Ancient CyprusAncient Cyprus

Excavator · Archaeologist · Expedition member · Cataloguer

V. Tran Tam Tinh

fl. 1964–1989

Member of the Université Laval expedition who excavated the Early Christian basilica at Soloi from 1966 until the 1974 invasion and co-published its volume with Jean des Gagniers.

Biography

Tran Tam Tinh dug the Early Christian basilica at Soloi on the north coast of Cyprus for the Université Laval expedition directed by Jean des Gagniers. Des Gagniers wrote in 1975 that Professor Tran Tam Tinh had been excavating it since 19661. The church stood on a partly artificial terrace about 200 m north-east of the Acropolis. Des Gagniers dated its first, three-aisled phase with a single apse to the late 4th century, on coins of Valens, Gratian and Theodosius, and recorded a mosaic floor, an inscription in the apse and two later transformations of the building1.

Lilly Kahil and René Ginouvès were also on the Laval team. In 1972 he published a preliminary report on the basilica excavation in the proceedings of the Barcelona congress of Christian archaeology10. In April and May of that year he led the basilica work, clearing the south aisle, a cistern against the north wall, the foundations of the demolished side chapels and a deep sounding in the north aisle2. The Chronique of 1974 prints his name as "V. Tran Tam Tinh" and places the basilica in his charge for the spring campaign3.

The autumn season of 1974 was prevented by the events of 1974, and the Laval project ended early with the Turkish invasion3,6. An inscription uncovered at the basilica in 1974 has since disappeared6. The excavation record was published as the first volume of Soloi: Dix campagnes de fouilles (1964-1974), by des Gagniers and Tran Tam Tinh, at Sainte-Foy, Quebec; Hermary's survey dates it to 1984, while other bibliographies give 19855,9.

Life and work

  1. 1966–1974
    Excavated the Early Christian basilica at Soloi, on a partly artificial terrace c. 200 m north-east of the Acropolis, for the Laval expedition; the site was already occupied in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Des Gagniers (1975) dates the first three-aisled single-apse basilica to the end of the 4th century (coins of Valens, Gratian and Theodosius in the sanctuary floor), with a mosaic floor and a tabula ansata inscription in the central apse.

    SoloiRobertson 1975

  2. 1967
    Co-author with Des Gagniers, Kahil and Ginouvès of 'Trois campagnes de fouilles à Soloi', Report of the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus 1967, pp. 50-8 (as cited by des Gagniers).

    Robertson 1975, n. 5

  3. 1972
    Published 'Rapport préliminaire sur la fouille de la basilique de Soloi, Chypre' in Actas del VIII Congreso internacional de arqueología cristiana (Barcelona, 1972), pp. 501-85, pls CCLIII-CCLVII (as cited by des Gagniers).

    Robertson 1975, n. 5

  4. April–May 1972
    Laval mission campaign at Soloi (April-May 1972) under des Gagniers: Ginouvès continued the lower town, Tinh the basilica, Kahil finished clearing the house where the bronze head had been found and prepared the 1964-70 tombs for publication. Tinh cleared the south aisle, the cistern against the north wall (18.5 m exposed), the foundations of the razed parecclesia, and a sounding in the north aisle that reached a corridor floor 3.90 m below the basilica floor.

    SoloiKarageorghis 1973

  5. 1973
    Listed in Nicolaou's news as assisting des Gagniers's Laval expedition at Soloi, with Kahil and Ginouvès (Agora, Acropolis, Early Christian basilica), two seasons spring and autumn.

    SoloiNicolaou 1975

  6. March–May 1974
    Spring 1974 campaign under des Gagniers had three sites: Acropolis (Kahil), lower town (Ginouvès) and the Early Christian basilica (V. Tran Tam Tinh). The planned autumn campaign was prevented by the events of 1974. The Laval project ended prematurely with the Turkish invasion.

    SoloiKarageorghis 1975Stewart et al. 2014, n. 46

  7. 1985
    Co-author with des Gagniers of Soloi: Dix campagnes de fouilles (1964-1974), vol. 1 (Introduction historique; La basilique), Sainte-Foy (Quebec). Hermary 1986 gives the date as 1984; Metcalf lists a separate entry 'Tinh, T. T., Soloi. I. La basilique, Quebec 1985'.

    Hermary 1986Meyers 1997Metcalf 2009

Connections

5 people
Jean des GagniersLilly KahilRené GinouvèsElias MarkouCarlo SteffenV. Tran Tam Tinh
FieldworkColleagues

Fieldwork & employment

Scholarship

Colleagues & contacts

Sources

  1. 1.N. Robertson (ed.) (1975). The Archaeology of Cyprus: Recent Developments. Park Ridge, N.J., Noyes Press.
  2. 2.V. Karageorghis (1973). “Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques à Chypre en 1972”. Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 97.
  3. 3.V. Karageorghis (1975). “Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques à Chypre en 1974”. Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 99.
  4. 4.Kyriakos Nicolaou (1975). “Archaeological News from Cyprus, 1973”. American Journal of Archaeology 79, 125-134. Online
  5. 5.Antoine Hermary (1986). “Chronique d'archéologie chypriote (1984-1985)”. Cahiers du Centre d'Études Chypriotes 5.
  6. 6.C. A. Stewart (ed.), T. W. Davis (ed.), A. Weyl Carr (ed.) (2014). Cyprus and the Balance of Empires: Art and Archaeology from Justinian I to the Coeur de Lion. CAARI / ASOR.
  7. 7.Eric M. Meyers (ed.) (1997). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East. New York, Oxford University Press.
  8. 8.D. M. Metcalf (2009). Byzantine Cyprus 491-1191. Nicosia, Cyprus Research Centre.
  9. 9.J. des Gagniers, Tran Tam Tinh (1985). Soloi: Dix campagnes de fouilles (1964-1974), vol. 1: Introduction historique; La basilique. Sainte-Foy (Québec), Université Laval.
  10. 10.Tran Tam Tinh (1972). “Rapport préliminaire sur la fouille de la basilique de Soloi, Chypre”. Actas del VIII Congreso internacional de arqueología cristiana, Barcelona, 501-585.