Cypriot Bichrome ware is a type of Late Bronze Age, and Iron Age, pottery that is found widely on Cyprus and in the Eastern Mediterranean. This type of pottery is found in many sites on Cyprus, in the Levant, and also in Egypt. It was typically produced on a pottery wheel. A large variety of decorations and motifs are attested. This pottery is very similar to certain types of the Mycenaean pottery from various locations. It was originally produced on Cyprus during the Late Cypriot I period. Comparison of the fabrics indicates that it was also imitated in the Eastern Levant and in Egypt. Description Cypriot Bichrome is characterized by its most common decoration: two black lines with a red line in between. Between those lines geometric, floral or zoomorphic decorations would often appear. For a long time, Bichrome Ware was considered to be a key marker for the beginning of the Late Bronze Age. However, recent studies indicate a slightly earlier appearance. A large amount of imported Cypriot bichrome ware was found at Tell Kazel, on the Syrian coast, during the excavations that began in 1985. This pottery was dated between the 14th and 12th centuries BC. The city was destroyed later during the Late Bronze Age, after which local Mycenaean ceramics, Handmade burnished ware and Grey ware, replaced the imported pottery. The Philistine city of Ekron is another location with large amounts of such pottery (Stratum VII), among many other places along the coast. Chronology The Mycenaean Greek presence in Cyprus seems to have increased especially after 1400 BC. The fall of Knossos in 1380 BC contributed to this. From that time onwards, the ports of Salamis and Kition (Larnaka) in Cyprus became big centres of trade, from which many exports went into the Levant. The following periods are distinguished on Cyprus. Cypro-Geometric Period (1050–750 BC) This is a wheel-made pottery featuring rich and symmetrical painted decoration of parallel lines, bands, concentric circles, rhombi, checked, meanders, rosettes, lotus flowers, papyruses and various other floral and geometrical motifs. The Cypro-Geometric period is still not fully understood and is much debated. The main point of contention is the continuity between the end of the Bronze Age and the early Geometric period. During the Cypro-Geometric I Period (1050–950 BC), the following types of pottery were produced on Cyprus other than the Bichrome: White Painted, Plain White, and Black Slip potteries. Archaic