Page:Travels & discoveries in the Levant (1865) Vol. 1.djvu/353

Rh Ross states that another similar cavern was discovered in Calymnos some years ago, about half a mile to the west of the one opened by me. Immediately to the east of this field is another, separated from the tract called 🇬🇷? by a ravine, where I found a great number of graves cut in the rock, but containing no object of value.

The entire strip of land over which my excavations had extended up to this date was about half a mile; the niunber of graves opened was about forty. The pottery found in these graves was all of a late date, probably from B.C. 330 to B.C. 150, or later. The forms were deficient in elegance. The ware was for the most part black varnished ware, red varnished ware, and unpainted drab ware. The black varnish, as is often the case in the later ware, had not resisted the action of wet. Bones were seldom found; many of the graves contained the 🇬🇷, or copper coin. The accumulation of soil over the grave was generally from three to four feet. A lamp or cup was constantly found in the soil, a few inches distant from the side of the grave. These were doubtless left there by relations who came to bring offerings to the tomb, as we see in those vase-pictures which represent Heroa, or architectural tombs, on the steps of which rows of cups or vases are placed by female figures offering libations. To this day the Greek peasant does not forget to make periodical libations; and as I return from my diggings on Saturday evenings here, I generally meet a procession of peasant women on their way to