Unnumbered pageScan 11 of 20
Printed: No.... 90/48. — handwritten: 90/48
[printed: Telephones: DIRECTOR 1000/76 C.C.M. 900/120 OFFICE 900/121]
Printed: DEPARTMENT OF ANTIQUITIES, CYPRUS. — crest emblem: HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE
Nicosia, 5 July, 1949.
Dear friend,
M. Megaw, if he met you at Oxford, must have given you the latest news of our excavations at Enkomi. They were interrupted on 3 June with fairly satisfactory results, especially as regards the plan of the Palace. Our draughtsman is now working and hopes to prepare a general plan in a week or two. I will send you a copy as soon as it is ready. Meanwhile I am sending you some general photos, one (A) showing the palace from the north side, another (B) from the south side and a third (C) from the NW side. It appears that the centre of the palace, at least of the cleared part, is occupied by a large hall whose roof was supported by two rectangular pillars, one of which is well preserved and of the other only the base remains. There may have been a third pillar. This room, which has a great deal of character and which you can observe in photos A and C, is surrounded by rooms on the north, south, east and west sides whose use is not everywhere clear. This is because we had to stop work at the moment when we were beginning to reach the older levels. It seems that the northern part of the palace was destroyed by a fire and that, following this catastrophe, it was remodelled and used. I have not yet had time to study the pottery and so fix an approximate date for this fire, but I believe it took place towards the second half of the 13th century -
Dr. C.F.A.Schaeffer, M.A., D.Litt. /perhaps
65 figures hard to readstruck struck outadded written in above” jug ditto, and what it repeatsword reading not certain