Canaanite jars in Cyprus in the 13th-12th centuries BC. Transfer of goods, transformation of networks

Canaanite jars are well attested in Cyprus between the 13th and 12th centuries, during a period of socio-political and economic transformation and change. An examination of the specimens found at the two key sites of Maa Paleokastro and Pyla Kokkinokremos allows us to define the spread of the different morphological types of coastal Levantine origin. Contrary to what one might expect, the commercial amphora with angular shoulder is less common in Cyprus, where, on the other hand, bellied jars of coastal Syrian origin are found. From an overview of the Canaanite jars, it would seem reasonable to assume that Cyprus, during the transitional Late Bronze Age (LBA) to Early Iron Age (EIA) period, was part of a trade network involving the island itself, the Syrian coast and the southern Anatolian are.