Work at the temple of Aphrodite at Old Paphos (Kouklia) started on 1 February 1888. Hogarth (in Gardner et al. 1888: 159) recorded immediate delays:
We had been unable to bring more than the few picks, spades, and baskets which had been in use at Leontari, the Nicosia blacksmiths being incapable of turning out our further order very quickly, and accordingly batches of tools kept arriving about once a week, and our full stock was not on the spot until March 9th. This will explain why we began upon the temple with a small staff only, and why we were compelled to restrict ourselves to trenching for nearly three weeks—in the absence of wheelbarrows or baskets the earth could not be removed.Bibliography
Gardner, E. A., D. G. Hogarth, M. R. James, and R. Elsey Smith. 1888. "Excavations in Cyprus, 1887-8. Paphos, Leontari, Amargetti." Journal of Hellenic Studies 9: 147-271. [JSTOR]