Letter from Schaeffer to Neumann on the Ras Shamra and Enkomi missions and the remaining excavation creditClaude Frédéric-Armand Schaeffer

Excavations at Enkomi-Alasia, 19 Sept. 1949.

Dear Mr Neumann,

In matters of archaeological research, the surprises are the rule. Sometimes unpleasant, sometimes happyones. This time luck seems set to smile on us on two fronts.

Enkomi Mission. We have discovered a very large building facing the main entrance of the town, and which is a public building if not the palace so long sought in the town of Enkomi, capital of Cyprus in the 2nd millennium. My daughter must have brought you an issue of the Illustrated London News, of 20 Aug., reporting the discovery of the town. Beneath this building, we have just uncovered burial chambers cut into the limestone and filled with bones accompanied by numerous precious offerings, some covered with plaques of gold reaching 20 cm. in diameter and having on the fingers rings of solid gold engraved with Egyptian sphinxes. Are we in the royal necropolis ? I have located 4 burial chambers so far and am only at the beginning of the exploration of this building. Now we must finish and exhaust the discovery before the arrival of the rains at the end of October and also it would be too risky to leave the site alone in winter despite a watchmaning. The present watchman has already asked to be doubled at night and for provided with a gun for fear that clandestine diggers may come at night to look for the treasures... . As soon as one finds gold in quaninteresting quantities, precautions are necessary.

I would therefore like to double the teams in order to speed up the clearing and to secure all the movable objects contained in the burial chambers and in the building. I telegraphed you as well as Mr Baillou to ask you to take from the remaining Ras Shamra credit planned for this year the equivalent value of 1000 pounds sterling and to have them sent to me as quickly as possible through the Consul of Malta, who will transfer it to Barclay's Bank at Famagusta where the Mission has its account. I would be very grateful to you and to Mr Baillou, and I apologise for the extra work that I am causing you. Please tell me by telegram (reply paid) whether this transfer is possible and on what date I could receive the funds. Mr Dussaud, president of the Commission Asie Antérieure, is informed and in agreement.

Ras Shamra Mission. Thanks to an advance that your department sent me (thanks to Mr Boucher acting in your absence), I was able to go by plane to Damascus and negotiate the resumption of the excavations at R.S. Situation most delicate: provisional government not yet recognised, preparing decisive elections in November, no one wants and no one can take responsibilities under these conditions. I have obtained permission to begin my work at R.S. from the middle of October in the form of surveys and 'cleanings' for the plans.

[handwritten: Notes Bourg / Dussaud please] [hw annotations top left, rotated: "Note Bourg", "Dussaud s.v.p."]