Letter from Schaeffer to Megaw on the teams employed on the excavation siteClaude Frédéric-Armand Schaeffer

Enkomi Expedition,Famagusta,22 Sept.1946.

Dear Mr Megaw,

Thank you for your letter of Sept. 18th, and the proposal it contains. As you see from the draft communique inclosed, we have now found intact floors of a postmycenaean or submycenaean town with typical pottery of the ending XIIIth and XIIth cent. The Mycenaean town beneath has three strata with succeeding floors.Below,we found the first remains of the expected Middle Bronze Age town and ,yesterday ,an intact, but modest tomb of this period.

I would prefer to say nothing [handwritten: few] in the communique about the labour troubles) After renewed difficulties, I have now definitely broken with the old excavation system of man and woman équipe,which produces only 3 1/2 two maximum 4 hours work a day at the cost of 15 sh a day,^each couple. After discussion with the Trade Unions leaders whom I had invited to see the system on the spot, I have now introduced a normal system of men working with pick and showel 7 hours a day,with 8 hours presence, at 11 sh pay. After the first day,the men are very satisfied with the system. I employ also some young women for the lighter work of reshifting earth where necessary, but also on the 7 hours per day work system and 9 sh pays There is much improved discipline on the dig and it as easier to observe. All people are working ar restin together and there an no longer half of them sitting about during the work talking together. By offering high pay, I also got younger and strong men willing to make an effort. I had to depart from those old couples of over 60 who formerly constributed to the dig the athnosphere of a patriacal family affair, sympathatic but slow.

What concerns the proposal of a Joint Expedition in future at Enkomi, I welcome it very much and we shall discuss the matter later. The proposal, I feel, needs to be adjusted. As I am myself interested in the postmycenaean period (I have reason to doubt the accepted date of 1200 or 1180 as the end of the Mycenaean period and end of Troy which probably shifts upwards) I would not like to seperate the exploration of this period from the work on the prededing periods (technically difficult if not impossible on the spot) and hand over its study to a separate publication) There would be much to be gained in a collaboration through all the 4 or 5 strata identified uptill now.

I hope this will come about after our talk and that we can obtain the concurrence of our respective authorities for the scheme.

Please give my best regards to Mrs Megaw and believe me,

Handwritten: signature

Mr A. H. S. Megaw Director of the Department of Antiquities Nicosia

P.S. I received a family letter from the Lawrence his cousins to come to Enkomi end of the month. Perhaps you could arrange to come also. I let you know the date as soon as Sir Charles tells me.