The Antiquities Department of the deputy culture ministry has received a donation of an Kourion excavation archive by American archaeologist David Soren of the University of Arizona.

Soren carried out excavations in Cyprus at the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates and the Acropolis of Kourion in the 1970s and 1980s.

His work led to the creation of a personal archive comprising personal notes, articles and correspondence, excavation diaries, over 9,000 negatives and slides, more than 400 drawings documenting finds, as well as audiovisual material.

“This donation constitutes another important step in rescuing important information about the cultural heritage of Cyprus,” said George Georgiou, director of the department of antiquities. A part of the material will be displayed the exhibition at the Cyprus archaeological museum, Georgiou said.

The donation, sent from Arizona, is part of an ongoing effort of the ministry to gather archives and documents on the history of Cypriot archeology.

Soren is a professor of Anthropology and Classics at the University of Arizona holding a BA in Greek and Roman studies, a MA in fine arts and a PhD in archaeology from the University of Harvard. He has directed archaeological excavations in Cyprus, Portugal, and Italy, and has published nine books and more than 80 scholarly articles on Roman archaeology.