1948

I have agreed to lecture on our excavations at the Cyprus Museum at some date to be agreed upon. Megaw, incidentally, was pleased with my summary of the dig in the last Bulletin.

work in the Palace proceeds very well. My earlier report of three new mosaics, incidentally, must be modified. Two turned out to be parts of one big one. The incrustation has not yet been cleaned off, but the little that we have cleaned indicates a series of naturallarge panels of geometric patterns, with small medallions [handwritten: ?] istic designings in the center of each panel. One that we have cleared has a partridge shown on uneven ground and with a tree in front of it. The mosaic is of considerable size, in a big room at the head of the staircase leading from the lower to the upper tier of rooms. It is a commanding position, and the whole effect is really quite fine. There has been a certain amount of damage to it; worst of all a tree went down in the center. Some is completely lost at the lower end, however, and the preserved part at this end has suggested above. A bath, and can be saved by resetting it as it was suggested above. The second mosaic is much smaller but intact. It is in the bottom of a bath, and is decorated with a wavy geometric design that probably looked quite fetching under the water. The bath is a rectangular room sunk below the floor level, with a seat running across one end. The building had extensive and three steps leading down onto it. Fales has also cleared before the war. Mt was covered with bathing arrangements; Fales partly cleared a big semicircular basin which I partly cleared at one time, but only a few traces remain now. Marble veneer at one time, but only a few traces remain now.

Fales, who is popularly known as Deke or Deacon, continues to give a good accounting for himself. He is an extremely hard worker, and gives every indication of being an intelligent one. It's a good combination.

On Bamboula I am continuing to struggle with piddling details on which remained unsolved before the war. It is hard work for everyone concerned, and there is nothing to show for it by way of finds. Some of the problems, however, are important for the understanding of the site as a whole, and must be cleared up before publication in any case. This season here is proving invaluable to me in refreshing my memory of the site, where I last dug in 1939. I had done a lot of work on stratigraphy, but I could only find stratification in preparation for publication. That is much more difficult to finish off the publication now, if I could get back at it last year. It has all come back now, and I would be in a good position I may be able to get a first draught of the text of the part on the architecture and stratification ready. That is much the most difficult part, and the one where recent recollections of the pottery and other small finds and the important. The study of the site can be done later historical and cultural implications of the finds. I do hope I can get this pretty well in hand before getting too deeply involved in Turkey. It is an extremely important site, historically, in some ways a key site, and its publication should not be delayed too long.

Once again I have rambled on and on, discussing matters that could probably await my return, and putting in just enough personal comments so that the letter cannot be passed around indiscriminately: I doubt that I will ever learn.