New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-01-11
ANCIENT ART.
TIE DISCOVERIES AT OLYMPIA.

g., ,,,,,,r of tho last and most thorough history
a. Cr,.ce who was appointed by the Imperial Gov
,runcut OF Germany to direct and supcrintend the
excavations which it has undertaken at Olympia
The great work has entered upon its third set
SON and Che report Of Professor Curtius gives de-
tailed account % its results mp TO the end OF MAY
la.l II /, another illustration of the wealth OF
ancicu: art and the vericatIon of ancient history,
which is waiting 10 be recovered.
The site Of Olympia, 80 lannon's for it3 rational
games. which determine the Greek chronology back
10 the year 77G b. c. is in the lower valley Of the
Alphens. in tie ancient State of Els, not far from
tie SEQ, aud Opposite the island OF Hante Daring
The entire period OF cassi. history there was prob
ABLY no other place 80 rich IN the choicest treasures
of MT Even in the time of the elder ilny thc hrst
century of our cral ts sacred precincts contained 10
les, hau 5000 statue. of bronze and marble. Iau-
san,as lsbout !. H. 100. the Greek traveller ana re-
porter. upon whom, alchroioVls;s Eow place their
reliance. saw aul described thc great Temple OF Jul
rit.r and N. adjoining ,auctuaries Time. wars and
oarthgunkrs however. destroy eel all these splcndors
OF architecture and sculpture. and the floods OF the
Alphcu-. coming down laden with silt from the
mountains Of Arcadia. gradually covered Their r.
mains ~ the last century, the scholar Nnokel-
mann proposed to undertake researches en- The site
Of olympia, which was fixed by the liile river
Kalre.. bus M, uutncly dca;h postponed tie pro-
j,ct. About the year 1880. a French commission
BEGAN excavations discovered both fronts OF tho
Trinp,. of Jupiter. and the drums of magnificent
Done columns, eight feet IN diameter, and then rehu-
oui,hed thc work. Since then, nothing has been at
tempted until September 1870, when the German
Government, having appropriated S'1,ooO Tor the
worlz. commenced operations.
The vast accumulation Of sell required great
amount of Labor for its removal, before the artistic
reri,ius could be- reached The first season, there.
fore was one of preparatory toll yet It brought to
light great many interesting architectural rag
nents, aud ten twelve statues, more or less nu-
tiatcd One OF the latter, nearly entire, was Nike
VICTORY of such beauty that it was at first sup
posed O. Dee tie work Of Ph.dias; but it is now SGT
Tied that it must be the ".Nlciorv" Of the sculptor
Paionios described by Pausanias. Last year a tab
L., was discovered Which a. Professor Curtius
Justly says contains The most concise and insruc-
tive sculptors inscription which has ever been dis
covered Il runs thus D." Paionios of Mende, mace
II the statue Of MILO. Also he made the ornaments
for the temple. and through them was the victor
THIS Is the first certain work of the once famous
sculptor which has yet been found. The photo
graphs thereof and of the other statues which were
ut once Forwarded To Berlin, excited the most en-
thusiastic interest in the researches.
The work of the second season, lasting from Sep
temb,r, 1876 to May. 1877, has richly repaid the
OUTLAY The western side of the temple along which
excavations were made during the Autumn, was the
weather side ami Professor Curtius had no hope OF
finding any we-preserved work there. How great.
then was his surprise, when, about the middle ot
December the workmcn came upon statues III lar
better condition than anything yet found! Among
other objects there was the colossal head of a wo-
man. specimen Of the nobleSt Attic art, absolutely
uniniurcd. Soon afterward, two sculpturcd metopes
were uncarthcd aud although the heavy rains from
January to March greatly interlcred with the labors
one hfe-likc work of art after another
from the field of rain. There were groups and
single figures: attitudes expressing the mtcnse>t
physical exertiOn and the most absolute reposc gods
aud haf-human Ceutaurs; heroes and heroines;
slave umidcus and reclining nynphS. Professor
Curtius found. within three months, three groups
OF Centaurs in the act Of scizng and carrying OIL
women: one group rcprcsentinr boy held fast in
the embrace of CeutaUrs arms and a series OF fig
urcs all closely or remotely engaged in q furious
combat Among the latter is a figure of The'cus,
brlndishing an axe, with both hands, above hls
head. Female forms also found, which be-
iongcd TO the same group and the colossal head OF
god-probably Apollo-who must have occupied tie
central space Of the pcdmcut.
At the eastern front Of tie temple the discoveries
torso found the year before. and supposed to be a
Poseidon lNepiunci. came TO light, and the statue
was identified as Z'us or Jupiter the central
figure of the eastern pedImcnt, corresponding TO
Apollo on the western Othcr recovered fragments
enabled Professor Curtius to restore completely the
middle group If statues all from the hand of the
sculptor Paionios There were four-hor-e spans on
each side of this grou? and the corners were filled
with subordinate figures. It was also ascertaiEcd
that a Byzantine Church the remains of which We're
discovered about the same time. had been erected
while the temple still standing
After Easter several trenches were opened for the
purpose of investigating the northern portion OF the
elevated platform on which the temple stood, in the
hone of discovering the site of the famous sanctuary
OF Polops. Although the work failed, So far as this
purpose was concerned. IL resulted IN surprise
and an amazing success. About eighty metres north
Of tho temple, of the trenches struck upon the
snb.tructons Of a small Doric temple, which WAS
soon recognized as that Of lIera. juno The Iden
tfcatiou was placed beyond a doubt by tn, dscov-
n.y. on the lOth of MAY, of The statue Of lcrmcs by
;fax.tccs mentioned by Pimsauias situated ia
the temple Of IIera, II was found within the celia
aId although the left arm, upon which llermes held
the infant BIcchus, is wanting, yet portions oi the
bOly of the child remain attached 20 ho statue II
a. nearly perfect betryng all the grace and tender
ness which distinguish Praxitcles, and Its identity
with the statue described by Pausauias cannot he
disputed. Besides this inestmable treasure, and
the location of the temple of fera which is of great
importance in determining the topography OF the
ancient sanctuary. semi-crcuar terrace, built by
Horodcs Atticus, yielded fourteen colossal statues,
lying rs they had fallen and not seriously injured.
The total result Of the two seasons of excavation
amounts to nineteen marble statues belonging 10 the
eastern pediment and fourteen belonging TO the wes-
tern--the work Of PaOnios and Alkamencs, the
eldest pupil OF Phdias; the temple of Hera and one
of the masterpieces Of Praxtees; four sculptured
mctones OF the great templc: fifteen colossal statues