1937

Handwritten: Corinth 5 mos.

Episkopi, Oct.24, 1937

Dear Mr. Hill,

I had a pleasant trip down on the Thraki, with much better weather than the papers had led me to expect. The boat was late in starting, and also in arriving, so I didn't reach the village until nearly nine.

We have already done the general arrangement of the apotheke, planning to start packing tomorrow (Monday) morning. But a trip to Kourion today made it perfectly clear to me that my first job is to fix the mosaic. I know that I am inclined to pessimism, but discounting all my complexes the mosaic is still in regrettable condition. Practically all of the best panel of the best mosaic is lifted off of its base, and a very bad fault leads right to the center bird. In places the stones are beginning to fall through. And the brick tesellae, particularly in the "Signs of Christ" mosaic, are turning to powder. I have to go to town tomorrow morning, but we will start work in the afternoon. I plan to strengthen the brick tesselae with acetone. The general strengthening I will do, as you suggested, with gypsum. Christo had already fixed one place that way, where the wind was getting under and lifting it by the west end of the big inscription. Ironically, the poorer mosaics seem to be in perfect order.

I found the house, Apollo, and the Bamboula in perfect condition. When I went over to see the Bamboula yesterday I looked at the places Christo had sent such glowing accounts of. I am glad to say that he is perfectly right. Two large areas between the Bamboula and the river have undeniable signs of early house remains. One is north of the old Paphos road, quite close to the road to Kandou. It is quite near to the lot where I saw saddle-querns last winter, but failed to find the settlement they came from. The villagers have dug there for stones, leaving many around, and in so doing turned up large numbers of sherds, archaic and L.C.II, with a scattering of E.C. There is plenty of depth, and the stones and a small section of wall argue for good buildings. The other section is between the old and the

Handwritten: at that time