1978–1980

107A Oxford Street Cambridge, Mass. 02138

January 15, 1978

Handwritten: Speak Don Davin Rupp at Brock University, Canada.

Professor Martin Biddle, Director The University Museum 33rd and Spruce Streets Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19174

Dear Professor Biddle:

I have just returned from Cyprus where I participated in the Kourion Basilica Excavations under the direction of A.H.S. Megaw. I had the pleasure of working with Richard and Vivian Anderson and Frances Talbot of "Winchester fame" while I was there. I am a graduate student in Fine Arts at Harvard University and study Medieval art with Professor Ernst Kitzinger. My special area of interest is the Late Antique/Early Christian period and I found the floor mosaics of Cyprus an extremely rich source for this period. I would like to write my dissertation on the stylistic development of these floors.

After many consultations with Dr. Karageorghis, director of the Department of Antiquities in Cyprus and with Peter Megaw, it was clear that there were only three sites available for study of Late Antique mosaics in unoccupied Cyprus. They are two sites at Paphos, one excavated by Dr. Nicolaou and the other by a Polish team directed by W.A. Daszweski, and the Kourion sites excavated by the University of Pennsylvania, that is, the 'Annex of Eustolios' and the 'Villa of Achilles'. The excavations were carried out in the 1930's but I believe the material has yet to be fully published and studied. I understand that Professor Roger Edwards of the Classics Department exercises some control over this material, but as the situation is unclear, I thought it best to write to you directly. Professor Lee Striker urged me to contact you after I discussed the matter with him at a recent conference.

As the situation stands, I have access and permission to work on the material from the Cyprus Department of Antiquities, but I must, of course, procure permission for each site. I was hoping that Kourion could be a focus for my thesis while the other sites could provide useful comparisons and background. I will be interested in publishing this material eventually and I would also need to have confirmation of permission to publish. I understand that there have been other requests for this material over the years, but I do hope my request will be considered. I would be most willing to come to Philadelphia and discuss my proposal with you. If the Kourion material will not be available, then I will not be able to continue work on this topic, so I would appreciate a response as soon as possible. I have enclosed a curriculum vitae for your information.

Thank you for your time and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Handwritten: Christine Kondoleon

Christine Kondoleon