Letter from Megaw to Schaeffer on the division of objectsArthur Hubert Stanley Megaw

Printed: GOVERNMENT OF CYPRUS

[printed: DEPARTMENT OF ANTIQUITIES NICOSIA]

Printed: Tel. No.:

Printed: Our Ref.: 82/56

Printed: Your Ref.:

18th November, 1957

Handwritten: 14 46

Dear Professor Schaeffer,

As requested in your letter dated 15th November, the full inventory of the finds from the Department's Enkomi excavation is at your disposal in the Cyprus Museum. There is only one copy and it is not possible, at short notice, to make a separate one for you to keep, since it is a document running into several thousand items, each of five columns.

The short list of 19 selected objects which I handed you on Friday was extracted from the inventory and represents what we may call the first class finds. The longer list which I now enclose contains the first and second class finds together. As you will see by reference to the complete inventory the remaining items are relatively unimportant, and a high proportion is represented by pottery fragments of stratigraphical rather than intrinsic interest.

The great volume of the tomb material now displayed for division in the Museum precludes the simultaneous display of all the isolated objects. That is why I have suggested dividing in the first instance only a selection of the isolated objects from the excavations of both parties. That done we can proceed to the division of the remainder as soon as space is available, during your present visit if time permits.

I take the opportunity to enclose details of those parts of your inventory of the finds from the French excavations of which we have received copies. There appear to be gaps both in the tomb lists and in the lists of isolated objects.

Consequently if we are to deal with the latter we will need to refer to the original inventory. But in case time and space do not permit us to divide them all, I do think it would be useful if you made a list of those isolated objects which you particularly wish to be included in this first division. As soon as we receive such a list we will search for the listed items and get them ready for display as soon as space is available.

Handwritten: Yours sincerely

Handwritten: signature

Prof. C.F.A. Schaeffer, M.A., D. Litt., Enkomi (Famagusta)

P.S. I have made a provisional appointment with Commander Stone the head of the C.B.S. for 11 a.m. on Tuesday for you to discuss arrangement for the film of your excavations. It be done on his Tuesday programme.