masterly ornamental objects of massive gold in the form of crosses; also a large golden vase weighing one and seven-eighths kilogrammes: it has two handles, a large foot, and ornamented with three upper and two lower parallel lines, between which is a row of fourteen stars; further, a large golden vase with one handle, and an ornamentation representing seven beautiful flowers; another golden vase with two handles; further, a splendid little golden _œhœ_, or wine can, with an ornamentation of spiral lines. Further, six golden drinking cups, one of which is a drinking cup with two handles, on each of which is a pigeon, each of the two handles being joined to the foot by two separate golden blades. This goblet reminds us of Nestor’s goblet, which was also ornamented with pigeons (see ‘Iliad,’ XI, 632, 635). One of the other goblets is ornamented with parallel flutings. There were further found two small golden vessels; also, eight silver vases, three of which are admirably conserved; one of the other has its bottom and the mouth of bronze; below its bottom were found one hundred of the aforesaid golden buttons. I further found, in this tomb, thirteen large bronze vessels. This kind of vessel was in high esteem in the heroic age, and we see them continually mentioned by Homer as prizes in the games. I suppose that to each hero were given in the grave the goblets and other objects which were dear to him in his lifetime, having been won by him in the games, or having been given to him by his host as a pledge of hospitality and friendship. There was also found a large quantity of small perforated amber balls of necklaces, and a bronze or copper fork with three teeth, which had probably served on the funeral pyres. There were further found thirty-five arrow heads of obsidian. Nothing could give a better idea of the great antiquity of these tombs than these stone arrow-heads, for the ‘Iliad’ seems to know only arrow-heads of bronze (_e.g._, ‘Iliad,’ XIII, 650 and 662). Probably there had also been deposited bows and quivers in the tomb, but they would have been of wood, and would have rotted away. To my greatest regret, among thousands of gold ornaments, there is not even a single sign resembling writing, and it therefore appears certain that the sepulchres belong to an epoch which preceded the introduction of the Phœnician alphabet. Had the latter been known, the Mycenæan goldsmiths, whose continual efforts appear to have been directed to the invention of a new ornamentation, would have been very ambitious to show the novelty of the alphabet. A second proof of the immense antiquity of these tombs, is the entire absence of any vestige of either iron or glass, or of any pottery made on the potter’s wheel. But the hand-made pottery had reached a high degree of perfection, such as has never been attained here in later times by the pottery made on the wheel.”