Enkomi e l’estetica “orientalizzante

This paper illustrates the central role played by Enkomi in the changes that occurred during the Late Bronze Age in Cypriot society. These changes resulted in the rise of a number of regional polities characterized by a high degree of socio-political, administrative and religious organization. Enkomi is often considered to be the first state-like entity on Cyprus and is sometimes identified as Alashiya, mentioned in textual sources referring to Cypriot copper as the principal export of the island. The resulting wealth of local élites boosted the demand for foreign luxury objects imported from or imitating Near Eastern, Egyptian or Aegean prestige items. Such artifacts, which occur in local rich funerary assemblages, frequently carry symbols linked with the royal power of Oriental dynasts and accordingly hint at the ways in which Cypriote élites legitimized their social and political-ideological status. By highlighting this behavior and comparing it with what was going on in the Mediterranean area as a whole between the Geometric and the Archaic age, this paper intends to contribute to the ongoing debate about the ambiguous concepts of ‘Orientalizing’ and ‘Orientalization’.