The Asklupis Reconsidered: A Preliminary Report on the Chronology and Burial Practices of an Early Bronze Age 2 Cemetery on Kos

In May 1943, L. Morricone directed a brief archeological investigation of the Asklupis area, situated in northeast Kos. Four Early Bronze Age tombs, including ten vases, a spindle whorl, and a dagger, were brought to light together with a relatively small assemblage of stray finds from a nearby trial trench. This paper presents a reassessment of the evidence recovered from the tombs with particular attention to the analysis of the site and its wider area, attested burial practices, the relevant finds, and their chronology. The data suggest that the tombs may be assigned to an advanced stage of Early Bronze Age 2. The defining characteristics of the pottery repertoire and funerary customs indicate that, during this phase, the Asklupis and more generally Kos shared significant cultural features with contemporary sites in the Dodecanese, western Anatolia, and Aegean islands located in the vicinity of the Anatolian coast. Elements of continuity emerge between Koan Early and Late Bronze Age ceramic assemblages, suggesting that the former may have represented the formative stage of the island’s "local tradition" during the Bronze Age.