Letter from Schaeffer on Mr. V. Karageorghis's démarche at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Paris, August 1973Claude Frédéric-Armand Schaeffer

Démarche by Mr.V.Karageorghis at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris,

5August 1973. A memorandum submitted to His Beatitude Monseigneur Makarios and the Cyprus Government.

Mr.V.Karageorghis has made last August a call at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Paris where he was received by Mr. Guillemin, collaborator of Mr. Laurent, General Director of Cultural Affairs in that Ministry.

Mr. Karageorghis explained that the publication of the important discoveries made by Prof. Schaeffer of the French Academy of Inscriptions at Enkomi-Alasia should be finished before new excavations are undertaken on that site. Mr. Guillemin came to Saint-Germain on September 27. to inquire upon the nature of this démarche and to discuss the consequences of Mr. Karageorghis' demand.

The fact is that the main discoveries made by Prof. Schaeffer at Enkomi-Alasia have already been published in four volumes (Missions en Chypre, illustr., 159 p., Paris 1936 ; Stratigraphie Comparée et Chronologie de l'Asie Occidentale, illustr., pp. 328-403, Oxford 1948 ; Enkomi-Alasia, illustr., 448 p., XVI plates & plans, Paris 1952 ; Alasia I, 573 p., XLI pl. and plans, Paris 1971) and a fifth volume (Alasia II) is ready to be published in 1974. Of the main buildings so far excavated the extensive Maison 18 (XIV.-XIII. c. B.C.) and the sanctuary of the God standing on a Cypriote ingot (XII. c.) have also been definitely published. The late Dikaios (French-Cypriote Combined Expedition) has published in 1969 the building in the so-called "temple area" excavated during the campaigns between 1947 and 1951. He has published also in 1969 the northern section of the city wall, myself the southern section in 1936 and 1971. There remain to be published the numerous private houses in the vast town on the geometrical lay-out (XIV.-XIII.c.B.C.) reused after destruction of the Mycenaean city soon after 1 200 B.C. by the so-called Sea- or Northern Peoples who occupied the island during the reign of Ramses III (1200-1168). This publication needs extensive control excavations operations in the already excavated areas and will take from 5 to 7 years to be accomplished.

If Mr. Karageorghis' demand to suspend all further diggings at Enkomi-Alasia is accepted, it would follow that the ruins still underground of the important city remain silent for as many years. Mr. Pelon, from Lyon's University, appointed on my proposition as my successor in the field operations by the French Archaeological Authorities with the consent of the Cypriote Authorities, would in that case be out of work in Engomi, for he is concerned with exploration, not with the publication of the discoveries made under my directorship.

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