Page:History of Art in Primitive Greece - Mycenian Art Vol 2.djvu/277

 226 Primitive Gkkkck: Myclnian Art. side, or small and rectangular. One of the men lies on his back, entangled between the legs of the lion. The fifth is an archer, without a shield ; the knee is bent to draw the bow. The ground, indicated by an almost straight gold strip, is very distinct in fig. 4. A last blade is less interesting in itself than from the fact of its having preserved the gold plate which once covered its hilt (PI. XIX, 5).^ About one-third of the heel end of the blade still exists. The decoration, though very similar, is on simpler lines than that of the two preceding daggers ; it consists of separate blossoms, each inlaid with stamens of brighter yellow than the corolla. The same flowers, but without stamens, re- sembling lilies or rather irises, re-appear on a gold plate in repousse, which covered a bone or wood hilt, now disappeared. There, where the covering widens to form the cross-guard, will be noticed two holes for golden nails, which served to fix the hilt. Elsewhere the nails are in place, but nothing remains of the grip. Here it is the other way about. But armed with these two indications, there would be no difficulty in restoring the weapon ; all that is required is to provide the gold plate with a hard core, drive into it the tang of the blade, and secure the hilt at the sides with three or four nails. The part played by these large-headed nails is at once useful and decora- tive ; we now understand, as we had never done before, the oft-recurring epithets apyuporjT^og, ^poa-or^'Kog, ** silver and gold- headed," which Homer uses in describing the armour of the heroes. If we have placed this last dagger, adorned by simple flowers, with those literally covered with human and animal figures, it was for the sake of keeping together objects exhibiting the same technique, and which must practically be coeval with one another. The methods found here were also applied elsewhere ; so that we can show by the most remarkable example of all, that of the Shield of Achylles, how certain Homeric descriptions have been made clear by recent discoveries, the real meaning of which had until then been a mystery to the most sagacious and penetrating commentators. We have said where, under what circumstances, and to whom redounds the honour of having found the pair of golden goblets, ^ Length, eighteen centimetres.