White Painted Jug

By convention, White Painted II marks the start of the Cypriot Middle Bronze Age. For over three centuries it predominated in the eastern and central parts of the island, giving way only in the Late Cypriot to White Slip Ware. Early White Painted Ware had red-orange geometric decoration carefully painted over a light ground and burnished to a glossy finish, hence the name "White Painted." Gradually the painted motifs and vessel shapes became more elaborate in a manner often described as "baroque," though pot surfaces were much less carefully finished. White Painted Ware was exported in small quantities to mainland sites such as Ugarit and Megiddo.