Chapter VII (2)

There was also found a small golden cross, represented under No. 294, having an ornamentation of spirals on either side. It deserves particular mention that the last-named ornaments (Nos. 291-294), as well as some of the smaller ornaments of this sepulchre,[293] though of gold, have a reddish bronze-like colour, so that, if I had found them alone, I should decidedly not have claimed for them a very remote antiquity; but the conditions under which they lay in the sepulchre make it impossible to suppose that the objects found there were of different ages.

[Sidenote: GOLDEN HAIR-HOLDERS.]

There were also found on each of the three bodies two golden ornaments (six in all) almost in the form of earrings, of which two are represented in the engravings Nos. 295 and 296. But as the two ends of each of these objects are in the form of spirals turned round four or five times, they can, of course, not have been used for the ears; besides they would be by far too heavy for that use, because they are of solid gold. The only use which, in my opinion, can have been made of them is to hold together the locks, and I think they perfectly explain the passage in Homer:[294]--

"Those locks, that with the Graces' hair might vie,
Those tresses bright, with gold and silver bound,
Were dabbled all with blood."

LORD DERBY.

I also collected on the three bodies eleven very curious golden ornaments, of which I give three engravings (Nos. 297, 298, and 299). All of them have in the middle a narrow tube, by which they appear to have been strung on a cord, for they can, in my opinion, only have been used for necklaces. They were made in the following way: to both ends of a small tube, which, as we see in the engravings, is ornamented with circular incisions, was soldered a thin golden wire, which was on either side turned eleven times round, and these spirals were soldered together, the outside turn of each also being soldered to the tube. Of the same pattern were found six bracelets like No. 300, each of which consists of twelve spirals made of the same fine gold wire; they were fastened round the arm by the small golden staff at the right, and by the spiral at the left extremity, which latter served as a clasp.

[Sidenote: GOLDEN BALANCES.]

There were further found two pairs of golden scales, which I represent in the engraving (Nos. 301 and 302), but I have been able to photograph the beam of only one pair, the other beam being too much compressed and out of shape. Both beams consist of tubes of thin gold-plate, through which was undoubtedly stuck a wooden stick to give them more solidity; _débris_ of charred wood were even found in some pieces of the golden tubes. The beams were attached to the scales by long and very thin straps of gold. Two of the scales are ornamented with flowers, the others with beautifully-represented butterflies. Of course these scales can never have been used; they were evidently made expressly to accompany the bodies of the three princesses into the grave, and they have, therefore, undoubtedly a symbolic signification. I may here call attention to the scales in the wall-paintings of the Egyptian sepulchres, in which are weighed the good and bad deeds of the deceased. At all events these scales vividly recall to our remembrance the beautiful passage of Homer,[295] where Jove takes golden scales and weighs the "lots of doom" of Hector and Achilles.

"But when the fourth time in their rapid course
The founts were reached, the Eternal father hung
His golden scales aloft, and placed in each
The lots of doom, for great Achilles one,
For Hector one, and held them by the midst:
Down sank the scale, weighted with Hector's death,
Down to the shades, and Phœbus left his side."

LORD DERBY.

[Sidenote: CHILD'S MASK AND GOLD PLATES.]

There were further found with the three bodies the golden ornaments here represented. The golden plate (No. 303) must have been glued on something else, because otherwise its use is inexplicable. It has a beautiful ornamentation of _repoussé_ work, such as we have not seen before in Mycenæ. The child's mask (No. 304) consists of very thin gold plate; the places for the eyes are cut out, and even in the present crumpled condition of the mask the nose is slightly protruding. It appears, therefore, very probable that, together with the bodies of the three women, a child was burnt and buried in this tomb, and this would perfectly agree with the tradition cited by Pausanias.[296]

I also found thirteen splendidly-ornamented objects of gold plate, of which one is represented under No. 305; their style of ornamentation has never been seen by me here before. At the upper extremity we see a perforation, which makes it probable that these objects have served as pendants of earrings. The gold plate (No. 306) must also have been cemented on some other object, for it shows no perforations. It represents in defective _repoussé_ work two men, of whom the one, who is winged and has horse's-feet and appears to play the flute, stands with his right foot on the head of the other, whose arms are extended and whose feet are wide apart. Both men have two horns on the head, and those of the lower figure are particularly conspicuous. To the right of the two men, and thus to the left of the spectator, is a very strange ornament, which at first sight appears to consist of written characters, but, on closer examination, we find that it is mere ornamentation.

There was further found here the perforated ball of beautifully-polished rock crystal (No. 307), which has evidently formed part of the handle of a sceptre or some weapon, for we see in the perforation a long piece of metal which appears to be gold, but which is probably only gold-plated bronze or silver.

The object, No. 308, is also of well-polished rock crystal; it has a large mouth, and a perforation on the opposite side; the interior has a lively ornamentation painted in red and white. The use of this object is altogether a riddle to me.

There were also found two objects of bronze, of which the one appears to be a fragment and the other the handle of some weapon.

[Sidenote: CURIOUS SCEPTRES.]

I also picked up there the two objects, Nos. 309 and 310, which appear to be sceptres. The silver staff of each has been plated with gold, as we see on that part of it which sticks in the beautifully-turned knobs of rock crystal. The crystal ball of No. 309 is ornamented with small vertical furrows and quite perforated, and there are evident signs that another object, probably of gold, has been attached to its lower end; and such a piece of gold was found lying separately and is added in the engraving (_a_), the more so as its upper end had evidently been broken off; it is ornamented on both sides with _repoussé_ work representing lions.

Sceptres of silver plated with gold, with handles of rock-crystal.

Sepulchre III. Size 1:3, about.

_a._ A ball of gold found separately, but belonging to the handle.]

I call the reader's attention to the size of these presumed sceptres, which is here only about one-third of the actual size. I beg further to observe that the enormous gold plated silver rods were doubtless stuck in wooden staves covered with gold plate. For the abundance here of such staves with gold covers we can have no better testimony than the numerous tubes of gold plate found in these tombs, many of them still containing charred remnants of the wood which they once covered; a few even contained remnants of the wood pretty well preserved.

Further I found fifteen perforated beads of brown agate, like No. 311, which evidently belong to a necklace; also a number of beads like No. 312: further the magnificent lentoid gem of sardonyx (No. 313), on which are represented two men, the one sitting, the other standing. The latter seems to seize the former with his right hand by the hair, while he thrusts with his left a long sword into his breast.

Very characteristic is the immense shield which we see on the standing man's back, and which resembles two shields joined at the border; it is not unlike the shield which we see on the fallen warrior, p. 174, No. 254.

No. 314 is a whorl-like ornament of black agate, with a spiral ornamentation on its lower side; it has no perforation.

Very curious is the lentoid gem of amethyst, No. 315, which is of a transparent violet-blue colour, with an intaglio, representing an animal turning round its head to look at its calf, which is sucking the milk from its udders. The body and legs of the animal, and even its head and horns, are decidedly those of a stag; but I may remind the reader that the most ancient didrachms of Corcyra represent in a similar style a cow turning her head and looking at her calf, which sucks the milk from her udders.

[Sidenote: ORNAMENTED GOLDEN WHEELS.]

I also found there six golden ornaments in the form of wheels, of one of which I give the engraving (No. 316). Like the wheels of bronze which we have passed in review, these six wheels have only four spokes, forming a cross around the closed axle, which is merely indicated; but the spokes are here curved, so as to form four semicircles. All of them are ornamented with horizontal incisions; the felloes are very broad, and have a spiral ornament all round.

I also found in this sepulchre a lady's comb of gold, with teeth of bone; but the latter are so much damaged that I cannot give an engraving of them; further, a large silver seal-ring, which, having been in contact with saline matter, has become chloride of silver, so that the engraving on it has disappeared. Also, twelve tubes of gold plate, which had evidently once been filled with wood to give them solidity; in some of the tubes there were still remains of charred wood. The use of these tubes is difficult to explain; they may have belonged either to sceptres or to distaffs. Further, a large quantity of small or larger gold beads of necklaces, and an enormous quantity of amber beads, likewise from necklaces. These beads have grown dark-brown, probably owing to their great antiquity, so that we at first mistook them for resin, but the analysis of Professor Landerer has shown that they consist of the purest amber. It will, of course, for ever remain a secret to us whether this amber is derived from the coast of the Baltic or from Italy, where it is found in several places, but particularly on the east coast of Sicily; but it is highly probable that it was brought to Greece by the Phœnicians, its name in Greek being _electrum_ (ἤλεκτρον), and _elek_ signifying resin in Arabic, and probably also in Phœnician. Amber was well known to Homer, who mentions it three times in the Odyssey, as fitted, in lieu of precious stones, in gold ornaments.[297]

Amongst other objects found with the three bodies of the third tomb, were a square leaf ornament, two golden breast-pins, a golden flower on a silver stalk, many very small golden ornaments, a large number of beads of a transparent red stone from a necklace, a gold-plated brooch of bronze; seven ornaments of gold representing lions, of which, however, only two are with heads; also, a golden ornament representing an ox attacked by two lions. I collected there a large quantity of small pieces of very thin beaten gold, with which the whole tomb, below and above the bodies, was strewn.

[Sidenote: GOLD GOBLET AND BOX WITH LID.]

With the three bodies of the third sepulchre were also found the gold goblet (No. 317) and the gold box (No. 318). The goblet has only one handle, and its outside is divided, by a band in relief of three stripes, into an upper and a lower compartment, and both are ornamented with _repoussé_ work of fish, which are very faithful to nature. Very curious is the gold box (No. 318), with a well-fitting lid, which was fastened on it with two gold wires, by means of four perforations, one wire being on either side of the lid, and one on either side of the rim of the box. A similar contrivance is found in the box which Arêtê, wife of King Alcinoüs, fills with presents for Ulysses, for she recommends to him:--

"Look now thyself to the lid and tie quickly a knot on it, lest
any one should rob thee on the way, when thou reposest again in
sweet slumber, going in the black ship."[298]

Homer says in the verses immediately following:--

"But as soon as the much-enduring, divine Ulysses heard this, he
forthwith fitted on the lid, and quickly put upon it a manifold
knot, which venerable Circe had once prudently taught him."[299]

These passages can leave no doubt that chests and boxes with a similar contrivance were in general use in the time of Homer. They were also in general use at Troy, for I collected there hundreds of terra-cotta vases, and also a box, which shows the same principle.[300] Similar terra-cotta vases are also to be seen in the small collection of prehistoric pottery in the French school at Athens. They were found in a prehistoric city on the island of Thera, below a layer of pumice-stone and volcanic ashes, 60 ft. deep, thrown out by that great central volcano, which, in the opinion of competent geologists, must have sunk into the sea and disappeared about 1700-1800 B.C.

Golden Vase, with lid attached by a golden wire. Sepulchre III. Size 7:10.]

Chests and boxes fashioned in the same way, namely, with perforations in the rim and in the lid through which they were fastened by means of a string, must have been in general use in Mycenæ, because all the gold vessels with lids found here show exactly the same contrivance. The box before us has no ornamentation.

[Sidenote: GOLD VESSELS WITH LIDS.]

The beautiful globular gold vase (No. 319) has a handle on each side and one on the lid, in which latter can be seen the golden wire by which it was attached to the vase through the perforation in the rim. The only ornaments of this vase are the two rope-like bands in relief, with which its upper part is encircled. I also found with the three bodies of the third sepulchre the three gold vessels here engraved, all of which have holes in the rim and in the lid, for tying them together with a gold wire. No. 320 has a small handle on either side, and a large one on the lid; it is decorated with curved lines in relief. The handsome box (No. 321) has only a small handle on the lid, and no ornamentation. The beautiful vase (No. 322) has a handle on each side, and a very large one on the lid. It has no ornamentation. There can be seen protruding from it the long golden wire, by which the lid was bound to the rim of the vessel. All these and the former golden vases and boxes are of _repoussé_ work. I likewise found in this tomb a plain silver vase with one handle.

There were found on the eastern side of this sepulchre four boxes of copper-plate (see No. 323) all filled with wood, which is pretty well preserved, only the upper part of it being partly charred by the funeral fire. Each of these boxes is 10 in. long, 5 in. high, and 4½ in. wide. The side plates of the boxes are soldered together, and nowhere are nails visible except in the rim of the upper side, which is open, where we see twenty long copper nails beaten in from the outside and projecting far on the inside; and the question naturally arises why they are there. I cannot explain their presence in any other way than by supposing that there has been on this side a thick wooden plate, which was fastened by the twenty nails, and which has been burned in the funeral fire. I conjecture that these copper cases, filled with wood, served probably as head-pillows for the dead, and perhaps also for the living, because they are, at all events, not harder, and even a little softer, than the pillows of alabaster or marble found in the Egyptian tombs, of which several are in the British Museum. I at first supposed that the wood in the boxes might be sandal-wood, which might have served to perfume the sepulchre whilst the funeral pile was burning, but I have given up this idea, considering that there would have been no use in preserving the odoriferous wood in the boxes and shutting it up in them with long nails; besides that, for such a purpose more of it would have burned. But again, it may be that the sandal-wood has been imported from India in these small boxes. In the present deteriorated state of the wood it is utterly impossible to recognise the species of tree that it belongs to. All these boxes were lying near the heads of the dead, but none under any of them.

[Sidenote: HAND-MADE VASE OF TERRA-COTTA.]

There were also found with the three bodies of the third sepulchre the small hand-made vessel of terra-cotta (No. 324), which shows, on a light yellow dead colour, the following ornamentation of a dark red colour: three circular bands and a spiral line interlacing eight circles, each of which contains a palm-leaf; every two circles are further intersected by two large round spots.

No. 325 is of alabaster, but looks as if it were of shell; it represents two hands joined together in juxtaposition and forming a hollow; all the fingers are distinctly visible. The use of this object is difficult to explain, it being too heavy to have served as a spoon or trowel.

In the same tomb I found a second piece of splendidly polished rock-crystal; its form is more than a hemisphere; it has a perforation in the middle of the bottom, and another on each side. Its interior has paintings of a lively red colour. Its use is altogether inexplicable to me; were it not for the paintings I should believe it to be the handle of a sceptre; but as it is, it can never have served as such.

There were found in the same sepulchre an entire but quite plain silver vase, with one handle; a broken silver vessel with a spiral ornamentation, and a broken plain silver goblet; also a silver vase ornamented with a horizontal row of twelve golden stars of _repoussé_ work, but unfortunately so much broken that it cannot be photographed. I may further mention a large bronze knife with a wooden handle.

I also found in this third tomb the copper-plated mouthpiece of a large vase, which consists, according to Professor Landerer, of a composition of silver and lead; the mouthpiece has probably only been plated with copper in order to plate this latter again with gold. Further, an alabaster cup, a fragmentary bronze vase, two very large copper vases with two handles, a large copper caldron (λεβης), with two handles, and two others with three handles. All these objects are similar to those found in the fourth tomb, of which the engravings will be given in the next chapter.

There were also found here a large mass of fragments of hand-made or very ancient wheel-made terra-cotta vases; and lastly, a long well-polished stone of nearly oval form, which, in the opinion of Mr. Eustratiades, may have served as a weight to draw to a door.

FOOTNOTES:

[270] See Chapters III. and IV., pp. 80-85, 88-90.

[271] See 'Troy and its Remains,' pp. 103-106.

[272] See Nos. 282-284, pp. 186, 188.

[273] Called in German the 'Umfangsmethode.'

[274] See 'Troy and its Remains,' p. 310, No. 222, where "rings" should rather have been "tubes" or "tubular rings."

[275] _Ibid._ p. 285, No. 199.

[276] See Vignette to this chapter.

[277] See Plan B B.

[278] All these are engraved in their actual size.

[279] See No. 142, p. 91.

[280] See _Iliad_, XXII. 111, ἀσπὶς ὀμφαλόεσσα; comp. 'Troy and its Remains,' p. 324.

[281] See _Iliad_, III. 357; VII. 250; and in many other passages.

[282] See _Iliad_, XIII. 715; XIV. 428; and in other passages.

[283] See for example _Il._ XI. 32:--

ἀν δ᾽ ἕλετ᾽ ἀμφιβρότην,
πολυδαίδαλον ἀσπίδα θοῦριν.

"Then he took the man-covering, artistically made, powerful shield."

See also all the wonders which Hephæstus wrought on the shield of Achilles, _Il._ XVIII. 468-608.

[284] See, for example, _Il._ XX. 275, and XVIII. 480.

[285] See p. 133.

[286] κορυθαίολος ῞Ἑκτωρ. Comp. 'Troy and its Remains,' p. 281.

[287] _Il._ XXII. 326.

[288] More properly the tree cricket (τέττιξ, Lat. _cicada_, It. _cigaia_, Fr. _cigale_), of which the Athenians wore golden images in their hair, to denote their autochthonic origin. Hence it was probably the common badge of the cognate Achæan and old Ionian races.

[289] Herodotus, III. 13, 14.

Milton alludes to this legend (_Par. Lost_, Bk. II.):--

"As when a gryphon through the wilderness
With winged course o'er hill or moory dale
Pursues the Arimaspian, who by stealth
Had from his wakeful custody purloined
The guarded gold."

[290] _H. N._ VII. 2; XXXIII. 4, 21.

[291] _Apud_ Philostrat. _Vit. Apoll. Tyan._ III. 48, p. 134.

[292] 'Vasengemälde.']

[293] Like Nos. 262, 264, 265, 266, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 279, 280, 303, 305, 306, and 316.

[294] _Iliad_, XVII. 51 and 52:--

αἵματί οἱ δεύοντο κόμαι Χαρίτεσσιν
ὁμοῖαι,
πλοχμοί θ᾿, οἳ χρυσῷ τε καὶι ἀργύρω
ἐσφήκωντο.
]

[295] _Il._ XXII. 209-213:--

ἀλλ᾿, ὅτε δὴ τὸ τεταρτον ἐπὶ
κρουνοὺς ἀφίκοντο,
καὶ τότε δὴ χρύσεια πατὴρ ἐτιταινε
τάλαντα·
ἐν δ᾿ ἐτίθει δύο κῆρε τανηλεγέεος
θανάτοιο,
τὴν μὲν ᾿Αχιλλῆος, τὴν δ᾿ ῞Ἑκτορος
ἱπποδάμοιο·
ἕλκε δὲ μέσσα λαβών· ῥέπε δ᾿
῞Ἑκτορος αἴσιμον ἦμαρ,
ᾤχετο δ᾿ εἰς ᾿Αΐδαο· λίπεν δέ ἑ
Φοῖβος ᾿Απόλλων.

[296] II. 16, § 6. See the passage fully quoted in Chapter III. p. 59.

[297] _Odyss._ XV. 460:--

χρύσεον ὅρμον ἔχων, μετὰ δ᾿
ἠλέκτροισιν ἔερτο.

"Bringing a golden necklace set with amber."

And XVIII. 296:--

ὅρμον δ᾿ Εὐρυμάχῳ πολυδαίδαλον
αὐτίκ' ἔνεικεν
χρύσεον, ἠλέκτροισιν ἐερμένον,
ἠέλιον ὥς.

"He brought immediately to Eurymachus an artistic golden necklace, set with amber like the sun."

In both cases the _plural_ agrees exactly with the sense of _amber-beads_ set in a gold mounting.

The third passage, _Odyss._ IV. 73--

χρυσοῦ τ᾿ ἠλέκτρου τε καὶ ἀργύρου
ἠδ᾿ ἐλέφαντος--

occurs in the description of the palace of Menelaus; and here the _yellow_ gold and _amber_ seem placed in poetic parallelism with the _white_ silver and _ivory_.

[298] _Odyss._ VIII. 443-445:--

Αὐτὸς νῦν ἴδε πῶμα, θοῶς δ᾽ ἐπὶ
δεσμὸν ἴηλον, μήτις τοι καθ᾽ ὁδὸν
δηλήσεται, ὁππότ᾽ ἂν αὖτε εὕδῃσθα
γλυκὺν ὑπνον, ἰὼν ἐν νηῒ μελαίνῃ.

[299] _Ib._ 446-448:--

Αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ τόγ᾽ ἄκουσε πολύτλᾳς
δῖος ᾽Οδυσσεύς,
αὐτίκ᾽ ἐπήρτυε πῶμα, θοῶς δ᾽ ἐπὶ
δεσμὸν ἴηλεν
ποικίλον, ὅν ποτέ μιν δέεδαε
φρεσὶ πότνια Κίρκη.

In _Od._ II. 354, Telemachus, preparing for his voyage to Sparta, bids his nurse Euryclea to fill twelve amphoræ with wine and fit them all with lids, but these would need to be very close-fitting for liquids (cf. p. 256):

Δώδεκα δ᾽ ἔμπλησον, καὶ πώμασιν
ἄρσον ἃπαντας.

[300] See my 'Troy and its Remains,' p. 286, No. 200, p. 310, Nos. 222 and 223, and Plate XVII. Nos. 243 and 244.