Christian Monuments of Cyrenaica.

Collection consists of correspondence, notes, drawings, plans and photographs pertaining to the publication of Joyce Reynolds (ed.), John B. Ward Perkins and Richard G. Goodchild, "Christian Monuments of Cyrenaica", (Society for Libyan Studies, 2003).

The Society for Libyan Studies monograph is based on work carried out by Richard Goodchild and John Ward Perkins on Christian antiquities in Cyrenaica.

"The account of the Christian antiquities of Tripolitania which Richard Goodchild and John Ward Perkins published in "Archaeologia XCV" (1953) was a landmark in the study of Libya in late antiquity; a companion piece for Cyrenaica was a natural sequel". Following his appointment as Controller of Antiquities in 1953, "Goodchild himself started at once to look for the late antique and Byzantine monuments and soon stimulated a campaign of discovery by members of the Department of Antiquities, who began to explore the rural areas".

"Ward Perkins set about examining, photographing, and describing the finds... and arranged for them to be surveyed and drawn by professional architects... The bulk of the writing was to be the task of Ward Perkins. Goodchild was to have provided an historical introduction but was frustrated by the absence of up-to-date books in Libya and never produced it".

"Ward Perkins took teams to Libya, mainly for study of Christian monuments, in 1955 and 1958; and between these expeditions and after them, when Joyce Reynolds and Elisabeth Rosenbaum (later Alfoldi-Rosenbaum) were in Cyrenaica for other purposes, urged them to make observations for him, Reynolds on Christian inscriptions and Rosenbaum on Christian mosaics".

Ward Perkins continued expeditions to Cyrenaica following the death of Goodchild in 1968. " Meanwhile, developments in the Cyrenaican countryside began to open access to many areas that were previously difficult to visit; and subsequent exploration by the Department of Antiquities brought to light many new Christian monuments... When he died in 1981, Ward Perkins' files consisted essentially of typescripts containing detailed descriptions, with architectural interpretations, of most of the churches known in 1969 (but not quite all), three notebooks with detailed notes on them and some additional drafts in manuscript, an extensive, but incomplete, collection of drawings and photographs to illustrated what he proposed to say".

"Ward Perkins' manuscript is manifestly incomplete... We [Reynolds, et all] have presented what Ward Perkins wrote almost exactly as he left it, leaving untouched pointed which may seem questionable today in the light of discoveries and discussion since the nineteen-sixties".

"Preface" in Joyce Reynolds (ed.), John B. Ward Perkins and Richard G. Goodchild, "Christian Monuments of Cyrenaica", (Society for Libyan Studies, 2003).

1. Site Files

Series of files have been arranged alphabetically by site.

2. Draft Site Lists

3. Cyrenaica Notebook

Available for general access

Please contact the BILNAS General Secretary on gensec@bilnas.org If you wish to consult the archive.