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)
This tomb contained a vast quantity of fragments both of beautiful
hand-made and wheel-made pottery. Among the former, particular attention
is claimed by the goblets of the usual Mycenean type, but of a light
greenish colour with black spiral ornaments; also, the much larger black
goblets with a large hollow foot and deep horizontal furrows in the
middle; further, the splendidly-fashioned small monochromatic lustrous
red or black vases, whose fabrication is far superior to any painted
wheel-made vases to be found here; further, the light green vases with
black spirals, likewise hand-made; these vases are rather rudely made,
and their painted ornamentation is still ruder. I found fragments of
the last-named vases in all the tombs, and also among the stones of the
Cyclopean walls on Mount Eubœa. Of the painted wheel-made vases the most
interesting are those with a dark red ornamentation on a light red or
yellow dead ground, of which I represent a specimen under No. 527.
[Illustration: No. 527. A wheel-made Vase of Terra-cotta. Sepulchre I.
Size 1:3, about.]
[Sidenote: POTTERY AND COPPER VESSELS.]
Of large copper vessels I found in this tomb only seven, all of which
stood on the west side; one of them, a λέβης λοετροχόος,
or kettle for heating water for the bath, like the one already
represented (No. 438, p. 275.) It has three vertical handles, and
measures 22 in. in diameter. There is another smaller one of the same
form and also with three vertical handles, and three of the same shape
with only two handles; also two enormous cans with two handles, of which
the one joins the rim to the body, while the other is fastened below.
As perfectly similar cans, found in the fourth tomb, have been already
represented, I abstain from giving any more engravings of them. (See
Nos. 436, 437, pp. 274, 275.)
I may further mention the copper bottom of a vessel; and, among other
objects, a marble disk which may have served as the bottom to a vase of
alabaster, and a large whetstone of very fine sandstone; also 16 flat
quadrangular pieces of bone, having at each end two perforations; they
are 1-10/12 in. long and 7/12 in. broad, and must have served somehow
as ornaments, probably on horse-trappings. Especially characteristic of
this tomb was the large quantity of wood it contained. Besides a number
of half-burnt pieces of wood of the funeral fires, I found there a piece
of cypress-wood, 9 in. long and 4½ in. broad, which had not been touched
by the fire, though apparently it had been on the pyre. There was also
collected in this tomb a very large quantity of cloven wooden instruments
or handles, and three lids of wooden boxes, as well as remnants of
sword-sheaths or domestic utensils.
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