The Archaeology Research Unit of the University of Cyprus invites you to a public hybrid lecture (via Zoom and in person), at the University of Cyprus’s Old Campus (Pedagogical Academy, Kallipoleos Avenue) on Monday 2 November 2026 at 19:30. The lecture (in Greek) concerns the origins of archaeological activity on the island and focuses on three significant figures from the late 19th century. The speaker will be Dr Anna Marangou. The title of the lecture is:
Cesnola, Richter and Magda. Two antiquities dealers and an extraordinary woman
The lecture examines the life and work of Luigi Palma di Cesnola (1832–1904), an Italian who was sent to the island as Consul for the United States and Russia. During his eleven-year stay on the island, he carried out excavations at numerous archaeological sites and built a private collection of 35,573 artefacts. He later became director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where a large part of this collection was exhibited.
Max Ohnefalsch-Richter (1850–1917) came from Germany to Cyprus as a journalist to cover the events surrounding the British annexation of Cyprus. He stayed in Cyprus for 12 years, dug everywhere and sold everything he unearthed from Cypriot soil to many major European museums.
Magda Ohnefalsch-Richter (1873–1922) was his wife, a professional photographer who spoke both Greek and Turkish. She was deeply interested οn the island, its Greek character, its customs and traditions, politics, relations with the Turkish Cypriots, religious ceremonies and, more generally, the everyday life of the Cypriots. Her work, “Greek Customs and Traditions in Cyprus”, is a sociological study of Cyprus under British rule that was remarkable for its time.
All Monday lectures are free and open to the public, but registration is required for access to the Zoom lecture.
For registration, please, click here:
Meeting Registration - Zoom