1891.] on the Discovery of the '^ Tomb of Aristotle." 425 



stories that he committed suicide by drinking hemlock and that he 

 drowned himself in the Euripus, in consequence of disappointment at 

 not being able to discover the cause of the ebb and flow of the tide, 

 were both discredited by Zeller and the best authorities. 



But it would be asked, as he died at Cbalcis, how came he to be 

 buried at Eretria, which was some 12 miles distant from the city of 

 Chalcis ? One answer to this objection was that in the Macedonian 

 period the name Chalcis was sometimes used for the whole island of 

 Eubcea, so completely had it eclipsed its former rival Eretria. Strabo 

 described Chalcis as ra TrpioTela Kac ixrirp6TroXi<i of Euboea. He then 

 said, 8ei;Tepeu€t 8' r) 'Eperpta. Thus the statement that he died at 

 Chalcis was not inconsistent with his having been buried at Eretria. 



Further, from the will of Aristotle himself, as published in 

 Diogenes Laertius, it was to be inferred that the philosopher's house 

 was not in the city, but in the country. By that will, which was a 

 most interesting document, he gives his second wife, Herpyllis, a 

 choice of residence ; lav fxlv iv XaA.KtSt (^ovX-qrai otKetv rov ^ei/(Jova tov 77pb<; 

 Tw KT^TTU), eav 8e iv %rayupoi<^ rrjv irarpwav OLKtav. Now, it was well ascer- 

 tained, first, that the term Eei/wv, or guests' quarters, was at this date 

 applied not to a part of the principal residence, but to a separate 

 house on a gentleman's estate. Thus in this instance, if the widow 

 elected to live in Euboea the UevMv would correspond to the dower house. 

 Next, it was not customary in Aristotle's time to have gardens in a 

 city, and it was Epicurus who first, in the year 308, established gardens 

 within the city. Thus the words Trpos rw ktJtto) indicated that the 

 house was in the country. 



It was noticeable, also, that the contract to which he had referred, 

 though it was to be performed at Eretria, was found at Chalcis, and 

 there were other similar inscriptions dealing with Eretrian affairs 

 which were discovered at Chalcis and not at Eretria. Again, it was 

 known that Eretria was a philosophic centre, and Menedemus, the 

 philosopher, lived there, and the place was also visited by Phaedon. 

 It might, in fact, be regarded as a literary suburb of Chalcis. Then 

 the will contained instructions for the philosopher's burial. In effect, 

 he said, " Bury me where you like. But take up the bones of my 

 first wife and put them in the grave with me." Now, it was clear 

 from the excavations that the tomb was a family grave ; and from the 

 will it was apparent that Aristotle would be the first occupant. 

 There was architectural evidence that the particular part of the 

 mausoleum in which the head of the family reposed was built towards 

 the close of the fourth century. 



Of course the name Aristotle was not unique, and the inscription 

 deciphered on the slab, Blott) 'Apto-ToreAov, was not conclusive. But 

 it was by no means so common as other Greek patronymics. There 

 were about 20 Aristotles whose names were recorded in literature. 

 But none of these was Euboean, save one whom he found to be a 

 Chalcidian. We were, moreover, in possession of details of Aristotle's 

 family history. He was twice married, his first wife having been 



