The Portland daily press., 1876-12-29
Schliemann's Discoveries.

Leipsic who, under date of the 9th instant
makes public the following interesting particu-
lars concerning the treasure troye at Mycena:
You will have full account of the treasures
found in the tombs at Mycena as soon as Dr.
Schliemann can leave the mouth of the rich
mine which he has opened and change the pick
axe for the pen. The excitement at Mycep@ is
great hundreds OF people were present when
the rock cut tombs were opened and the treas
ures brought to light, one after the other. The
Greek Geyernment has thought it necessary to
order the Governor of the province to be pres
ent, and the Governor has required the presence
OF two more officials from Athens. All this
causes trouble and delay, and Dr. Schliemann
las no easy task with his navies and photogra-
pliers and officials and governors ali buzzing
about his trenches. No doubt he may be con
sldered at the present moment the luckiest man
in Europe; but it should not be forgotten how
much IN this glorious discovery is due to his
tact, amounting almost to diyinatiop, to his
perseverance and to his generosity.
L give few extracts from his last letter to
me, dated Mycena, November 27:
You will soon receive a more complete report,
but in the meantime foretaste of what is to
come may be agreeable. In the same tomb of
which l wrote to you ia my last letter have
just discovered what take to be the skeleton
OF woman, judging from the small teeth and
the female ornaments with which the bones
were covered. The two earrings are treasures
in themselves. There were besides pendants
OF precious stone (red) hundreds of large and
small leaves of gold, every one entirely covered
with spiral ornaments and circles. When,
after having dug out mountains of earth, be-
gan to remove the stones and rubbish of the
lower layer, struck on the large gilded silver
cow-head (Sic) with two golden horns, one large
cup or gold with pigeon on each handle (whO
does not think of Nestors cup?) three cups
with only one handle, and an enormous vase of
pure gold, richly ornamented. found about
two hundred gold buttons, very large and splen-
6l6IV anOrQVad. m m roll fala
richly ornamented, which first mistook for
belt, nine silver vases, one or more Of them
gilded, ten very large vessels of bronze. All
this was found before hardly one-thrd of the
tomb had been emptied. The bones which
found are like the bones OF giants, of extraor-
dinary size and the teeth very large There
were close to them two large heaps of lances
and swords of bronze. Many swords showed
the remains of wooden handles, ornamented
with innumerable gold pins. The handle of
one sword was entirely Of gold. There is no
end of smaller objects, all of gold which had
been scattered over the richly embroidered
clothes OF the royal deceased. For instance, q
man with pigeon on his head, sea-horse, a
lion, man whose ply siognomy resembles the
Medusa which Perseus kills on one of the bas.
reliefs at Selinuat two warriors fighting, &c.
Here is an epoch of art fully recovered which
was hitherto hardly known except by the three
friezes in the British Museum. The tomb is
the tomb which the tradition of the ancients
assigned to the king of mep, the noble Agamem-
non, to Cassandra, to Eurymedon and their
companions. L say no more at present.
HENRY SCHLIEMANN.
DIR. Schliemann sends US the fifth and sixth
instalments of his report ou the previous sx-
cavations at Mycena:
My last letter was of the 7th instant and
have continued the excavations ever since with
the utmost vigor, employing constantly 125
laborers and i've horse-carts. In the Treasury
the difficulties were far greater than antci-
pated, particularly as the delegate of the Greek
Government opposed the removal of the foun-
dations OF Hellenic house just above the
lower part of the "dromos." Thus l have
been unable to clear the latter of the Rubbish,
feet deep, which still covers its pavement,
and have only succeeded in clearing out the
IL foot long, S-foot broad passage of the en-
trance, and the central part of the Treasury,
comprising space of 360 square feet, around
which leave 9 feet high and 10 feet thick
border of huge stones and rubbish. AS soon
as the Greek Government consents to the re-
moval of the aforesaid ruins, which have not
the slightest value to science, shall at once do
the remainder of the work. but certainly not
sooner. The two columns to the right and left
of the entrance were not quadrangular, as
supposed but huted half columns, one of which
A feet 3 inches high and foot inches broad
was found in the passage near the door. At
81 feet before the latter the ''dromos' is shut
up by foot high wall of square calcareous
stones. The door of the Treasury has the
enormous height of IS feet inches, and is
feet inches broad. On the threshold which
consists of very fine cacareous stone, and is
feet inches broad, found a very thin
round leaf of gold The floor of the Treasury
was covered with coating of sand and chalk,
traces of which are visible in many places; it
slopes towards the center, which is one foot
below the threshold. There was found in the
Treasury large fragment of a freze of blue
marble, with an orDamentation representing
a circle and row of fish spines; further, five
blades of bronze, 81 to 81 inches long, and
Juno idol of the usual form with two horns.
Treasure may be hidden in the large border of
stones and rubbish which have been forced to
leave behind, but hardly believe it. Consid-
ering that very ancient fragments of pottery
were found exclusively in the "dromos," and
on the other hand variety OF potsherds Of
different ages in the Treasury itself, feel con-
vinced that only the "dromos" and the entrance
were covered up in high antiquity, that the
| Treasury remained empty, aud that the frag-
meDts OF vases now found in it were contained
| in the thick layer of rubbish which covered the
| upper vault when, fifty-six years ago, Veil
Pasha, the son of Ali Pasha, tried to force an
entrance BY this way.
| In the Acropolis l have entirely cleared out
| the passage south of the Lioo's Gate and
| brought, to light the enormous threshold of the
| latter, which consists of a 15 foot long, s foot
| broad, very hard calcareous block. The ruts
| caused by chariot W heels, of which all guide
books speak, exist in the Imagination of en-
thusiastic travellers only, but not in reality.
The different monuments which have brought
| to light in close proximity to the Lions Gate,
such as the immense double parallel row Of
| closely-loined slabs, the gigantic sepulchres,
| &c., have since very remote antiquity barred
| the access of chariots to the Acropolis. No
| doubt the fifteen small, straight, parallel fur.
| rows which are cut all along the threshold,
| have been mistaken for ruts of chariots. The
| opening of the gateway widens from the top
| downwards, it is 10 feet high, and the width
of the door is 81 feet at the top and 104 feet be-
below, In the fifteen foot long and 9 foot
broad Intel are the inch deep holes for the
hinges and in the two uprights which it COW
ers are four quadrangular holes for the bolts or
| bars. There is q one foot inch long and
| foot broad quadrangular bole in the midst Of
the threshold, where the two wings of the gate
/ joined. The threshold further shows, on its
east side l foot broad, artficially cut, straight
furrow, and on its west side another which
forms a curve; both seem to have served as
| channels for the rain water, the rush of which
| must have been great, the threshold being low.
er than the rock of the passage, which gradu-
| ally rises. In the side of the threshold which
| faces the north is long, artificial hole OF q
| peculiar form, which in some way or other
must have been connected with the gate, for q
cutting of perfectly the same form exists in the
the large flat stone in the midst of the Sc8an
Gate at Troy On the suffix of the gate stands o
triangular slab of gray calcareous stone, 10 feet
high, IL feet long and feet thick, upon the
| face of which are represented in high relief two
| animals, hitherto thought to be lions, standing
| on their long stretched hind legs, and resting
| with their fore paws on either side of an altar,
| in the midst of which is a column, which be-
comes broader towards the top and has capi-
| tai ornamented with four circles inclosed be-
| tween two horizontal fllets. This ornamental
ton is peculiar to Mycen@. The general be-
lief that the heads of the two animals are
broken off is wrong for on closer examina-
| tion l find that they were not cut out of the
same stone together with the animals, but that
| they were made separately aud fastened on
them with bolts; most probably they we're of
bronze and gilded. The straight cuts and the
borings in the necks of the auimals can leave
no doubt that they were put in separately.
| Owing to the narrowness of the space, the
heads must have been exceedingly small and
| must have been facing the spectator. As stated
in my first letter from Mycen@, the great re-
| semblance Of the horned animals in one of the
bss-reliefs in the Acropolis to the animals on
| the gate makes me believe that the latter were
also fantastical animals with horns. At dis
tance of lit feet from the threshold Is on either
| side of the passage, as in Troy, a quadranguar
cyclopean masonry, 2 feet broad and high and
| 3 feet long, which marks the site of second
gate of wood.
Mycen8. HENRY SCHLIEMANN.
n.