New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-11-15
rING-TWO COATS.
GOLD RING-TnREB WARRIORS.
From eectrotypo plates by permission OF Harper Broth

ANTIQUITY or GEOMETRrC DECORATION.
1t Is still dhicnl question TO decide what eonnu,
may claim priority in ,be Of ths eeornntre form
decoration early There Is little evidence
of its employment In Assyfia, only in fact rev rag
ments Of no very early date ana OF them bearina
PhGniclaD inscriptions. Bat We have in the Meropot
Itan Museum Of Ar: a very fine specimen On winch Is
also Phe1ican inscription, burnt IN on the clay
This itself would lead TO the inference that tue
Phenciaus least practised, If they did not invent
this class Of ornaments.
Whatever be the nation that invented It, that nation
was certainly skilled in metal working for Won VIII oo
serve that the sDrai and circle patterns such as thry
Spncnr ON the large vase from Cur1um are
precisely the forms which are usually PrOnuc'l Nv u
Of wire Acau is not ls Working Of the sur ace, as u
into tranges Iozenees, chrquer-. covering the whole
sccnstnried 10 working on the surface Of meta. In
when he tool in these straight hnes lt Is not
the ualura work OF hand accustomed 10 the brush
which moves freely 20 any form. . -
The carly metal workers o. Cyprus were Ne PhGri-
cias know; and cannot 0e unreas"nabe To sup
nae from tbreo rcinstaUces TIA. the PhPhcians had
Il least some the nvcnon OF tHis form OF oFna
nleut No doubt there also Gre"G workers OF metal
in Cyprus pr bah many and endowed win the giii ~
nyeut yeIc-s ~ high IN Their race Al a events the
qursTIon Is CONSIDERABLY narrowed compared with
Their is bowcvrr, u class Of Vages with undoubtedly
semitic patterns ~ tn hizn antiquity ~ which there
Is no doubt ali hUuE n is very "llcut To assl-n
heir Xac date mean tho53 VITA cone uric Ciic.es
OF winch We possess mauy specimens IN the Metro
pOiIan Museum Ot Art, and especially those which nave
CoHeeutrc circles arranged not 'uy h2nz0ntaY fouhd
The yase IS they ought 10 be, but uetieaHB IN snch
way IA To disturb outline o. tho Vasa aud destroy
such beauty oi shape asst may ave. Ihese are loniu
In Cv,rus botn ma Phpn.c can aud GrceK cemeteries
u lthough they AL belong u the same class yet one
cannot without dihcu ~ recognize from what locality
they come. For example. this oa'so vase When ound
i'm tomb, al Dali have fUugh Erceush surface peculiar
only that callty; those discovered ~ Ornda nave
a tawuy coo-ed ground. while those ionnd ~ Cur1un
md Anathus have palo cream cOOred surface. Tho
patterns also bear soiCo local chdmcrrhtics. At Dan
and Cffum The group 81 ooLcentric circles IS eNcnVcy
PAINTED In dark brown color, Whlie az Ofmldia the
brown cfcle, are inlcrmink.ed wan brigh rcd cpOrcd
nnes In 0thcr Ocaitie red replaced SON times
by eitlpr waite This Is conclusive proof
10 me that these vases OF local manufacture and Tie
urodneIs OF botn PhGnician anu Greek Cypriptes.
MATERIAL PROSPERITY or ANCIENT CYPRUS.
Fran these objects then obtain. will not say n
clear notion the condition Of Cyprus previous 90 the
perxian wars sun the do got has
exaetuess which old not exist until good fortune favored
my excavations IN that Island. These antiquities aud
the circumstances under which they had b'ou buried
give unmstakale evidence oi the great exten To which
articles OF daily and comfort were produced for the
mass Of the people; and II there arc not amoDg them
sects very am lt1us either In de'gn or in execution
that fact itself might be made confirm the general I'm
rpssion that with an IT, socelled Kings Cyprus In
,nose dav, nj least seat Of d-pOtsm nor place
where the public resources y~re appf0aled as IN the
Fast for the uxur' of lu!Crs, but on the contrary,
10 re the iudapcndcuCc Of the citizens zeal
rnsly protected and doubtless, Us IN Greece s" TINS
uah the III Ct Of producing gene III WEI, pcug. lae
countless well made fOmh apart iruD htir contents
onld he eNiience 81 tbs ana 10 cannon De denied thS
i'm respect ia this number OF tombs the EXCAVATIONS
i'm Cyprus present a. dlhhiF CouIs W tuoSe Vi
Assxrta an Egvpt n not - Gtrrre 1s'lfaUd ltav.
No ioubt tric Nat onal Disadvantage HrlsihS from
TOO generally dtIsrd g. nIori hEnns lic hulF.u ll
citIzans a-n suOlkin0 only ofanrcnt lines; ana Tor
confirmation would eir To the saving VI Pefl'ie- tha
III was better fur ta mas citn MS 10 be poor and
~ trc, 10, nc or q be rich nd
STATE pour" II would be different, ~ course. II born
state and people were r'h A' o"' 'nS' was ''Lu'-