Abstract :
Found in 1897, the important collection of Late Antique silverware known as the first Lambousa
treasure (to distinguish it from a second find of Lambousa treasure made in 1902) was acquired in
part by the British Museum in 1899. This paper reconstructs the history of the discovery of the first
Lambousa treasure and the circumstances of its removal from Cyprus. Research for the paper has
brought to light hitherto unknown documents, and throws new light on the collection of antiquities
in the early modern era and the politics, attitudes and personalities involved
