Considering Living-Beings in the Aceramic Neolithic of Cyprus

Abstract

This paper seeks to provide an alternative perspective on the portrayal of animals as exclusively ‘resources’ in the existing archaeological literature; it also re examines the relationships between humans and non-human animals in the Early Aceramic Neolithic of Cyprus. Archaeological data from two sites, Mylouthkia and Shillourokambos, form the focus of discussion. Through an exploration of potentials and contextualisation of these data, it considers the significance of human perception and experience in the creation of living worlds, the particularities of relationships between living-beings, and the roles of our ‘significant others’.