1937

-3-

as massive as the best at Apollo, and some of the stones which lie scattered around the [handwritten: site] sight are as big as packing cases (the simile which suggests itself in the dining room, where I now am,and certainly not an exageration.), all carefully squared. It is the best masonry I have seen in the Kourion region, and unusually fine for its period, for the sherds, of which I found many, are uniformly L.C.I, with perhaps a little L.C.II. There is quite a large area, well situated, and close to the fine Kromida spring. We will not find a great depth of earth, but there should be a meter of earth over most of the area. Needless to say, I am quite excated, and would like to plunge right in.

On my way there I passed by the Cypriote inscriptions by the Hellenistic cemetery on Chrysanayiotissa hill. I photograped them and made rapid notes on the letters. I worked on them a bit this evening, without much success. I have read the inscriptions on the Corinthian pot and on the bronze Egyptian pot from Apollo. They are the same. They read from right to right to left, and say to te-o , which I transliterated to τῷ θεῷ. There is no theta in Cypriote, and omicron and omega are not differentiated, so I think the reading is certain.

Christo found a two-lettered Cypro-Minoan inscription on a pot handle in the lot where the seal was found, but I have not yet managed to make anything out of it. In any case the letters are not in Persson's new list, and I very much doubt that he will be able to discredit them as slight variations of letters already known, as he did with last xxxxx spring's crop.

This has been a record year agriculturally in Cyprus as in Greece. Above all carobs were plentiful and the price good. The result was an income of about £500 to the Chrysostomides brothers and about £100 to Okshush, so that both of them are relieved financially and will probably continue to be difficult.

Both Hassan and Okshush, and maybe also Georko (I didn't look) are plowing up Kourion again. Do they have any right to do this?

Handwritten in margin, along left edge: I will mail this when I am in Town so you should have it before long. My best to George. Yours truly, Pete