New catalogue for Cypriot antiquities collection in Beirut

AROUND 140 items of Cypriot antiquity on display at the Archaeological Museum of The American University of Beirut (AUB) have been catalogued for the A.G Leventis Foundation.

The catalogue comprises 141 items, namely sculptures, terracottas and ceramics. It will be an important tool for University students of Archaeology at AUB but also for visitors of the museum and researchers of ancient Cypriot art, the Foundation said yesterday.

Vassos Karageorghis who put together the catalogue with Dr Leila Badre the curator of the AUB museum said: “First of all is this is a collection which was not well-known to archaeologists. Most of the objects came from Cyprus and were given to the museum as gifts from [Luigi Palma] di Cesnola [the American Consul to Cyprus from 1865]. Many were found in Lebanon as a result of exports in antiquity and trade relations in the14th and 13th centuries BC.”

“There are some very important discoveries as a result of this collection, for example, we now know that potters in antiquity were imitating Cypriot forms of pottery,” he added.

Karageorghis said the catalogue “would appeal to all people who were interested in archaeology” and would be particularly useful for students.

The Cypriot collection at the AUB museum consists of 178 items many of which were exported to Lebanon and Syria by the ancient Cypriots to be used as votive items.

In 2006 Badre renovated the exhibition galleries. which contains antiquities that came to light as a result of the museum’s excavations in Lebanon.

It also contains antiquities which were donated by Lebanese or were purchased from antique dealers in Beirut. The Leventis Foundation helped with the refurbishment by paying for the construction of a large exhibition case for the majority of the Cypriot antiquities.

The publication of the catalogue is part of a project by the Leventis Foundation to make known all the main collections of Cypriot antiquities in museums worldwide. Although the collection at the AUB is not as important as those of the large museums in Europe and America, it is still a significant one, the Foundation said.

nThe catalogue is on sale at the offices of the Leventis Foundation (40 Gladstone Street, Nicosia, tel 22667706) for €20.

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