Stumbling into the darkness — trade and life in post-Roman Cyprus

Research has traditionally proposed an almost complete abandonment of previously flourishing late Roman sites on Cyprus following the Arab invasions in the mid 7th century. This paper asseses pottery from the theatre at Neapaphos within the socio-economic and political framework of the period to suggest new dates for certain 7th century amphorae, demonstrating the possibility of continuous trade, as well as new types of painted plain ware and an emerging local production of cooking wares during the 7th century. We argue that by considering complete assemblages of coarse and plain wares, it may be possible to overcome some of the dating problems posed by the lack of fine ware dated to this period and we offer a tentative body of evidence that may continue beyond the 7th century, shedding light on life and the economy during the ‘dark ages’.