Concepts of Insularity and Maritime Identities

Paper presented at "Islands in Dialogue", 14-16 Nov. 2018, Universitá degli Studi di Torino Relating to the framework of studies which have already focused on the issue of insularity, in this paper I will tackle the topic by examining the relationship between the ancient Cypriots and their sea. In understanding Cyprus in its maritime context, it is important to investigate various degrees of affinity to the sea and maritime perception. On these grounds, I argue that it may be possible to operate a distinction between maritime and non-maritime communities. Through a series of case studies, this paper aims at highlighting the key elements that indicate the existence of a maritime culture and thus whether it is possible to speak of a distinctly maritime culture on Cyprus. Further, I will evaluate how such a maritime oriented culture may define itself as either diverging from, overlapping with or adding to a land-based culture. Taking the case of Bronze Age Cyprus, I will assess how Cypriot maritimity compares with its counterparts in the Mediterranean. Specifically, through the exam of evidence from Cyprus and the Levant that can be associated to maritime identities, I hope to prove that a stronger connection existed between seafarers from opposite shores, rather than within the island confines. I maintain that only those engaged with activities on the opposite shores would have had a concept of insularity as the latter only acquires sense in relation to the separation from the rest of the mainland. In other words, the perception of Cyprus as insular only concerned maritime matters, whilst this had no relevance for those strictly grounded on land-centred activities.