FROM MARKING TO WRITING? A PICROLITE INSCRIBED PLAQUE FROM ERIMI IN CYPRUS

Abstract

This paper focuses on the possibilities inherent in a multi-scalar approach to the investigation of an inscribed picrolite plaque
from Erimi (Cyprus), currently kept at the Iosephides collection. Results of macro- and micro-analyses allow for a preliminary
interpretation of this unparalleled object in its background. A combination of different analytical data is discussed, including
the morphological features and characteristics of the incised signs on an epigraphic ground. A comprehensive analysis of the
Erimi plaque can provide us with a possible new element in the picture of social and economic complexity in Cyprus, where
the evidence for control and management activities on a broader scale shows an increasing adoption of record keeping tools
during the Middle Bronze Age.