Swedish Cyprus Expedition

The expedition occurred between September 1927 and March 1931 and was led by the three archaeologists Einar Gjerstad, Erik Sjöqvist and Alfred Westholm together with the architect John Lindros who photographed during their time in Cyprus.

Archaeological excavations were made at various locations in Cyprus including Lapithos, Nitovikla, Agia Eirini, Marion, Idalion, Amathus, and Enkomi.

Einar Gjerstad applied Montelius' classification when he divided Cypriot pottery from the Bronze and Iron Ages into the phases "early", "middle" and "late".

Montelius' extensive use of "closed contexts" to establish typological sequences lies behind the Swedish Cyprus Expedition's methods and results.

The Swedish archaeologist’s families came along to Cyprus, therefore Rosa Lindros, Vivi Gjerstad and her children as well as their nanny Gudrun Atterman can be seen in the pictures from the excavation.

On Gjerstad's initiative, the Swedish Cyprus Committee was established the same year with the intention to organize an archaeological expedition and support the excavation economically.

[6] The committee consisted of the Swedish crown prince Gustaf VI Adolf as chairman, Sigurd Curman as secretary, Johannes Hellner as treasurer, and Martin P. Nilsson as well as Axel W. Persson.

With Gustaf VI Adolf as chairman, the opportunities to collect financial resources from private donors and patrons increased due to his royal status.

[1] Furthermore, Medelhavsmuseet’s warehouses are today full of ceramics, sculptures, and metal objects made of bronze, silver, gold, copper, and Roman glass from the Cyprus expedition.

In Stockholm they had the help of a lot of assistants such as Margit Hallberg for example, who worked with the archaeological materials in the freezing rooms of the historic museum at the Krubban quarter.

For example, Vivi Gjerstad rendered good service to the Expedition in various ways both during the excavations in Cyprus and during the preparation of the publication by proofs reading, etc.

They also found delicate proboscis jugs with elongated necks (beak spouted) and shiny red paint, which are similar to contemporary ceramics from Anatolia.

[8][3] The oldest settlement, dating from the Neolithic or Chalcolithic period, is located to the west of the village of Lapithos and is called Alonia ton Plakon.

The site consists of a white limestone rock, sloping towards the sea, and have been affected by repeated flooding from the mountain streams, therefore there’s not many traces left of the necropolis today.

[8]After the excavation at Vrysi tou Barba the Swedish Cyprus Expedition continued with the Iron age necropolis of Kastros from November 1927 until the end of April 1928.

About 100 tombs were excavated by an expedition sent by the British Museum on behalf of the Cyprus Exploration Fund in 1896 with archaeologists such as Alexander Stuart Murray, A.H. Smith, and a man known as Christian.

The wealth and importance of this burial ground improved with the years until the Late Cypriote III period, when there was a break in the development the types of tombs changed and they began to have very poor contents.

The Levanto-Helladic pottery, so characteristic of the previous period, is missing entirely, and its place is taken by Plain White Wheel-made Wares of advanced types.

[11] The tombs on the plateau, where the ground mainly consists of the local chavara, have all spacious dromoi and are from a typical point of view rather different from the ones on the southern slope.

[11] In the beginning, the sanctuary consisted of a complex of rectangular houses with walls built of mud brick on solid stone foundations of rubble.

The excavators had the impression that the cult was an agrarian one that worshipped deities who protected the crops and cattle and filled the store-rooms with corn, wine, olives, honey, and vegetables.

Instead of a closed and roofed cult house with other buildings together creating a rectangular complex, the new sanctuary was an open temenos of irregular shape surrounded by a peribolos wall of red earth.

[12] Later, in modern times, the sanctuary was forgotten and became a field until the day when Papa Prokopios realized that he had grown his corn on top of ancient terracotta sculptures.

In 1879 the Government of Cyprus filled this marshy area with soil from the upper strata of the Bamboula Hill because they wished to get rid of the malaria mosquitos.

[13] The Swedish archaeologists attempted a stratigraphic examination of the Bamboula mound to obtain information about the dating of the Phoenician colonization of Cyprus.

[13] According to The Swedish Cyprus Expedition, the acropolis commenced as a settlement from the end of the Late Cypriote II and the beginning of Cypro Geometric I period before it became a sanctuary.

The Swedish Cyprus Expedition dismissed the theory that Vouni was the ancient Aipeia, the predecessor of Soloi/Soli, since the site did not reveal any earlier finds than the 5th century B.C.

[13] The excavators found multiple stairs made of stone blocks that led both to the upper story and the ground floor of the palace.

[13] In the heat, during the excavation at Vouni Palace 1929, the Swedes took a swim during their lunch break to the small rocky island of Petra (the name means rock) near the coast.

Not much remains of this hut, only a group of rough stones and a culture stratum of dark, sandy earth mixed with ash and carbonized matter.

Map with the excavation sites in Cyprus. The picture is from an exhibition at Liljevalch's art gallery.
Einar and Vivi Gjerstad at Agia Eirini.
Toulis Souidos next to the Volvo. At the café Pyrgos.
Gustaf VI Adolf at the excavation of Stylli. 1930.
Medelhavsmuseet (The Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities) The exhibition Cypern genom tiderna. The bearded terracotta sculptures which the expedition found at the sanctuary at Mersinaki.
Margit Hallberg working. Several chapters of the Swedish Cyprus Expedition's publications were written with gloves on and warm boots tucked into straw shoes.
Beak-spouted jug of Red Polished ware. From Lapithos, Tomb 319B. Middle Cypriote I–II, ca. 1850–1775 B.C. This jug can be seen at the Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm.
Red Polished plankshaped figurine of a mother holding a cradle with an infant inside. From Lapithos, Tomb 313A. Early Cypriote III – Middle Cypriote I, ca. 2000–1800 B.C. This figurine can be seen at Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm.
Gold earrings with overlapping ends. A cluster of small gold balls probably depicting grapes. From Lapithos, Tomb 420. Ca. 1050–950 B.C. These earrings can be seen at Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm.
Tomb 702, in situ. Lapithos.
Amphoroid crater, mycenean pictorial pottery, motif of a ship and figures. Late Cypriote II, ca. 1300–1250 B.C. Tomb 3, Enkomi.
A pair of gold earrings in the shape of ornamental and conventionalized bull’ heads. The pendants are decorated with very fine granulations in straight lines, circles, and triangles, and end in balls. Excavated in tomb 11, Enkomi. Late Cypriote II, ca. 1450–1200 B.C.
Gold necklace consisting of 46 different gold beads, some are in the shape of seeds and shields. Excavated in Tomb 3 at Enkomi. Late Cypriote II, ca. 1450–1200 BC. This copy can be seen at Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm. The original can be found at the Cyprus Museum, Nicosia.
Bichrome III Plate.From tomb 19, Amathus. ca. 1050–850 B.C. Can be seen at Medelhavsmuseet.
The inside of tomb 2, Amathus.
Feeding bottle from tomb 9, Amathus. Ca. 600–475 B.C. Can be seen at Medelhavsmuseet.
This picture probably depicts the Crown Prince of Sweden, Gustaf Adolf VI, at the excavation of Stylli in Cyprus.
Different kind of pottery from Stylli, tomb 10.
Large Bichrome Amphora from Stylli, ca. 850–700 B.C. Can be seen at Medelhavsmuseet.
The western acropolis at Idalion.
The excavation at Agia Eirini. Papa Prokopios and workers.
Three terracotta bulls from Agia Eirini. Can be seen at Medelhavsmuseet.
Terracotta minotaur figurine with male genital organs and female breasts. Agia Eirini. Can be seen at Medelhavsmuseet.
Terracotta figurine with a bull mask. Agia Eirini.
The excavation of Agia Eirini.
Photograph from one of the Cyprus Exhibitions at Medelhavsmuseet with the terracotta sculptures and the betyl (stone) from Agia Eirini.
Kition. The cult room. Statues in situ. Some depict Herakles-Melqart and are probably from the Sub Archaic Style–Early Cypro-Classical I, ca 480–450 B.C.
The excavation of Kition. The rectangular base of a statue, the statue itself is missing.
Herakles or Herakles Melqart statue standing on a rectangular base with legs and head shown in profile, torso en face. Nude except for lionskin with paws knotted on the chest. Head of lionskin with teeth resting on Herakles’ head which has notched hair over forehead. Left arm raised with fist attached to the back of the head (formerly holding a club, now missing). Almond-shaped eyes and a faint smile. The back is roughly worked. From ca. 480–450 B.C. Kition. Can be seen at Medelhavsmuseet.
The Gjerstad family. Einar Gjerstad, Vivi Gjerstad and their children, as well as their nanny Gudrun Atterman outside the tents at Vouni.
Athena head with a corinthian helmet. From Vouni ca. 475–325.
Martin Gjerstad, Lazaros and the column head no. 290. Vouni. Galini.
The large stairs of the Vouni palace.
The Vouni palace.
Alfred Westholm at his desk with a map of the Vouni palace on the wall.
The Vouni head wearing a high diadem/kalathos with dancing figures alternating with double rosettes. Can be seen at Medelhavsmuseet.
The archaeologists floating. Erik Sjöqvist, Alfred Westholm and Einar Gjerstad.
View of Petra Tou Limniti from the Vouni Palace.
Two stone idols from Petra tou Limniti. ca. 6000 B.C. Can be seen at Medelhavsmuseet.
Four terracotta sculptures from Mersinaki. Can be seen at Medelhavsmuseet.
Lifesize male sculpture of limestone wearing a chiton. ca. 325–50 B.C. From Mersinaki. Can be seen at Medelhavsmuseet.
The goddess Athena mounted on a chariot drawn by four horses. ca. 600–400 B.C. From Mersinaki. Can be seen at Medelhavsmuseet.
Molded Roman lamp from Soli, ca. 50 BC-150 AD.
Naked marble sculpture probably depicting Aphrodite. Cypro-Hellenistic, IB. Found at Soli/Soloi. This sculpture can be found at the Cyprus Museum, Nicosia.
From the Swedish Cyprus Expedition's excavation at Soli Cholades. Construction of temples C–F.
A reconstruction of the theatre at Soli during the Roman period by John Lindros.