Although the earliest known literary evidence for a dual-sexed divinity on Cyprus dates to the fifth century BCE, archaeological evidence indicates there was a tradition on the island of sexually ambiguous imagery which predates the literary sources. This information prompted the present research, which traces the tradition back to the earliest known examples on Late Neolithic Cyprus, and tracks its evolution through to the Cypro-Archaic period. Rather than rely upon descriptions, photographs and drawings presented in consulted publications, the various international museums that house the figures were visited by the writer in order to physically examine the images. Controversial aspects of these figures were discussed with senior museum staff and/or curators. If figurines were unavailable for viewing, where possible, photographs were acquired from the relevant museums, and controversial aspects of the figures discussed by email. As a result, the majority of the images discussed in this thesis have been examined and photographed by the author. A catalogue of the sexually ambiguous imagery for Cyprus from the Neolithic to the Cypro-Archaic period has been compiled and is included in this work. It is proposed that the imagery is of Cypriot innovation, and consists of proto-anthropomorphic, anthropomorphic and half-animal, half-human representations. The genre is influenced from its earliest period by the figurative art of the Syro-Anatolian mainland, but from the Late Bronze Age onwards, influences from the western Mediterranean and Aegean are also evident. Despite the periods in which there is little evidence for figurine production, sexually ambivalent imagery re-emerges when figurative evidence is once more apparent in the archaeological records. Furthermore, stylistic continuity of the genre from one period to the next is also apparent. This continuity is regardless of the cultural changes which occur intermittently during the seven millennia period relevant to this study. Although it is not until the Cypro-Geometric period that there is firm evidence to support a religious interpretation of sexually equivocal imagery, it is suggested that the genre from the earliest period was at least associated with fertility, and perhaps religious cult.

Although the earliest known literary evidence for a dual-sexed divinity on Cyprus dates to the fifth century BCE, archaeological evidence indicates there was a tradition on the island of sexually ambiguous imagery which predates the literary sources. This information prompted the present research, which traces the tradition back to the earliest known examples on Late Neolithic Cyprus, and tracks its evolution through to the Cypro-Archaic period. Rather than rely upon descriptions, photographs and drawings presented in consulted publications, the various international museums that house the figures were visited by the writer in order to physically examine the images. Controversial aspects of these figures were discussed with senior museum staff and/or curators. If figurines were unavailable for viewing, where possible, photographs were acquired from the relevant museums, and controversial aspects of the figures discussed by email. As a result, the majority of the images discussed in this thesis have been examined and photographed by the author. A catalogue of the sexually ambiguous imagery for Cyprus from the Neolithic to the Cypro-Archaic period has been compiled and is included in this work. It is proposed that the imagery is of Cypriot innovation, and consists of proto-anthropomorphic, anthropomorphic and half-animal, half-human representations. The genre is influenced from its earliest period by the figurative art of the Syro-Anatolian mainland, but from the Late Bronze Age onwards, influences from the western Mediterranean and Aegean are also evident. Despite the periods in which there is little evidence for figurine production, sexually ambivalent imagery re-emerges when figurative evidence is once more apparent in the archaeological records. Furthermore, stylistic continuity of the genre from one period to the next is also apparent. This continuity is regardless of the cultural changes which occur intermittently during the seven millennia period relevant to this study. Although it is not until the Cypro-Geometric period that there is firm evidence to support a religious interpretation of sexually equivocal imagery, it is suggested that the genre from the earliest period was at least associated with fertility, and perhaps religious cult.

Au début de l’âge du Fer chypriote, la nouvelle topographie qui marque l’île est représentée par des sites identifiés notamment grâce à la découverte de nécropoles, alors que la mise au jour des contextes d’habitat et de sanctuaires fait défaut. À ce déséquilibre de la documentation s’ajoute l’absence de sources écrites, ce qui rend difficile l’appréhension des contextes culturel et historique de l’époque chypro-géométrique. Cela n’est cependant pas le cas pour la période chypro-archaïque : les inscriptions royales assyriennes nous renseignent que l’île était divisée en royaumes dont l’existence est également corroborée par d’autres manifestations culturelles. Dans ce cadre s’insère l’étude de vastes assemblages céramiques, qui constituent par ailleurs la donnée archéologique la plus abondante, provenant des contextes funéraires à l’échelle de l’île (Paphos, Kourion, Amathonte, Kition, Lapithos, Kythrea, Alaas, Salamine) dans le but d’identifier l’existence d’ateliers régionaux. Grâce à l’étude de l’artisanat céramique à un niveau micro-spatial et pour une chronologie qui s’étend approximativement du XIe au VIIIe s. av. J.-C., la présente recherche parvient à définir des identités culturelles régionales et à proposer une révision du système typo-chronologique de l’époque Chypro-géométrique. Dans un dernier temps, elle fournit de nouveaux éléments sur la géographie politique de l’île et les relations entre les divers sites durant l’époque Chypro-géométrique, contribuant en même temps à approcher les processus de la consolidation des royaumes de l’époque Chypro-archaïque. / Cyprus at the inception of the Early Iron Age is known almost exclusively through sites of a mortuary character; settlement and sanctuary contexts are practically absent. In addition, the absence of written sources for the Cypro-Geometric period obstructs the understanding of the historical and cultural contexts for this horizon. This is not the case for the subsequent Cypro-Archaic period, when the existence of the Cypriot kingdoms is attested by royal Assyrian inscriptions and other manifestations in the archaeological record of the island. Within this framework, the present research examines the pottery assemblages from island-wide mortuary contexts of the Cypro-Geometric period (Paphos, Kourion, Amathous, Kition, Lapithos, Kythrea, Alaas, Salamis), in order to determine the operation of regional workshops. Ceramic remains constitute the most abundant and informative evidence for this period. Through the study of site-specific pottery production ranging from the 11th to the 8th centuries BC, this dissertation achieved the definition of regional cultural identities and proposes a revision of the traditional typo-chronological system of the Cypro-Geometric period. Finally, the present study provides new evidence for the political geography of Cyprus and the relations among the Cypro-Geometric polities. Simultaneously, a substantial contribution is provided for the understanding of the processes that led to the consolidation of the kingdoms during the Archaic period.