By R. Campbell Thompson and T. E. Lawrence, 1911 ((not illustrated)

At the end of the 1911 season the British Museum had to decide whether to undertake further excavations at Carchemish. As D. G. Hogarth had spent only a few weeks at the dig the task of writing a full report fell to his two assistants, R. Campbell Thompson and Lawrence.

Campbell Thompson was a cuneiformist, and had been very disappointed when the dig produced no cuneiform inscriptions. He told Lawrence privately that he would recommend against any further seasons. Lawrence, on the other hand, very much wanted to continue work in Syria, and the pottery found had proved very interesting.

The decision to work a second season was taken because no worthwhile scholarly conclusion had been achieved in 1911. Moreover, the Turkish authorities had made it clear that they expected the dig to be carried through to a satisfactory result. The British Museum therefore knew that no excavation licence would be granted to it elsewhere in the Turkish Empire until the Ottoman authorities were convinced that everything reasonable had been done at Carchemish.

Bound typescript with MS annotations and photographs, 44 x 30

Provenance: Report submitted to the Director of the British Museum.