Mycenæ: a narrative of researches and discoveries at Mycenæ and TirynsSchliemann, Heinrich
History
Mycenæ: a narrative of researches and discoveries at Mycenæ and Tiryns
Schliemann, Heinrich
Mycenae (Extinct city); Tiryns (Extinct city)
Around the head of another of the three bodies was found the magnificent
golden diadem (No. 282), to which was still attached part of the skull;
it is finely worked. It has a border, formed by parallel lines and a
line of protruding points, which is broadest in the middle and gradually
diminishes towards both ends. This border is ornamented with spiral
signs, accompanied by small lines of deep or protruding points. The
space between the two borders is filled up with a row of shield-like
ornaments, the size of which varies according to the breadth of the
diadem, containing a number of concentric circles around a central boss.
The space between the circles is filled up, in the five larger ones,
with a circular row of small leaves or of protruding points. We also see
between the shield-like ornaments all along the border two rows of small
bosses encircled by protruding points. At each end of the diadem is a
perforation, which must have served to fasten it round the head by means
of a thin wire of gold or copper. This diadem being of thick gold plate,
it was not piped.
I further found with the three bodies five diadems of gold, of which I
represent two under Nos. 283 and 284. Two of them (see No. 283) have an
ornamentation similar to the foregoing, but less rich. Both are piped
with copper wire, and have no border; and both consist of two halves,
which seem not to have been soldered together, but merely joined by the
piping wire. As neither of them has perforations in the extremities,
there must have been attached to them thin wires of copper or gold, now
broken off, by which they were fastened around the head. Both these
diadems have suffered much from the funeral fire, which has blackened
them so that the photographs could not take well. The diadem (No. 284),
though not piped, has no border; it is also ornamented with shield-like
circles representing beautiful flowers. We see an ornamentation in the
form of a star at each end, and small shield-like bosses on both sides
between the circles. At the right extremity is still preserved part of
the gold wire with which the diadem was fastened round the head. On all
these six diadems we recognise the fine black ashes of the funeral pyre
sticking to the gold. I may here mention that we find round shields with
an ornamentation of crescents and stars represented on Macedonian coins;
but these can, of course, have no relation whatever to the Mycenean
diadems, which may be twelve centuries older. Although similar diadems
with an ornamentation of rosettes have never been found before, yet there
can be no doubt that they were in extensive use in a remote antiquity,
for the British Museum contains six idols of Aphrodite from Cyprus, two
of terra-cotta and four of marble--all of which have the head ornamented
with similar diadems. I see further in the Assyrian collection of the
same museum four figurettes of ivory representing Hercules, whose head is
likewise ornamented with such diadems.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account