious of copper’s importance in their everyday life and in preserving the ‘international’ position of the island. They did their utmost to protect their copper resources by placing the production of copper under the protection of their gods, one male and the other female, the bronze statues of which have been found. They both stand on a base in the form of a copper ingot. Small votive ingots with engraved inscriptions in the Cypro-Minoan script are also known, symbolic offerings for the blessing of the copper mines. The old gods of Cyprus did protect them.
But one wonders whether the piety of modern Cypriots achieve a similar protection for our petrol and gas.
The export of copper continued into the first millennium BC, but to a lesser degree once iron came to dominate the manufacture of weapons.
The territorial waters of Cyprus are hiding a new precious commodity – petrol and gas – which is as vital today as copper was in antiquity.
The government is trying to secure safe exploitation of this wealth, based on international law and strengthen its position through ‘alliances’ with other friendly neighbours.
Is Cyprus entering a new ‘Golden Age’? In the Late Bronze Age trade in copper was carried out peacefully and the King of Alasia was treated as a ‘brother’ and with respect by the island’s neighbours. Not so to-day, at least with regard to one neighbour. We all hope that the exploitation of the new commodity will be carried out peacefully and that our island will gain once more its ‘pristine glory’, to use the words of an inscription found in the Gymansium of ancient Salamis.
42 Comments
MichaelPiliOCod
July 7, 2014 at 18:30RT @eevriviades: 3,500 yrs ago it was copper.Will pieties of modern #Cyprus achieve similar protection 4petrol &gas? http://t.co/jkMNR2ihWv…
angeloslenos
July 7, 2014 at 12:12From the bronze age to the golden era? #cyprus was powerful yet a hub for cooperation #EastMed #bronze #oilandgas http://t.co/Fgz4WIxF7D
blackirse
July 7, 2014 at 09:43http://t.co/kArIa3MyWo
CyprusRT
July 7, 2014 at 04:35RT @Veelgedoe: Let’s not forget copper used up all trees on #Cyprus and brought the Greek settlers ending the own Cypriot language.http://t…
CyprusTweets
July 7, 2014 at 04:33RT @Veelgedoe: Let’s not forget copper used up all trees on #Cyprus and brought the Greek settlers ending the own Cypriot language.http://t…
Veelgedoe
July 7, 2014 at 04:27Let’s not forget copper used up all trees on #Cyprus and brought the Greek settlers ending the own Cypriot language.http://t.co/MIMfD5fqxC
TonyPhyrillas
July 7, 2014 at 02:50The rich history of #copper in Cyprus | Cyprus Mail http://t.co/KnWyahHcCc via @cyprusmail
AndKyprianou
July 6, 2014 at 22:53RT @eevriviades: 3,500 yrs ago it was copper.Will pieties of modern #Cyprus achieve similar protection 4petrol &gas? http://t.co/jkMNR2ihWv…
MariosKaratzias
July 6, 2014 at 22:45RT @eevriviades: 3,500 yrs ago it was copper.Will pieties of modern #Cyprus achieve similar protection 4petrol &gas? http://t.co/jkMNR2ihWv…
CyprusTweets
July 6, 2014 at 22:26RT @eevriviades: 3,500 yrs ago it was copper.Will pieties of modern #Cyprus achieve similar protection 4petrol &gas? http://t.co/jkMNR2ihWv…
CyprusRT
July 6, 2014 at 22:25RT @eevriviades: 3,500 yrs ago it was copper.Will pieties of modern #Cyprus achieve similar protection 4petrol &gas? http://t.co/jkMNR2ihWv…
eevriviades
July 6, 2014 at 22:173,500 yrs ago it was copper.Will pieties of modern #Cyprus achieve similar protection 4petrol &gas? http://t.co/jkMNR2ihWv @MariosKaratzias
Silvergunner
July 6, 2014 at 21:38The author cannot bring himself to call the shore where the ancient ingots were found as Turkey – he prefers to call it Asia Minor? I wonder whether this name was given to it because it’s population came from Asia Major?
Duncan207
July 6, 2014 at 21:01RT @ticiaverveer: Before the gas, there was copper http://t.co/yURY9Tqp2k archaeology Cyprus
costaskarseras
July 6, 2014 at 20:44Now I know where the bankers got their ideas and robbed the millions of people of their life savings across the world. From the ancient Cypriots. The Cypriots, added stones to the copper ingots to make them heavier and used the then not existing weight measures of kilo to cheat. Some people never knew any form of dishonesty until they arrived in Cyprus. In their countries, they say that sausages are god’s food because only god knows what is in them. As for Dionysus’ drink, the Cypriots also taught them to add antifreeze glycol to the wine.
Cypriots, don’t trust these neo-liberals one iota. Keep your eyes on your EEZ wealth. The looting that took place in Africa, in Latin America and every country they been to has condemned their people to permanent poverty.
alexander the new yorker
July 6, 2014 at 17:4585% of all the copper of the whole world that has ever been mined and refined through out human history is still in use today ! Copper is the most recyclable metal there is.
Today there are copper atoms originally from Cyprus are everywhere including the signal path of the internet displaying this post and satellites orbiting the earth !
k8droste
July 6, 2014 at 16:34RT @keftiugal: Ancient copper trade & Cyprus: Before the gas, there was copper | Cyprus Mail http://t.co/lVOe7bZQl9 via @cyprusmail
ticiaverveer
July 6, 2014 at 16:24Before the gas, there was copper http://t.co/yURY9Tqp2k archaeology Cyprus
keftiugal
July 6, 2014 at 16:01Ancient copper trade & Cyprus: Before the gas, there was copper | Cyprus Mail http://t.co/lVOe7bZQl9 via @cyprusmail
CIBNetwork
July 6, 2014 at 15:44RT @cyprusmail: Before the gas, around 3,500 years ago, #Cyprus had a different natural resource to trade – copper: http://t.co/3Wg0oweHe7
AKi77
July 6, 2014 at 15:37In fact the very word copper is derived from the Greek name for the island, Kupros.
Cypriots first worked copper in the fourth millennium B.C., fashioning tools from native deposits of pure copper, which at that time could still be found in places on the surface of the earth. The discovery of rich copper-bearing ores on the north slope of the Troodos Mountains led
to the mining of Cyprus’ rich mineral resources in the Bronze Age at sites such as Ambelikou-Aletri.
panaloiz
July 6, 2014 at 15:22RT @CharlesEllinas: “@cyprusmail: Before the gas, around 3,500 years ago, #Cyprus had copper: http://t.co/JJ1NrGKsdF”. Used wisely gas can …
CyprusTweets
July 6, 2014 at 14:15RT @CharlesEllinas: “@cyprusmail: Before the gas, around 3,500 years ago, #Cyprus had copper: http://t.co/JJ1NrGKsdF”. Used wisely gas can …
CharlesEllinas
July 6, 2014 at 14:13“@cyprusmail: Before the gas, around 3,500 years ago, #Cyprus had copper: http://t.co/JJ1NrGKsdF”. Used wisely gas can bring prosperity too
CyprusRT
July 6, 2014 at 14:12RT @cyprusmail: Before the gas, around 3,500 years ago, #Cyprus had a different natural resource to trade – copper: http://t.co/3Wg0oweHe7
CyprusTweets
July 6, 2014 at 14:07RT @cyprusmail: Before the gas, around 3,500 years ago, #Cyprus had a different natural resource to trade – copper: http://t.co/3Wg0oweHe7
cyprusbiz
July 6, 2014 at 14:05RT @cyprusmail: Before the gas, around 3,500 years ago, #Cyprus had a different natural resource to trade – copper: http://t.co/3Wg0oweHe7
cyprusmail
July 6, 2014 at 14:02Before the gas, around 3,500 years ago, #Cyprus had a different natural resource to trade – copper: http://t.co/3Wg0oweHe7
thelondonbear
July 6, 2014 at 12:27Before the gas, there was copper | Cyprus Mail http://t.co/vSRuF6dLq5 via @cyprusmail
Bystander
July 6, 2014 at 11:25Heh, those were times when Cyprus has been a ‘copper hub’ of the Mediterranean.
Copper today is even more precious than in Bronze Age. Maybe, Cyprus government should re-consider re-opening of copper mines. As for gas and oil – situation is still very unclear.
No mentioning of any names of Cypriot Kings in the article, by the way. Were they nameless?
CM reader
July 7, 2014 at 03:50Would they be economical? Deep mining seldom is!
phillipneville3
July 6, 2014 at 10:12Before the gas, there was copper | Cyprus Mail http://t.co/RwKuf0R8S7 via @cyprusmail
Brian Whiffen
July 6, 2014 at 09:49some of this copper also found its way as far as ancient Britain, though not known if directly or not, along with artifacts from around the eastern Mediterranean,
divadi bear
July 6, 2014 at 09:46You forgot to mention that Cyprus/Alasia lost it’s lead in the market when Cypriots began to place heavy stones in the middle of the ingots. The ingots were sold by weight of 1 kilo so what customers were getting was only about 40% to 60% copper in each ingot !
Cris Dan
July 6, 2014 at 09:50This is also informative for me.(:
Kurtz
July 6, 2014 at 14:17Some places still do it when selling gold 😉
Barry White
July 6, 2014 at 23:17Did it come with a Title Deed ?
Peter Davis
July 7, 2014 at 11:55But of course, only you don’t get ownership. Having paid the full price the owner remains the dealer, who sells it again and again and then passes it onto his sons so they can use it as security for a bank loan.
Cris Dan
July 6, 2014 at 08:58A very interesting and informative article.
iCyprusNews
July 6, 2014 at 08:43Before the gas, there was copper http://t.co/R3sKxwJ69Q #LocalNews #AntiquitiesDepartment #bronze #Cyprus #News #Greek