The New York herald., 1877-12-08
DR.. Schliemann's Narrative Of His
Researches and Discoveries.
RESULT OF FAITHFUL TOLL
Interesting Descriptions Of the Progress
Of the Excavations.

sTroy and Its Remains" j" SO Tho preface by tho
illustrations. New York: Scribner, Armstrong Il
Co
Dr. schliomann was most fortunate In getting Mr..
Gladstone to write the preface OF his work on "My-
cenm for he is the first living Homeric scholar in
Europe and result OF long aud careful study is
given in this preface. Mr. Gladstone is most re-
markable There Is no one buster than he in all
England yet he finds time tor correspondence that
of itself would be large business for most men, and
he seems to be the reference for every man, woman
and child In England IL was with considerable re-
luctance tnat Mr. Gladstone undertook the writing OF
this preface; but In view OF the splendid services Dr.
Schliemapn has conferred upon classical science BIO
to request The preface covers some forty
pages and displays a wonderful familiarity with the
subject OF tue book and OF the poetry Of Homer.
.Wnen the disclosures at Tiryns and Mycenm were
announced in England,n says Mr.. Gladstone, tiny
own first impression that Of strangely bewil-
dered admiration, combined with preponderance OF
sceplcaI against believing tendencies IN regard to
the capital and dominating subject OF the Tombs
the Agora | am bound TO say that reflection and
fuller knowledge have nearly turned the scales tho
other way There are, indeed, not only gaps to be
supplied, but difficulties to bc confronted and to be
cxplained or TO be lett over future explanation.
Yet the balance, will not say OF evidence, but of
rational presumption seems as though IL might ultt
mateiy lean toward the belief that this eminent ex-
porer has exposed to the light OF day. after 5000
years, the memorials and remains OF Agamcmnon and
his com panions IN the Return from Troy
find, upon perusing the volume OF DR.. Schliemann,
that the items OF evidence which connect his dscov
er,es generally with the Homerc poems are moro
numerous than had surmiscd IRON the brief outline
with which he favored upon his visit 10 England In
tho spring."
Ito honk c1o ou1d road thap
face and even those who do not read the book will
and world OF Information in Mr.. Giadstones intro
duction Dr. Schliemann's book, which is given US
In the form Of letters written the spot, gives
account OF the excavations made by large iorce OF
laborers under his direction at Mycenm in Argolis,
from August, 1875, to March, 1877. From his early
youth DR.. Schlicmann believed in Homer as his
torca authority, and when fortune blessed him with
the means lound tnut his faith had firm iounda-
tlou He spent seven months and large OF money
in excavatng the ancient CITY OF Mycena and hs
cess was beyon his expectations. HIS discoveries
have never equalled by the arch4oogists and will
send his down to posterty as one who has set
tied some Of the important questions in history
Even the carly Greeks knew little OF MycenB. 1t Is
known that eighty Of its men fought In tho Greek
army with Lsonlaas B. G. 4s0, and did not
leave a very brilliant record for bravery; and
Il is also known that twelve years later
the city was utterly destroyed by the Arquins. In
Homer's songs II IS spoken Of as nne city, with
broad Streets" and its gate OF the lions" Dr. Sche-
mann made his principal excavations in the Acropois
/ oil Mycense The book begins with an account OF the
/ excavations at Tiryns; we then come TO MyccnB,
whose topography Is minutey described The re-
naming part Of the town has been, as the
OF the house walls show, vast and we-built suburb,
whence, when attacked by tho enemy ngains, whom
/ uucta
habitants could retire into the fortified part Of the
civ and into the citadel. Some OF the buildings OF
tins suburb very large and show most splendid
| Cyclopean masonry
Dr. Schiemann began his excavations on the 7th oi
| August, 1876, "with sxty-three workmen, whom l
divided into three parties. put twelve men at tho
Lions Gate, TO open the passage into the Acropols
set TO dig at distance Of forty feet from
that gate trench ll3 long and 1l3 feet broad
and the remaining eight men ordered to dig trench
on tho south of the Treasury in the owor city,
near the Lions Gate, in search OF the entrance But
the soil the Treasury was as hard as stone, and
full OF large blocks that II took mo two weeks to dig
only as far dow as upper part OF the open TRAN
pular space above the door, from which could cal
culate that the threshold would DO thirtythreo feet
lower"
The surface was covered TO depth OF several feet
with "a layer OF debris OF the Hellenic time" OF
which he has little to say Below the com parativey
modern Hellenic city he found by thousands the rag-
cnls OF splcnddly painted archaic vases tho type
which is given figure 25 On the 18th Of August ho
had gathered than two hundred terra Gotta idols
OF Hera some broken, some whole, IN the form Of o
woman or in that oil u Representations OF birds
apd auaaru upeds sometimes occur vases; all are
very archaic particularly the quadrupeds, OF which II
Is sometimes difficult TO find out what tue arlist IN
tended represent Thus there often occur animals
with very long legs, body resembling that OF horse
and the head like tho beak OF stork but with two
borrs ike those OF gazelle. Usually these animals
have a uni iorm red color; but sometimes they have
an orname ntaton OF spiral lines. In lew instances
animals are represented winch perfectly resemble "a
zeiles hegoaIs.
An the painted vases hitherto found haye made
on the potters wheel, except very all ones which
are evidently hand made. IL IS true that found two
fragments Of coarse hand made pottery, which can
ony compared TO the rudest pottery OF the Danish
kitchen maidens The COW was evidently the favorite
form OF idols, ior hundreds OF this sort were found
The Mycenaans seem to have been usicians, Tor Dr.
schilemann found the beautifully ornamcnted irag
mcnts OF lyro OF bone flute, at the same place
though at different depths, and evidently belong Il
| the very same instrument.
sou carefully examining the sculpture Of the tomb
!
accuracy aud symmetry in all the spiral orname nta
ton that feel almost tempted to think such worH
can only have been produced by school Of cuptor
which had worked ior ages In similar style. Or
the other hand, the ana the animals are made
as rudely and in puerilc manner as II they
were the primitive artists first essay tc
represent living beings But still thcro is u grca
resemblance between the bodies OF the animals
and those Of tho liong the gate; there s the
style OF art aud much OF the coarscness III til,
animals on the tombstones may bo duo to the IN
frorly OF the calcarcous stone: probably the primi
tive sculptor who cbiselled them would have pro
duced some, hing better II he had 10 work on th'
beautiful hard breccia OF which tho sculpture above
the LIONS Gate consists. 1 have therefore not tn,
slightest objection to admit that tho sculptured sepul
cnral SLABS may DO of nearly the same epoch as thu
lions over the gate
In another chapter the writer SAYS
s.since the 10Th Of August have continued the ex
| xtth an hara n wa rkuue