Mortuary Ritual and Society in Bronze Age Cyprus

Priscilla Keswani received her Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Michigan in 1989 and has taught at Washington State University and the Borough of Manhattan Community College. She has participated in archaeological field projects in Cyprus for many years and published a number of scholarly papers on Bronze Age burial practices, political organization, exchange systems, and pottery.

• 1.Introduction 2.Mortuary Ritual and Society: Some Theoretical Considerations 3.The Archaeological Record of Mortuary Practice in Cyprus: Formation Processes, Sampling Issues and a Methodology for Interpretation 4.The Early and Middle Bronze Age 5.The Late Bronze Age 6.Mortuary Ritual, Social Structure and Macro-Processual Change in the Cypriot Bronze Age

"The book is an indispensable tool for anyone attempting to come to terms with the extremely complex and highly variable resolution of the Cypriot mortuary record. ...Keswani presents a compelling case for moving beyond interpretation of 'prestige good' towards a more holistic approach incorporating the actions of the living in reconstructing society from mortuary practices." Antiquity, Volume:79 (Sept 2005), pp 705-707 'Priscilla Keswani's comprehensive survey of Cypriot Bronze Age mortuary practices is a welcome addition to the literature on the archaeology of the island. Supported by detailed analysis of of ethnographic data and superb manipulation of the raw data from the major Bronze Age tomb groups that have been excavated throughout the island, Keswani puts forward convincing arguments for the social, political, and economic changes underpinning funerary ritual on Cyprus during the Bronze Age. The book will be of great value to other scholars working in the field and to students of Cypriot and Near Eastern archaeology.' Louise Steel, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, February 2006, issue #341