Imitations and inTeractions in the Eastern Mediterranean: A Study of Bronze Age Cypriot Pottery

2026-07-22

ITEM is a diachronic and multi-regional reassessment of mechanisms at work in the development of imitations and productions inspired by Cypriot pottery in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Second Millennium BC. The project questions when imitations developed, why they were elaborated, who made them, what their functions were and how foreign motifs and know-how were adopted in the local traditions of the studied areas. ITEM also evaluates how the imitation process is linked to the development of trading connections between Cyprus, the Aegean, Anatolia, the Levant and Egypt and assesses their progressive evolution into cultural exchanges during the Middle and Late Bronze Ages. To bring new perspectives on these issues, the project breaks down disciplinary barriers and combines the application of anthropological and sociological theories with a technological study of the archaeological material by using analytical tools developed in Digital Humanities. The host institution, UPN – UMR ArScAn, will provide training in GIS mapping and RTI photography, which will offer new skills for the analysis of raw materials and relevant chaînes opératoires, and add concrete evidence to support ITEM’s conclusions. Research collaborations with top-rank scholars and international museum institutions will further expand my skillset, build my professional network and refine my ability to transmit results to a broad audience. ITEM explores the boundaries between exchanges of goods and ideas and the processes by which both aspects are interconnected. The limited dataset ensures the feasibility of the project, while the holistic approach makes its outcomes relevant to a wide academic community. The addressed questions and methodology can be utilised in other research fields, regions and periods. Ultimately, ITEM challenges how modern scholarship defines the concept of imitation and measures cultural interactions, a problematic which is relevant far beyond the scope of this project.

France

2026-02-15