Site Size Estimates and the Diversity Factor in Late Cypriot Settlement Histories

Charts with size estimates for Late Cypriot settlements put forward in the 1990s have become dangerously misleading. The estimates are not based on common, clearly defined criteria, nor do they take into account the high diversity factor among settlements or the uneven spatial and temporal exploration of their urban fabric. These charts disseminate false impressions, which in turn affect the interpretation of the island's first urban phenomenon. Despite the fact that settlement diversity is beginning to be acknowledged as a key parameter of Late Cypriot urbanism, the individual histories of the first Cypriot towns in the course of the Late Bronze Age have not been exhaustively studied. Inevitably, this undermines attempts to reach a comprehensive solution as regards the island's state model(s) in the Late Bronze Age.