Shelf 2. Cyprus

The Swedish Cyprus Expedition took place between 1927 and 1931, its goal to do extensive archaeological excavations and to document the island’s cultural history. The expedition was led by the archaeologist Einar Gjerstad of Uppsala University. He later worked at Lund University, where he taught Classical archaeology and ancient history. A large proportion of the Cypriot objects in Malmö Konstmuseum’s collection were likely excavated in conjunction with the Cyprus Expedition.

Opium, which is extracted from a particular kind of poppy, was a common drug in the ancient world, especially around the Mediterranean Sea, but in other countries as well, such as India and Persia. There is some evidence that opium played an important role in Cypriot culture, and this is reflected in its antique ceramics. Typical of Cypriot ceramics are the large, round vessels known as bilbil, whose form is believed to be inspired by the head of a poppy flower.

The lines that ring these vases are also characteristic of Cypriot ceramics, and researchers posit that they were made to mimic how poppies are cut in the extraction of opium. In studies of this type of vessel, researchers have found traces of opium, which indicates that they were used to store the drug, or that opium was used in making them, perhaps to give them color.