Page:History of Art in Phœnicia and Its Dependencies Vol 1.djvu/267

 THE PHOENICIAN TOMB A WAV FROM PIKKNICIA. were inclosed thin plates of the same metals rolled round cylinders of gilded bronze. These plates are engraved with texts which have not yet been deciphered ; the plates are to some extent disfigured, and the writing upon them is extremely fine, as if written with the help of a magnifying glass. The characters on one of these metal bands are certainly Phoenician ; on others they FIG. 181. Scarab in form of a Sow, From Spano. FK;. 182. Amulet in hite earthenware, glazed. From Crespi. belong apparently to that alphabet of Saffa which was used by the southern Shemites, the Arabs, towards the commencement of the Christian era. In time, no doubt, all these inscriptions will be deciphered ; it is probable that they will be found to be magic formulse intended to protect the dead against the attempts of demons or the violence of tomb-breakers. We figure two of the ttuis (Figs. 183 and 184). One is decorated with a lion's head, FIGS. 183, 184. Etuis found in the tombs. From Spano. the other with that of a hawk. The ring that appears on them both suggests that these sheaths were hung round the necks of the corpses ; it is even possible that they were worn in that fashion during life. 1 1 Upon these little sheaths and their contents see SPAXO, Bullettino, vol. iv. pp. 33-36. CARA, Iscrizioni fenicie sopra Monumenti delta Sardegna che appartengono al R, Museo in Cagliari, p. 29. Another 'dm found at Tharros is crowned by a
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