The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-11

ltb VI 6VC w pun
opinions that they apparently do not share.
Leaving the reader to learn for himself
from the early chapters Of this volume the
details Of the most striking and sugges-
tivs discoveries made by Mr.. Evans at
Kn,~sos and at other places in the same
island. it may be we'll TO recall what is sale
OF Crete in the Homeric poems and to indi-
ate its preclassical' relations TO the Fast.
Our author comedies that Prof. Ridgeway
has done a service in emphasizing the fact
that the classical Greeks. as we knew them.
came OF a mixed race. and that the word
"Pelasgian." which they themselves used
of one of the early elements in its compo-
sition, must he connected with at least some
phase of -MycenRan" civilization. Prof.
Burrows submits. however. that when he
equates Pelasgian with that civilization as a
whole he is going beyond the evidence;
and scholars who follow Mr.. Ridgeway must
he puzzled by DIR. Mackenzie's application
OF the word to the mainland type OF My
cenRan civilization that invaded Crete at
the end of the period defined as the late
Minoan H." about b.. c. 1900, or DIR. Dorp-
feld's application OF il TO the Harlan Cretans
who invaded Attica. We are reminded
that the term -Ach@an" il also a catch
word whose Use does not bring with il
identity OF views. For DIR. D0rpfeld il
means the original Indo-European inhabi-
tants Of the m mainland. who invaded Crete
about the time when DIR. Mackenzie thinks
the Pelasgians did. For DR.. Mackenzie
the Acheans represent the first wave Of
the true Greeks. while for Prof. Ridgeway
they are a Celtic tribe that introduced
labialism, iron and cremation among the
Greek speaking Pelssgians. Prof. Burrows
for his part does not think the time yet ripe
10 equate with the different stages OF early
Egean civilization the various tribal names
that have come down to us in classical
Greek traditions. He does not doubt that
there is a kernel Of historical truth in most
OF the old Greek legends, but he holds that
their very completely prevents us from
resting content with any such simple theory
a. that which gives us Pelasgian plus
Achean plus Dorian as an adequate ac-
count Of the race history Of the Egesns.
II now We turn to the genealogies OF in
dividual Greek families we find the same
oomplexity. Minos. King Of Crete. seems
to he as much Dorian as he 10 Phonician,
and as much PhPnician az he in Pelasgian.
Danaus and the Perssids are only Pelasgian
In the same sense that Egyptus is; Agamem-
o and the Pelopide are not Ach@an at all.
Our author considers that so far as Greek
genealogies are concerned one of the most
fruitful fields of inquiry that nave been
opened within the last few years il DIR.
Richard Meister's investigation into the
Dorian inscriptions. He accepts as a test
OF true Doric certain characteristics that
are common to the inscriptions OF Sparta
on the one han and on the other to the
caricature of the Spartan dialects that il
contained in the Lysisfrdtd OF Aristophanes.
By the application of this method DIR.
Meister finds that outside OF Sparta the true
Doric existed only az Argos and Mycene in
the P~eloponnesus, and at Knossos and
Gortyna in central Crete. In Laconia at
large, in all the Argolid except the two
cities named and in the east and west of
Crete the true Doric characteristics are not
found, and h inscriptions diverge less
markedly from those of other Greek dia-
lects.
With the Homeric Problem the book be-
fore us does not profess to deal. save in so
Tar as direct light has been thrown on il
by the Cretan discoveries. The author
it unnecessary. for instance. to 20
into the question OF the type OF the Homeric
dwelling. The only conclusion that he
can draw from the Cretan remains is that
several types Of dwellings existed in the
eastern Mediterranean side by side. and we
may not yet even have discovered that
which approximates most closely to the
house described in the Homeric poems.
Certainly that house has no special connec-
ton with what has been found in Crete.
In Prof. Burrows's opinion the most i'm
contribution made by Crete to the
Homeric Problem is that il has emphasized
the greatness Of the arts, memories Of
which are preserved in the Iliad and the
Odyssey. The discoveries at Knossos and
in Crete show that the Palace OF
Alkinoos and the Shield Of Achilles were M
mere imaginings Of the early Iron Age. We
need not. indeed. assume that the picture
OF life preserved 70 ms in the Homeric de-
.scription was ever wrought by a Cretan
artist on an actual shield. That splendid
designs. however, were not
grudged TO weapons Of war is shown by the
dagger blades at Myoene and the Lion ard
Goat N the gold plated sword from The
i~inieftainis grave in the cemetery OF Zafor
Papoura near knossos. Nevertheless Prof.
deems it probable that in the
grea; nlnoan periods metal was not largely
used for shields. How early these were
strengthened with bronze plates we do
know; but it is pronounced possible that
even before that time the description was
taken over from another object or another
material. The Ave folds" OF Achilles's
shield show, indeed. that the hrst poet did
conceive it as altogether Of metal. In
The porcelain plaques that decorated a chest
81 Cypress o found in the ruins OF the
palace a. kn9ssor va have Just such q
picture OF life Sas 10 given In the E:Sh.ssa,h
Had In Prof. R~urrcws's iuSgu,eut vs.