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CURIUM EXCAVATIONS EPISKOPI, LIMASSOL CYPRUS
2
Professor Robinson of John Hopkins who excavated Olynthus, and is one of our best known classical scholars, visited us here about six weeks ago. He was much impressed by Curium and kept saying he had no idea of how much the place had to offer. As he left he said "You have one of the great sites and a life time of work before you. Many congradulations." More recently in a letter to the Youngs he writes "I was astounded by the importance and magnitude of Curium." So we are all very much pleased. Another visitor, Professor Beazley of Oxford, whom you know, of course, came with his wife and stayed here for about a week. He went all over our sites and spent some time in the workrooms. [handwritten: ^]Although we didn't have very much Attic pottery, for which he is the world's long established authority, to show him, he writes, after a two months stay in the island, "Curium was the high mark of our visit to Cyprus."
Although Professor Robinson refers to Curium as one of the great sites, we can't claim for it the sensational importance of some of the greater sites of Greece in the past. It is still comparatively unknown as only a small part of it as yet has been published. It is a good site, however, and it has produced many finds of unique and considerable importance. Mr. Hill in a recent letter to Mr. Daniel has described the work which the Youngs are doing on the great mass of terracottas from the sanctuary of Apollo as "extremely good". When published, they should be a landmark in modern Archeology. We can trace here on a single site the history of terracotta making over a period of seven hundred years. [handwritten: ^]There are some distinct advantages in digging in Cyprus.
[handwritten: H]alf the finds or more, as you know, of course, can be sent home, a unique circumstance for this part of the world. I doubt whether any other expedition could accomplish more, or so much, on so little. But we have, of course, exceptional advantages. We have a director, acting director, and architect who receive no salary, an excavation house, large workrooms and sheds rent free, with their maintenance reduced to a minimum.
To exploit these advantages, however, will require more funds. I see two possible programs the first, of course, to have precedence over the second.
1.To work toward the publication of sites already for the most part cleared. This will entail further excavation, but on a limited scale only.
2.To further develope the site of Curium.
I'm afraid [handwritten: I] underestimated what would be required to see program one through for the current year ending June 30th. My figure was $8000.00, you will remember, but it will come
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