Searching for the Lost City of Copper
Rich in copper, skilled in bronzework, Cyprus was courted as a trading partner all over the ancient world. So why did it take so long for archaeologists to discover one of its greatest cities?
By María Teresa Magadán
This story appears in the March/April 2017 issue of National Geographic History magazine.
“To the King of Egypt, my brother. Thus says the King of Alashiya, your brother: ... Send your messenger along with my messenger quickly and all the copper that you desire I will send you.”
Dating to 1375 B.C., these words are from the collection of tablets known as the Amarna Correspondence, a cache of diplomatic exchanges discovered in the late 19th century. Historians identify the king of Egypt as Akhenaten, but who was writing to him? And where was Alashiya?
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/magazine/2017/03-04/enkomi-cyprus-ancient-city-copper-bronze/
