Correspondence·PU-Mu 1050, Box 1, folder 10·1939

1939

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Typed and handwritten in English. Every line is transcribed, and the text sits beside the scan.

Scan 51 of correspondence PU-Mu 1050, Box 1, folder 10 (1939), typed and handwritten in English. The transcription follows.

Scan: Penn Museum Archives, Philadelphia, PU-Mu 1050, Box 1, folder 10, Courtesy of the Penn Museum.

Unnumbered pageScan 51 of 95

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the neighbouring civilizations of Anatolia, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Ionia, and Greece, as most scholars previously were inclined to believe. Cyprus was also a creator of culture and possessed an indigenous civilization which at some periods had reached a high standard. The archaeological material from Cyprus, which has been brought to light from time to time, is exceedingly rich but, unfortunately, precise knowledge of the available material is rather scanty, due to the fact that comparatively little of it comes from scientific excavations. Scholars have often complained of this, and all have agreed that steps ought to be taken to discover a remedy as soon as possible. The fact that most of the previously existing material is badly reproduced, very much dispersed and difficult of access, has caused many errors and mistakes in publications, and always presented great difficulties to scientists. After the American and Swedish excavations of late years the archaeology of Cyprus has assumed quite a different aspect. A basis on which a new classification in the modern scientific sense can be built, has been established. A "Corpus" of Cypriote antiquities as suggested in the preceding should form a source from which all scientists attacking the archaeological problems of Greece or the Near East could easily obtain extremely valuable help. This is of special importance inasmuch as the archaeology of Cyprus can never be ignored by any scientist dealing with these questions. This "Corpus" differs from other corpus-editions, e.g. Corpus Vasorum,etc., in one respect as it is not confined to any certain group of antiquities but will, as far as possible supply complete up-to-date information on and knowledge of the whole culture of a country. Cyprus is

65 figures hard to readstruck struck outadded written in above” jug ditto, and what it repeatsword reading not certain

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