Cyprus was mentioned as a copper-producing region already in 17th c. BC texts from the Near East. From the 14th c. BC onward, the island was an important centre of production and distribution of copper for the entire Eastern Mediterranean. A great amount of bronze objects have been found on Cyprus, in graves, sanctuaries, workshop areas, and ‘hoards’, that is, repositories inside settlements such as Enkomi, Kalavassos-Ayios Dimitrios and Hala Sultan Tekke. Hemispherical bowls were common grave goods during the Late Cypriot period, particularly in its later part (Late Cypriot III). This bowl is especially interesting because it has three signs in Cypro-Minoan script engraved below the rim. The Cypro-Minoan script, thus named because of the similarity of its characters to those of Minoan Linear A, appeared in Cyprus ca. 1500 BC. This was a time of increasing trade activities, which probably created the need for recording and for bureaucratic administration. The script is thought to have been imported from Crete and adapted to the needs of the ancient Cypriot language but, like Linear A, it is still undeciphered. The Cypro-Minoan script was succeeded in the 11th c. BC by the Cypriot syllabary, in which elements of the former were merged with the Mycenaean Linear B script. According to some researchers, the inscription on this bowl might record the name of its owner.