Cypriots at Delphi (Archaic- end of classical period)

The existence of “exotica” in Greek sanctuaries is a well-known phenomenon in the Archaic period. The presence of Cypriot objects at Delphi is attested both by archaeological and literary sources, but the definition of the corpus itself raises many questions. These objects, mainly from the Apollo sanctuary, constitute a significant set with some usual series and some exceptional artefacts. The sanctuary at Delphi received ages-old objects and seems to be well connected to the traffic routes followed by Cypriot objects in the Eastern Mediterranean. Delphi thus offers an interesting viewpoint to observe these complex networks and especially the role played by Crete in the transfer to Greece of craft processes from Cyprus.

The relationships between Cyprus and Delphi that continued through the Roman period can be traced back to the 8th century. The corpus of Cypriot material of the 8th and 7th centuries from Delphi includes bronze vessels, weapons, and a statuette. The island of Cyprus played an essential part in the Early Iron Age connections in the southern Mediterranean and in the diffusion of Near Eastern items in Greek sanctuaries.

Bronze vases

A hammered bronze cauldron, almost complete, was found in the excavation under the Chariot of the Rhodians (Aurigny 2019, n°121): the handles have a specific shape, even if the lotus flower is broken. About eight bronze handles decorated with lotus flowers are Cypriot productions and ten other are handles inspired by these models (Aurigny 2019, p. 121-123). Among the first, big lotus flowers (fig. 2), cast in bronze and filled with lead, are exceptional in Delphi. The series of bowls with handles decorated with lotus flower is a characteristic production of Cypro-Geometric period, but they appear in more recent contexts in Greek shrines.

Weapons Shields

An impressive bronze shield of Herzsprung-type (fig. 3) has been found very close to the altar of Apollo, under the Sacred Way, together with a hammered griffin protome (Lerat 1980, p. 93-103; Aurigny 2017, p. 231). Delphi is the only site from mainland Greece where a shield of this type was found, apart from Kalapodi; there are four other fragments of Herzsprung shields in Delphi. Their most probable origin is Cyprus. The island of Cyprus played an essential part in the Early Iron Age connections in the southern Mediterranean and in the diffusion of Near Eastern items into Greek sanctuaries. Many other bronze fragments come from shields decorated with ‘cypro-cretan’ motifs (Aurigny 2017); they suggest that the Cretans were inspired by Cypriot productions or that they imported them to offer them to the gods. Masterpieces of Cretan toreutics, like tripod-stands or bronze shields, are characteristic of the relationships with Near Eastern models, more precisely here Cypriot motifs; their exotic aspect emphasized their prestige value. Near Eastern metalwork developed for a long time in Crete, and close relations between Cyprus and Crete are obvious in the archaeological record.