New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-11-15
THE LECTURE.

ence AT the Metropolitan Museum OF Art mat t1e Inu
clans were merely BerOdotus asserts traders N
Assyrian and Egyptian goods" but that the PhDhl'
onns were excellent architects, sculptors, mners ship
builders gem-engrsvers. aud metalworkers OF great
ability long before the Greeks were out VI ther DarDa
Gus state Sbave described more In detail the career OF
the Pheulcian cOlOnists OF Cyprus because we
Americans possess to-day q great many specimens OF
nearly all their arts which will remain monument OF
Their talent for tho study future generations in this
country. We shall this evening something OF the
early history OF the Greeks; how they spread them-
selves in Cy pTus after the Trojan war, ana steady III
creased until they Outnumbered the PnGMciahS anu
succeeded in permanently supeseding the latter III tue
government OF all the little kingdoms IN the island
will endeayor TO SHOW that the island OF Cyprus is in
oebtcd TO the Phsnlcans for the first development OF
her natural resources she to her Greek coonsts
the great literary reputation she achieved IN eariY
times her political institutions end public laws ana the
Improvement OF those arts Of which the Phonelans
were the inventors The first hear OF Greek inter
ference in Cyprus is iu the Trojan war.
In the HAD, Homer describes Agamemnon putting on
the armor presented him by Cnyras. the King OF Cy-
prus; aud 1t is explained that Cnyias
had been solicited join the expedition against Troy
and that he had promised Meuelaus 70 SEND htysnp
iut when the time came he sent only one making up
the promised number with toy vessels OF clay probably
like those which found in my excavations in cyprus
and represented in cut No IN the prospectus De-
fore you.
from Troy landed Cyprus. expelled Cryras, and set
tied part Of his followers at Amathus. How
far such statements may have been JUSTIFIED
py fact or the reverse it is impossible TO say but
the PROBABILITY that most Of them were poetic IN
yentiOns. We must remember that Cyprus was tDc
great home ballad poetry and that the early Greek
singers there, like all tue early ballad-maKeIs every
where would have no scrupes in applying TO their own
islands incidents and events which they had heaId else
where working them up into apparently real tores OF
their own ancestors. 1t was said that Homer himself
was native Of Cyprus and il not yet proved that he
was not. Then again, it was maintained that Homer
had given his daughter Arsiphone in marriage
10 stasnos, the Cypri0te poet who composed the
Cyprote Ihad which as poem Is now
Iost but fortunately short epltome OF tile
substance preserved by later writer Proclus
and repeated by PhOtIus believed TO have been
composed 800 years before the Christian and con
sisted of eleven books The leading figure Of the
was Venus tRe goddess of Cyprus and. speaking gen
orally the subject OF 1t constituted an Introduction to
the events recorded III the HAD Of Homer The Cypran
HAD the Cypria as 1t was more usually called, was
considered of the grandest epcs OF anuqutyTand
equal TO Had and Odyssey Others asserted that the
poem was superior even to the work Of Homer himself
GREEK COLONIES AND GRFEK INFLUENCE IN CYPRUS.
Sueh Is Outline of the great Cypriote poem which
some among the anelents believed to have been the
work of Homer Aristotle, however declined to accept
IT ~ SUCH and this verdict is generally confirmed
years before the Christian era would alone give high
literary standing to the island of Cyprus. But this
only small part of it's great Literary activity, TO Judge
by the notices scattered among ancient writers.
Naturally the purpose OF the early ballad singers would
be Chiefly TO connect the island with great legendary
event OF Greece ITSELF such the famous expedition
against Troy and doubtless IN this they were largely
assisted by the traditions of the founding CT the
Greek towns in Cyprus 1t Ia very singular IN
deed. completely Hellenised is The legendary
history OF the island Even ClnyTas becomes Greek
prince, though his name is obviously Phenlean NO less
Pheneian was his connection vita The my tbs OF VEINS
and Adonis wnne his reputation as the OF the
anvil, longs and otner Instruments 0 USE III
working the metals, points 10 MS orglhal CON u
nection with the Ph@ueian miners oi Cyprus But ID
the changes introduced by the Greeks be became the re-
puted founder OF towns that were purely Phgnician
If was not enough that The Greek towns OF Cyprus
should have been founded by Greek cOlonists
p rst%InD the S EXISTENCE at least Of one powerful
kingdom in the leland previous 10 tne wal war
te doubt that settlement Of Gree a ID Cyprus was
contemporary with the emigration OF DoTians and IOni
We are told the first cody OF Greeks which landed
the King saams; and that the new settlement was
named sadmis BY MIN in memory OF his native Island
Part OF his followers contested II was sad, OF eaptises
whom he had taken at Troy. Teucros married the
daughter OF CnyIas so SAYS the legend but IN egras
colony consisted OF Athenian under Aeamas VINO also
PrnxaDdcr the fourtn Of Aehoesns under Kephens the
fifth colony composed Of ArgiNes VINO setileo I'D
Curum;
under Agapenor, who founded NS0-pa9hos; tho
eighth OF Sykonians who founded the CITY OF GOlgos
have been established AiDatuns by AgRmemnon when
he expelled nyras They seized upon the north north,
southeast were already occupied by the PLenlelalh
tween them as we fnd the Argivo colony Of Curium
settled between the Phencian towns of Amhthus and
Tbs names Of ten kingdoms OF Cyprus have been
handed down 10 MS. TbeT are az follows: Salams, SOIL
Chyiri, Cnfum Lapthus, keTynlA Ss0-paPhos' Marlum
lfiulu aud AB0thuS
DEcIPHERING cYPRIoTE INSCRIPTIONS.
As regards those Cyprote characters now that have
mentioned them it may be convenient TO explain that
the Cypriotes, while speaking KIND OF Greek which
had many peculares, owing probably to the mixture
of Greek coOnsts using originally different dialects. at
tho same time had this very remarkable peculiarly
that writing they employed alphabet entirely dis
thct nom that Of Greece-and, indeed go far as yet
Known distinct from all other alphabets with which we
are acquainted The learned world was electrified six
years ago by the discovery that beneath barbatOus
and oriental character lay hid mere variety OF Greek
expressed not alphabetically but syllabicaly And
first discovery iscertanly due to English scholars
the discovery Of the bngual inscription is due Mr
Hamilton Lang, Who was then Eugsh Consul at Cyprus
Attempts nave been made Row this Language
has of the euneiforn signs and letters Of the
tive result has been arrived Ut Naturally when these
CypriOte inscriptions first became known they were
thought 40 convey entirely new languago. and all
manner OF attempts were made TO read them no one
euler alphabet. The first who rendered important
service as regards these inscriptions was the Duke
de Luynes by his publication, in 1852 which contained
inscriptions then krowp, and among them nUW
celebrated bronze tablet, with inscription OF thirty
one lines IdHliuIn. In the 1855 Professor
RttR pnbiished translation Of this tablet, making IL
out 10 be proclamation Of the Egyptian KING Amssis to
semitic But this fanefful translation aud ali subee-
0t MT ATTEMPTS nt deepherment failed, until bingual
inscription IN Pn9niean and Cypriote was discovered AZ
ldalum 10 1860.
fine late Assyriologist Mr.. George Smith, succeeded
IN determining the value of forty OF the characters
sigma OF The Is pEiote alphabet pr ssmne Birch. OF