Enkomi and Egypt: Exploring the Third Space in Cyprus

This paper explores Egyptian influence in Late Bronze Age Cyprus through the lens of cultural hybridity. It draws specifically on Bhabha’s concept of the third space, identified here as an in-between space where two (or more) cultural identities mix and become materially entangled. Key for such an analysis of Cypro-Egyptian contacts is the understanding that this place need not have any direct political dimensions but instead could be a fluid space characterized by diverse contact situations. The focus is Egyptian(izing) objects from Enkomi, which highlight the cultural impact of New Kingdom Cypro-Egyptian cultural contacts.