A visit to the Chalcolithic Prehistoric village at Lemba

I had read about the living history experiment at the recreated Chalcolithic village at Lemba, and decided that since one of my favourite coffee shops is actually in Lemba I should wander down to see how recreated history was getting on.  The period of 2500BC is a little before my interests but well... it`s a nice walk, along by a cascading stream (during the winter) and a valley of green trees.   It also passes the college of art and its bizarre and yet somehow fascinating decoration of statuary and ... well art...

In the 1970s when the village was first excavated (the University of Edinburgh no less) the idea was "to systematically study the prehistoric buildings of Cyprus... characterise the building materials as uncovered by excavation, determine technology; to classify and characterise all Chalcolithic building types in Cyprus; to investigate archaeological site formation; and material culture and finds."  The recreation of the mud-brick round houses beside the original archaeology began in 1982.

Well these days it's a field.  The terracotta colouring on the mud-brick houses has faded.  Some of the roofing has collapsed.  Much of the stone footings for the original village are exposed, as are the burial pits.

The information boards tell us that these were a simple and peaceful fishing people... well maybe, but that is based on grave goods finds.  These days it seems everyone's ancestors were simple and peaceful and politically correct.  The original excavation clearly shows the round houses, and I was actually quite impressed by the Mud-brick houses.  This was one of the first attempts at experimental archaeology, certainly in this part of the world.

When the Sea Peoples arrived in Cyprus it was these people that they conquered, and it was these people who eventually assimilated them.  perhaps.

A nice day out, but I can`t help but feel that a 4500 year old archaeology site in Britain would have been better protected.  Then again this one is free to enter, and that isn`t usually the British way either...

 

The College of Art.  No... I don't get it either but was interesting to see.