The Swedish Cyprus Expedition Digitisation Initiative (SCEDI) is an ongoing collaborative project between the Digital Cultural Heritage Research Centre MNEMOSYNE and the Medelhavsmuseet (Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities), Stockholm, Sweden, to digitise over 20,000 Cypriot antiquities collected by the Swedish Cyprus Expedition 1927–1931. These artefacts are being scanned in 3D for digital repatriation and online access via Europeana, the European digital library, marking a milestone in cultural diplomacy between Cyprus and Sweden. It is a unique initiative in which the host country (Sweden) has invited the country of origin (Cyprus) to digitise its archaeological wealth.
The Swedish Cyprus Expedition was a project to systematically investigate the archaeology of the entire early history of Cyprus. It took place between September 1927 and March 1931 and was led by three archaeologists: Einar Gjerstad, Erik Sjöqvist and Alfred Westholm, together with architect John Lindros.
Archaeological excavations were conducted at sites across Cyprus, including Lapithos, Nitovikla, Ajia Irini, and Enkomi. The results were published in four volumes from 1934 to 1972. Most of the finds are now kept at the Cyprus Museum; Nicosia and Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm.
Currently, over 100 artefacts have been digitised during two missions, with collaborators from Cyprus, Sweden, Finland, Germany and Estonia involved in the process.
