Tell us about the Swedish Cyprus Expedition.
The SCE team in 1927-1931 comprised three archaeologists: Einar Gjerstad, Erik Sjöqvist, and Alfred Westholm. This composition made it possible for different sites to be excavated at the same time. The architect John Lindros was travelling between different sites for the drawing and photographic documentation. The result of this distribution of duties was spectacular, since almost 25 sites were excavated within the four years of the expedition. In this context of well-orchestrated archaeological exploration, all members of the SCE became experts on Cypriot archaeology and developed a lively and long-lasting interest in the island’s past as well as in its present.
What did they discover at Ayia Irini, and why does this site continue to remain of immense importance to scholars of ancient Cyprus?
The sanctuary of Ayia Irini is arguably the most significant discovery of the SCE. Situated close to the north-west tip of the island, near the church of the homonymous village, Ayia
