Antiquities department issues condolences for death of eminent archaeologist

The antiquities department on Friday expressed their sorrow for the death of Dr Edgar Peltenburg, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh, who has also been director of various excavation missions in Cyprus.

Peltenburg, who died on Sunday, was born on May 28, 1942. In 1963 he got his degree in Ancient History and Archaeology from the University in Birmingham, and his doctorate in 1968.

“His long collaboration with the Department of Antiquities began with the excavations in Ayios Epiktitos-Vrysi in the Kyrenia District from 1969 to 1973. In 1976 he began working on the ‘Lemba Archaeological Project’ with excavations in Lemba-Lakkkous, Kisonerga-Myloudia and Kisonerga-Mosfilia locations. Between 1991 and 2011 he conducted excavations in the Souskiou-Vathyrkakas and Souskiou-Laona locations,” an announcement said.

He served as director of excavation missions in Cyprus, the UK, Scotland, Iraq and Syria, the antiquities department said.

Peltenburg was to visit Cyprus in September to talk about the excavations in Ayios Epiktitos-Vrysi at the antiquities department’s workshop entitled “Four Decades of Hiatus in Archaeological Research in Cyprus: Towards Restoring the Balance”.

He was a lecturer in several universities in Canada, England and Scotland until he was appointed as lecturer in the Archaeology department at the University of Edinburgh, where he remained until his retirement in 2008.

He published among others two books on Cyprus; Early Society in Cyprus (ed. 1989), and The Colonisation and Settlement of Cyprus. Investigations at Kissonerga-Mylouthkia, 1976-1996 (ed. 2003).

The Department of Antiquities expressed sorrow for his death and announced that the workshop, which is to take place on September 24 at the Castelliotissa medieval hall in Nicosia, will be dedicated to his memory.