CLASSICAL ARCHEOLOGY 22 







of the ephory, and the ephor will direct the work, determining even 

 the number of laborers to be employed. Clearly, this law is intended 

 to discourage irresponsible explorations, and it is entirely reason- 

 able. Many foreigners would be glad now, as a century ago, to 

 expend a little money in turning up the soil of Greece, although 

 without any real scientific interest and not fitted, either by nature 

 or training, for the conduct of scientific explorations. 



Crete . — The Cretan law with regard to excavations is similar to that 

 of Greece, but the government has granted permission to excavate to 

 scholars whose position is assured. Mr. Arthur Evans's extraordi- 

 nary skill is well known to the Cretan authorities, and after our 

 countrywoman Miss Boyd's excavations at Kavusi in the name of 

 the American School of Athens she could have had no difficulty in 

 securing permission to dig on her own account, though I believe her 

 present excavations are for the American Exploration Society of 

 Philadelphia. 



Italy. — The Italian government declines to permit foreigners to 

 conduct archeological excavations on its soil, even in the way of mere 

 superficial exploration. In the past such work has been allowed at 

 times (as it was, freely, in the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries), 

 and hopes have been entertained that under suitable restrictions such 

 permission might be again granted ; but as yet these hopes have not 

 been fulfilled, and the policy of the government seems fixed, although 

 attention has been called to the inconsistency of refusing this privi- 

 lege to foreigners, while it is granted to Italians who are believed to 

 desire the permission not because of their interest in archeology, but 

 simply for commercial reasons. But if, as has happened in recent 

 years, a foreigner wishes to have some house removed which ob- 

 structs and covers important ruins, he can not conduct the work him- 

 self, but must give the money to the Italian government, merely ex- 

 pressing the desire that it should be used in a certain way. 



Cyprus. — Since Cyprus came under the power of Great Britain, the 

 ancient sites on that island are practically reserved for British arche- 

 ologists. Small excavations have been made, it is true, by both French 

 and Germans, but only by way of exception ; in at least one of these 

 cases the privilege was requested as a personal favor by an ' ' exalted 

 personage." Under ordinary circumstances the British Foreign 

 Office would not grant to foreigners permission to dig for antiquities 

 on that island. 



