The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1876-12-22
4 LONG BURIED PALACE.
Evidence that Homer only Described what
He Saso-AncieHt Warriors.


He Saso-AncieEt Warriors.
DIR. Schlieman writes from Maycen@
To the south of the circular parallel
double row of sepulchers my excavations
bave brought to light vast cyclePean
house, which, so far as it has been I'M
covered, contains five chambers inter
sected by four corridors of four feet
breadth. The walls still contain mere
and there their clay coating, which,
however, shows nowhere a trace OF paint
ing. The walls are from two to four ana
one-half feet thick, and one and the same
wall is in some places six to eight inches
thicker than in others. The largestr room
is eighteen and one-half feet long by thlr-
teen and one-half feet broad, and Its east
side is cut out in the rock to depth OF
sixteen inches. As well below this as
below the adjoining room, deep clstern
is cut out in the rock; the water Is con-
Quoted into it by eyclopean water con-
duit, which leads down from the hill.
Although there are no windows In the
house, and although the scanty daylight
through the doors must have been still
diminished by the cyclopean circuit wall,
whichis only separated from the west side
of the house by a four-feet broad corridor
vet this seems to have been the royal
palace, because no building in better
style of architecture has been found yet
in the acropolis. Certainly his royal
majesty was not comfortably lodged in
such house, but, comfort being un-
known, it was unmissed. On the other
hand, the objects discovered in this
house proved that the family which oc-
cupied it had pretensions to luxury.
In one of the chambers, at a depth of
twenty-throe feet below the surface, was
found a finger ring cut out of splendid
white onyx, with a seal, ON which are in
cised two animals without horns. In
seeing the incision and thinking that it
belongs to an antiquity by centuries
preceding Homer, We are ready to be
ieve that all the works of art mentioned
bv Homer-the wonderful shields cf
Achilles, the dog and the bear in
Ulysses mautIe-clasp, Nestor's goblet,
etc, all existed at this time, and that he
merely describes what he saw with his
own ewes. There are further found in
the cyclopea house perforated convex
pieces of agate or serpentine, derived
from necklaces-sOme with an incised
spiral ornamentation of horses or deers
There was also found a form stone of
Jasper, showing on all six sides most fan
tastic types for casting gold or silver or
naments; it had also type for casting
those frequently found curious cUnical
objects of black CLASSY substance, with
spiral lines and perforation on each
side for suspension with a string.
Further on some beautiful axes of green
stone, many splendid terra-cottas, of
which the large vases with two or three
handles the ends of which have been
modelled into the shape of crocodiles, de-
serve particular attention.
The vases are covered wi tn representa-
tions of warriors of a dark red color on a
light yellow dead ground, wearing coats
of mail, girdle belts, sandals and either
shaggy helmets, with stings or pricks
like the sting of porcupine, or helmets
with long crests. From the front side of
helmet always protrudes an object in
form of a horn. The warriors are invari-
ably armed with large round shields, the
lower part of which Is always cut out in
form of a crescent; also WITH Iances of all
of which we see the object described in
one of my previous letters. One Of the
men, who is unarmed, lifts up his hand
and seems to command; another is in
the act of throwing lance. The men
have always the same perfectly archaic
type, very ong Asiatie faces, particular
" long noses, and long Assyrian boards.
The inside of these vases are painted red.
-L0Hd2n Times.