Page:Littell's Living Age - Volume 133.djvu/257

 the city, whereas Dr. Schliemann's instinct led him to infer that Agamemnon and his companions were buried within the wall of the citadel. Following this clue he began three years ago to sink many shafts in different parts of the Acropolis, and met with such encouraging results near the Lions' Gate mentioned by Pausanias that he devoted his main attention to diggings in this quarter. There were, however, so many hindrances, that it was only in last July he was able to carry out his plans.

In the Acropolis Dr. Schliemann had entirely cleared the famous Lions' Gate, which he went on to describe, discussing also the old question of the symbolism of the lions surmounting the gateway, and of the altar surmounted by a column, on either side of which rest the fore paws of one of the two lions. One theory was that the column related to the solar worship of the Persians, another that the altar is a fire altar, guarded by the lions; a third that we have here a representation of Apollo Agyieus. Dr. Schliemann himself was of this last opinion, which, he thought, was borne out by the Phrygian descent of the Pelopidae. The lion-cult of the Phrygians was well known. Besides, among the jewels found in the tombs, and especially in the first tomb, this religious lion-symbolism reappeared. On two of the repoussé gold plates there found was seen a lion sacrificing a stag to Hera Βοώπις, who was represented by a large cow's head, with open jaws, just in the act of devouring the sacrifice. On entering the Lions' Gate were seemingly the ancient dwellings of the doorkeepers, of whom some account was given. Further on, as at Troy, was quadrangular Cyclopean masonry, marking the site of a second gate of wood. Still further on were two small Cyclopean water-conduits; to the right of the entrance passage were two Cyclopean cisterns. A little further on came to light that large double parallel circle of closely-jointed, slanting slabs, which has become so famous during the last three months. Only about one-half of it rests on the rock, the other half rests on a twelve-feet-high Cyclopean wall, which has been expressly built to support it in the lower part of the Acropolis. The double circle had been originally covered with cross slabs, of which six are still in situ. Inside the double slabs was, first, a layer of stones for the purpose of holding the slabs in their position. The remaining space was filled up with pure earth mixed with long thin cockles, in the places where the original covering remains in its position, or with débris of houses mixed with countless fragments of archaic pottery wherever the covering was missing. This circumstance could leave no doubt that the cross slabs were removed long before the capture of Mycenæ by the Argives (B.C. 468). The entrance to the double circle was from the north side. In the western half of the circle Dr. Schliemann discovered three rows of tomb stelès, nine in all, made of calcareous stone. All stood upright; four only which faced the west had sculptures in relief. One stele, precisely that beneath which was found the body with the golden plates representing the lion sacrificing the stag to Hera Βοώπις, represents a hunting scene. The two next sculptured sepulchral slabs represent each a battle scene. The Mycenæ slabs, Dr. Schliemann said, were unique of their kind. The manner in which they fill up the spaces not covered by men and animals with a variety of beautiful spiral ornaments reminds us of the principles of the painting on the so-called Orientalizing vases. But in the Mycenæan sculptures nowhere do we see a representation of plants so characteristic of ancient Greek ornamentation of this class. The whole is rather linear ornamentation, representing the forms of the bas-relief. Hereby we have an interesting reference to the epoch in Greek art preceding the time when that art was determined by Oriental influences, an epoch which may approximately be said to reach far back into the Second Millennium (B.C.).

Here then in the Acropolis of Mycenæ are tombs which are no myth, but an evident reality. Who were these great personages entombed here, and what were the services rendered by them to Mycenæ which deserved such splendid funereal honors? It was argued at length that the inhabitants of these tombs could be none other than the very persons spoken of in the extract Dr. Schliemann had cited at the outset from Pausanias. Dr. Schliemann then proceeded to state the details of what he had found below the ruins of the Hellenic city. He spoke of the vast masses of splendidly archaic vases. Iron, he remarked, was found in the upper Hellenic city only, and no trace of it in the prehistoric strata. Glass was found now and then in the shape of white beads. Opal glass also occurred as beads or small ornaments. Sometimes wood was found in a perfect state of preservation, as in the board of a box (νάρθηξ), on which were carved in bas-relief beautiful spirals. Rock-crystal was frequent, for beads and 