Page:History of Art in Primitive Greece - Mycenian Art Vol 2.djvu/45

 24 Primitive Greece : Mycenian Art. plan of the ramparts, it is clear that the city, at a given time of its long existence, executed this work in the fond belief that in so doing it would obtain the protection of the heroes interred within the mound, who could not fall to be touched by such tokens of regard shown to their memory. The western side of the precinct was brought to the general level of the sanctuary, whilst the wall was reconstructed and made more massive and higher. A glance at Fig. 90 will show that it passes above a corner of Graves V. and VI. The best-pre- served stelae were set up anew, and the sacred area was fenced off by a ring of slabs. We gather from Schliemann's imperfect account that the stelae, many of which were standing at the time of their discovery, stood on the same level as the ring of slabs. The whole restoration, therefore, was carried on at once ; the sanctuary was then placed on a footing which it preserved until the fall, and perhaps some time after the catastrophe which overtook Mycenae, when stelae and slabs alike were gradually covered with debris washed down from the upper platform. When did the alterations take place ? We shall never know, except that it was before the introduction of letters on Grecian soil. The number of the stelae is neither in accord with the number of the graves nor with that of the bodies found in them. Those who carried out the work confined themselves to setting up such of the plaques as were least injured. For the rest, they knew the lie of the graves hidden below, and had a certain notion of the contents of each. Thus, above Tombs V. and II., where, according to Schliemann, men's skeletons only were discovered, stood three stelae with representations of hunting and war-scenes, which recalled the chieftain's active occupations and exploits. The second group of the left row contains two stelae ; the one quite plain, and the other embellished by a species of maeander (Fig. 252). This group corresponds with Tomb IV., in which were found bones belonging to both sexes. The eastern row of stelae, standing nearly over Tombs I. He allows, however, that when, on this point, the external face of the rampart was cased in polygonal slabs, rebuildings and a slight enlargement occurred, so as to l)rovide a small space within the enclosure, between the circuit and the talus of the sacred precinct.