The Department of Antiquities has received a donation of archaeological archives from excavations conducted at Kourion in the late 1970s and 1980s, it announced on Monday.
The collection, donated by Dr David Soren of the University of Arizona, includes more than 9,000 negatives and slides, 400 object drawings and plans, personal notes, articles, correspondence, field books, and audiovisual material.
The archives document excavations at the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates from 1978-1981 and the Kourion acropolis “Earthquake House” from 1984-1987, conducted by the University of Missouri-Columbia and University of Arizona respectively.
“This donation is a significant addition to the preservation of Cyprus’ cultural heritage, while material from the archive itself will enhance the exhibition galleries of the forthcoming Cyprus Archaeological Museum,” the Department said.
Department Director Dr Giorgos Georgiou and Curator of Antiquities Eftychia Zachariou received the materials at the Cyprus Museum during a hybrid ceremony on February 11, attended by Dr Soren.
Dr Soren, a Regents’ Professor of Anthropology and Classics at the University of Arizona, has directed archaeological excavations in Cyprus, Portugal, and Italy, publishing nine books and over 80 scholarly articles on Roman archaeology.
