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)
In this tomb was further found a gold seal-ring of the same form, but
more than twice as large, as those which I discovered in the fourth
sepulchre.[400] From the engraving of this new ring, which is represented
in double size under No. 530, it will be seen that it is entirely covered
with intaglio work. To the left of the spectator is represented a tree,
whose stem certainly resembles that of a palm-tree; it has fifteen short
branches on which we see no leaves, but large clusters of a small fruit,
each cluster resembling a pine apple; below the tree stands a small
female, who is leaning over a little backwards and extends both her hands
just below the lowest cluster of fruit, as if in the act of plucking
it. My esteemed friend the Professor of Botany, Mr. T. Orphanides,
of Athens, says that of all trees in Greece this tree resembles most
a pine, but that, as the little woman is going to pluck one of its
fruits, the fruit must necessarily be eatable, and he thinks therefore
that it must be a breadfruit-tree, because of all the fruits of India
the breadfruit most resembles that of the tree before us. But I do not
remember having ever seen the breadfruit-tree in India. I have only seen
it in Central America. My other esteemed friend, the Professor of Botany,
von Heldreich, in Athens, thinks that the Mycenean artist intended to
represent here simply a vine laden with bunches of grapes, and that,
merely by his ineptitude, the vine has been represented as a thick tree;
and this is also my opinion.
Two long tresses of hair are hanging from the little woman's head down on
the back; her dress below the waist is divided by two horizontal bands
into three compartments, probably to make us aware of its richness; from
her arms there project two bands, which may be intended to represent the
sleeves.
On the other side of the tree, and leaning with her right arm against it,
is sitting a tall woman, with noble Grecian features. Her eyes are large
and her nose projects in a straight line with the forehead, just as we
see it on the sculptures in the Parthenon; her head is covered with a
turban running out into a point, from beneath which a tress of hair is
hanging down on her back; just above this tress we see two ornaments on
the turban. I call particular attention to the curious sign just above
her forehead, which is no doubt meant to represent her diadem; but I have
not found a diadem of this kind in any of the five tombs. The upper part
of her dress is tightly fitted to the body, but nevertheless the woman's
two breasts protrude. The lower part of her dress is ornamented with a
large number of horizontal bands, and is in the form of wide pantaloons
which end at the ankles in crescents. Her right hand rests on her waist,
and she holds in her uplifted left hand three poppies, which she appears
to offer to a tall woman, splendidly dressed, who is standing before her
and extends her right hand towards the flowers.
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