The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-06-27
A MODERN ALADDIN.
Great Discovery Of Buried Art Treasures.
An occasional correspondant of the Rostc

An OCCASIONAL correspondent. OF the Boston
Daily Advertiser writing from Athens, Greece,
May 2, relates the following wonderful dis
coveries:-- r.. d. ....
have Just returned from Larnaca, on the
Island of Cyprus, where / have seen one of
the most interesting and extensive collections
of Greek and Phenician antiquities yet dis
covered General l.. p. di Cesnola, who re-
ceived honorable wounds in our late civil
war, was rewarded for his bravery by Presi-
dent Lincoln with the United States Consul
late at Cyprus, on salary of one thousand
dollars a year. General Cesnola had been
interested in antiquities previous to his
arrival at Cyprus, and was a member of the
Archaeological Society in Turin, his native
city. One day towards the close of 1867,
while taking drive with his family, he
stopped for few moments at a pea
SAINTS house in DALI the ancient Ida
lium. The peasant told him he had
a secret to divulge. While looking for some
stones to be used in the construction of
his house, he exhumed two vases. AS natives
are forbidden to make excavations without
frman, and as frman would cost more than
he was able to pay the peasant buried his
vases and said nothing. AS soon as General
Cesnola saw them he recognized them as rare
and beautiful specimens of Phpuician work
He hastened to obtain firman from the
Turkish Government, and opened more than
nine thousand tolnbs. The result was large
collection of curiositieS consisting of marble
and limestone statues, statuettes and vases,
antique Greek glassware, bronzes, crusaders
and oriental arms and ornaments of gold, sill
yer, and engraved stones These were readily
disposed of to the British and Berlin muse
ums, Mr. Lepsius, of Berlin, taking over six
hundred vases.
Elated with his success, the General re-
solved to try once more. Cyprus is the place
from which Venus is said to have emerged
from the sea, and hundreds of temples were
there dedicated to her worship. Especially
at Golgos there was very beautiful temple,
mentioned by Theocritus and Catullus: but
Engel, in his work on Cyprus (vol. i, p. 145,
and vol. ii, p. S1), says that the position of
Golgos is not known. See also Smiths Dict,
article G0lgS.
It has often been remarked that the modern
town of Atieno is built of the remains of
some ancient temple. A few years since
Count de Vogue was at Cyprus, and exca-
waited near Atieno, hoping to find the temple,
but went away without accomplishing his
object General Cesnola resolved to make
another trial. On the side of hill he first
found tombs. After digging for six or seven
days the works of art which had been Phuni-
clan suddenly became Greek and Roman, and
were found three feet below the surface.
On digging down six and saven feet he
found again the remains of Phenician art.
chosen the same site for their cemetery
only that the Greeks and Romans, coming
last, buried their dead above the remains of
the Ph9nicians. On approaching the foot of
the hill, the spades of his workmen struck the
foundations of an old wall; and 10 inside the
wall, all around the valley, were rows of sta
tues of life size, statuettes and colossal statues
bronzes, heads, bass-reliefs Greek inscrip-
tions, and numerous votive offerings. Be-
sides settling the position of ancient Golgos
and thus making a contribution to history
General Cesnola has a museum of over nine
thousand specimens of ancient art, many of
them illustrating religious rites and domestic
customs.
He has over two hundred pairs of gold ear
rings, some of which q gentleman tried in
vain to purchase for Queen Victoria; some of
the most beautiful rings and bracelets that
have ever been found, showing that modern
jewellers have not yet carried the art of en-
craving to the point it reached among the
Greeks.
There are also Byzantine statues, represent
ing the three Graces a garnet head, beauti-
inlaid vases; statues of Sappho and of Venus,
some Phoenician and Assyrian statues
weighing between five hundred and
six hundred pounds each. Although
these were exhumed as late as March
last, agents from both the British
and Berlin museums have already been sent
to make purchases for the completion of their
collections. For single vase the General
] has been offered ESQ; but with desire, un-
derstood with difficulty in our money getting
age, that antiquities found together should
remain together, he refuses to sell unless the
purchaser will take the lot entire. To any
responsible party General Cesnola makes the
following otfer:-A vessel shall be sent to
Cyprus, the collection taken home and sci
L. elolI In
arbitration.