May–December 1954

Curium 5 Aug 54

Dear Rodney:

I have had a letter from Machteld today in which she makes pertinent reports which I pass on for your comment:

"Naci will write to Gordion to have the house cleaned as far as possible but the actual repairs of the roof will have to wait until after the harvest, he thinks, i.e. until September, no workmen being available until then.

"Rodney has not written at all about the sherd collection. The special permission to take sherds from Gordion would still take some time after the official request is in. What I wonder about is: which sherds will you want to take? Naci says that anything catalogued is out of the question. It seems impossible & undesirable to take things out of the two embars on the kitty, since the contexts have not been studied. Apart from my shoebox full of samples nothing is ready. Is it really worth the trouble trying this shard business now and should we not make a sensible collection during the next campaign and then ask for a permit? I am not writing Rodney about this now but you can quote the opinion freely."

"I remember Rodney and you said something about she ds mending up into pots, miraculously, but we do not have such shards anywhere uncatalogued."

My time being somewhat circumscribed, I am inclined to be sympathetic to her suggestions about the sherds. However, in the interests of the business I would certainly attempt to accomplish whatever I could. Do you think I should invade the ambar?

You might refresh my memory about other Turkish errands. I seem to recall:

Anything else?

Might warn you that I am plotting a new Cypriote exhibit with the loot. All set up in mind's eye. Dobbin ought to make a splash.

King