On August 11, 1927, the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter published an extensive article on the major Swedish archaeological mission to Cyprus under Einar Gjerstad. The report describes the plans of the mission, the equipment that was transferred from Sweden with the support of leading companies of the time such as VolvoThe SveaThe Swedish Orient Line and others, and gives a first impression of the excavations that will begin in Lapithos and on the east coast of the island. The aim of the mission, as stated, was to study the Neolithic and Bronze Age in Cyprus and highlight its role as a bridge between East and West.
“The Swedish archaeological mission to Cyprus, which was announced a few months ago, has now begun, or, perhaps more accurately, is about to begin. The head of the mission, Assistant Professor Einar Gjerstad, left yesterday for the work site, where he expects to arrive on the 23rd of the month. The remaining members of the mission, four assistants, designers and photographers, will depart a little later, so that they will be there in the first days of September.
Shortly before his departure, a colleague from the newspaper Dagens Nyheter had a conversation with Professor Gjerstad, during which he shared some details about the intensive preparation.
– I am leaving a little earlier than the others, he says, because I have to start the preparatory work down there, so that everything is ready when my companions arrive. This includes, among other things, agreeing with the owners of the lands where the excavations will take place, issuing excavation permits and distributing the material and equipment to the various excavation sites.
The aim of these excavations is to create a cultural and historical picture of Cyprus from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages to the Archaic and Early Classical periods around 500 BC – when the distinctive features of Cyprus cease to exist. Particularly from the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age, when the island represented a real superpower, interesting and rich findings are expected to emerge. The important role of Cyprus as a cultural conduit between Eastern and Western civilizations is expected to be elucidated.
The equipment, the professor continues, has already – according to information from the Swedish consul in Cyprus, Mr. Z. Pierides – arrived there in good condition. This includes the largest parts of our equipment: food, hard bread and canned goods, which the food business of the Northern Trading House (Nordiska Kompaniet) has made available to the expedition. We are also very fortunate to be supported by the shipping company Svea, which transported our equipment free of charge from Stockholm to Gothenburg. There, the company Svenska Orientlinjen took over the support and offered the same facility from Gothenburg to Alexandria.
But many other companies have also shown great kindness towards our plans. For example, the Volvo company in Gothenburg will make a car available for the expedition from April 1st next year. And in many other markets for our equipment we have received significant discounts. The HW Ljung company provided the hardware, the Fr. Berg instrument factory the measuring instruments, the Anton Larsson photo shop the photographic equipment, Wilhelm Becker all the drawing materials and the Stockholms lådfabrik and Barsegis kartografifarik the packaging.
The excavations will focus on two areas: Lapithos, on the north coast, where a Bronze Age cemetery is expected to be investigated, and an area near the east coast, where remains of a temple, settlements and other finds from the same period, including stone statues, have already been found from previous excavations. The planned excavations have been preceded by extensive preparations. Gjerstad's mission is therefore very well organized and will last at least 2 years, until 1929.
source / photo: https://ypervorioi.blogspot.com/2025/07/volvo-svea.html
