Saints, hippos part of Cyprus mystery

Who was the first to discover the island of Cyprus-saint or hippopotamus?

Dr. Stuart Swiny will provide the answer when he delivers an illustrated, public lecture, "Forty Saints or a Herd of Hippos: Who First Set Foot on Cyprus?" Sept. 21 in Simrall auditorium.

Swiny, a visiting professor in the Department of Classics at State University of New York at Albany, will begin speaking at 7:30 p.m.

Prior to assuming his post in Albany, Swiny spent 16 years as director of the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute in Nicosia. During this time, Swiny was instrumental in helping to develop the institute into a base of archaeological research support.

In addition, he served as director of CAARI-sponsored excavations at Sotira-Kaminoudhia, the focus of his lecture.

Swiny also participated in other archaeological projects on Cyprus and in Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, and France.

He earned degrees from the College Stanislas de Nice and the Lycee de Nice in 1964. In 1969, he was awarded an academic post-graduate diploma in Western Asiatic archaeology from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London, where he earned his doctorate.

In 1997, Swiny was appointed the Martha Sharp Joukowsky Lecturer for the Archaeological Institute of America.

His lecture is sponsored by the Cobb Institute of Archaeology. For further information, contact Kathy Elliott at 325-3826.