Oinochoe (jug) depicting a bird,

ca. 850–725 BCE

These ceramics are characteristic of the distinct decorative style associated with the island of Cyprus, which was a center of multicultural exchange in the ancient world. Cyprus is located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea along important trade and travel routes, and experienced periods of independence and external control by groups such as Assyrians, Egyptians, and Persians. As a result of the island’s geographical location and political history, objects created on Cyprus and the architectural structures that survive there often display both local and foreign influences. With respect to ceramics, in addition to the preferred use of white, red, and black across various periods, geometric forms and concentric circles were combined in creative patterns across the bodies of the vessels.