The daily gazette., 1877-03-20
= The Mycen@ Treasures.
SOME OF THE UNEARTHED ORNA
t11l NAMENTS DESCRIBED. 10 20

fn,-, NAmENIo OEoCdlbED.
A correspondent Of the London Ne,os
writes from Athens, Feb. J1.-;'The, at
tendants at the national bank had no
little difficulty in keeping of the eager
hands of the crowd Of British officers,
some Of whom proceeded, in the recog-
nized Britishi fashion, to satisfy them
vision, of the igenuineness of the golden
objects which, covered a large table in
the committee-room Of the bank. Thers
was q richness about the color of the
gold which was intense, and which Ger
tain parts deepened in tone by time.
oxygen. and occasionally the rich green
where ssme bronze ornament had rested
on, the goldy heightened considerably !.
II was momsntarily unfortunate for, me
that obtained q place in front of q tray
containing large number Of gold plates,
each nearly two inches i'm diameter,
which appeared so unmistakably TO have
had their patterns stamped upon them /,
4 and which, in answer to my inquiry, the
custodians assertedwcre stamped, that
my mind viciously wandered to sBif-
mingham; gbut whether these were
stamped or no, as / passed slowly round
the table / found the disappointment
transitory. A great variety OF ornamen-
tai design, produced evidently by differ
cit processes, was displayed. Allowing
that the first objects were stamped q
large number of patterns were the pro-
duction Of hammering from the back, or
repousse work, while others were pro-
dueed BY, facial pressure. The latter Is
evident. as the material, still remaining
1 In some cases, which formed the solid
mass of the brooch or fibula, was of bone
on which the design had been carved,
and on which the thin plate of gold had
been laid and indented to the pattern
beneath. OF the patterns hammered
from the reverse side was q magnificent
poitrine. or breast covering which il
worn by vast baldrlck Terminated on
the neither side with divisional pendants
would cover a space OF at least four
square feet, and present magnifcence
which would bring the golden nge be-
fcre us in literal more than a metaphy- !
sically moral manner; girdlss Of wrought
/ gold, q magnificent armlet, solid and
heavy clasps, brooches and fbule in a
in a great variety OF designs. some so
sharp in execution that they seemed the
work OF the engraver, particularly some
bearing the Remembered swaslika,
1 which carries us back to the Buddhistic
style of ornamentation, and forms
another link in the evidence of q mora
Oriental origin for the mythology, as
we'll as in this case for the arts, of
Greece. The various articles would take
too long to describe, and most of them
have already figured in the catalogue
and brief description given by the dis
coverer, but the impressions they con
yey on a first inspection are vivid. Thus
the repetition Of the two lions opposite
each other seems to identify this discov-
cry as . treasure deposit OF the person
I.nP ~ hofr ho tm ot N nfvay1 ad
OF the citadel are emblems. The figure
described as o woman OF gold, holding
three pigeons, locks rather like priest
or augur forming q Judgment by the
Hight OF birdsj the two swans standing
opposite each other may be looked upon
as emblems of Apollo, as the COW head
is, as already pointed out by DIR. Schlie-
man, undoubtedly emblematic Of Hera,
while the sun-disc on Its forehead brings
forcibly to remembrance the great solar
and the lunar dsities Of Sy ria and Assy-
ria, taking us again back to the East.
The engrayings on the stones-signets--
are deep and well cut. The several or
naments for holding hair are distinct
and graphic representations OF the octo-
pus. This may seem strange, but that
| fish abeunds here, and is in request as
we'll fresh, dried, and picked. The
dried ones. At moment when the Po-
ct Laureate has referred, in his last
work, to the Golden Dragon Of Wessex'
cannot help pointing out that here
again there isAnothing new under The
sun-one Of the solid gold pendants re-
presenting flying dragon, with the
paws OF q lion. and an eagles head
The head ef Hera is wrought in with
several of the devices on the golden or
naments, in addition to the splendid
COW head already referred to-. interest,"
ing as all this is, one looks anxiously for
some example Of the special and minute
goldsmith's work seen in the collections
from Italy in the British Musem, and
from Asia Minor in the Louvre. The
absence Of this feature may indicate an
tiquity; 1t certainly does not arise from.
any economy of time or labor, both of
which are liberally represented lin the
intricate and often minute pencillings of
the patterns on these treasures Of Ny
cen@. am about visiting Corinth for
an inspection of the district of the Men,
@n lion and the Acropolis Of Mycene.
Can the Lion Of Nem@a, so near Mycen@,
have originated the lions OF the gate OF
the citadel and the golden lions now ex-
hamsd.
WHITTIER Hal YES is DRIFTING.