The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-02-20
AMERICANS TO DELVE RUINS
OF OLDEN CREEK METROPOLI
Athens Government Honors u. s. Archaeolo-
gists Work Starts in Spring.

as the recovery Of yarchaeoIoeicai
material Is concerned. and the attI-
tude Of the Greek government in
giving permission FIRST TO Ameri-
cans is heraldcd throughout the
scientific world and the world Of
art as an evidence OF the respect
in which the Grecian statesmen
hold Americans.
Princeton Professor NotifeA.
Professor Edward Caps. OF the
Princeton University. former United
States Minister to Greece. and now
chairman of the board of managers
OF the American School of Classical
studies at Athens. received notih-
cation by cable several days ago
that the representatives Of the So
ciety and the directors OF the Fogg
Museum of Fine Arts OF Harvard
University would be permitted TO
begin laying their portable rail-
roads over the ancient buried city
OF Colophon in Smyrna, and that
any other plans necessary to the
execution of the excavations would
be approved by the Greek govern
ment Cofophon was one Of the
original six cities OF the Ionian
Confederacy which thrived many
centuries before Christ and which
were among the most powerful
communities Of Antiquity.
Professor Caps explains that in
Italy. for Instance, no foreigner is
permitted TO "desecrate the soil" so
far as archaeological experiments
are concerned and that when the
ancient relics are uncovered they
never are permitted to be removed
from Italian territory. And so IL
was in Greece until the negotiat lions
by the allied powers after the world
war OF the treaty of Sevres which
enabled foreigners 10 pursue arch
geological explorations. Before the
negotiation of the treaty the laws
Of Greece.<Jike those OF Italy. pre-
cluded other than Greeks digging
into the ancient ruins.
Americans specially Privileged.
But with the passage of the
world war conditions have changed
in Greece to such an extent that
Americans today arc. above most
other foreigners, accorded special
recognition. During the great con-
fiict that made brothers of Ameri-
cans and Greeks on the fields OF
battle. the spirit of Western ways
became more thoroughly under
stood. and with Greece as an ally,
the American forces, too. became
impressed with the democracy Of
the Hellenese. Then. after the war,
when the Greek people called King
Constantine. that democratic mon
arch. back to the throne the West
ern atmosphere and the ways Of
Americans became the ideals Of and
part Of the Greek national
thought. Then il was that the
Greek government. when the new
treaty became effective, lost no time
in bestowing upon Americans the
high honor never before given the
citizens of any foreign country.
Archaeologists in America have
been informed that the Greek
archaeologist, NJ. Sotiriou. has gone
to Sofia to recover the famous anti
quities taken during the war by
Bulgaria that they may be re-
turned to their rightful places.
This is made possible by reason Of
the treaty of Neuilly. and with
new and priceless objects OF anti
guilty being recovered from the
CITIES buried so long ago that time
dltne can AntlE oEAH
Greece soon again will take her
place in history as the cradle r.
art
start at CoIoPhou.
The progress OF the Greek armies
in Asia Minor and the rapid re-
s:oration of orderly government in
the territory under their control
makes possible an carly start on
the explorations IN and around the
ste OF ancient Colophon. Profess
sor Cspps. who visited Washington
:ast week. called on the Greek
Minister TO express his -raIifica-
tion at the action Of King Con-
stantine's government. Professor
Capps spoke enthusiastically Of the
plans already being formulated by
the American school and the man
Hgers OF the Fogg Museum and said
that excavations on a large scale
will be begun at Colophon early in
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