EXCAVATIONS AT OOURNIA, CRETE.* 



By. Harriet A. Boyd.& 



INTRODUCTION. 



There is a land callorl Crete in the midst of the wine-darlc sea, a 

 fair huid and a rich, bejjirt with water, and therein are many men 

 innninerable, and ninety cities. — Odyssey, xix, 172, Butcher and 

 Lang's Translation. 



The high expectations which scholars held of the good that woidd 

 come to archeology through systematic excavations in Crete have 

 not been disappointed. It is still too early to estimate the full value 

 of the excavations which have been made by the British at Knossos,'' 

 Psychro,'* Praesos,'' Zakro/ and Palaiokastro/ by the Italians at 

 Phaestos'' and Aghia Triadha/' and by the American Exploration 

 Society at Gournia. Enough has been unearthed, however, in the 

 last four years to revolutionize our ideas of the state of culture 

 attained by the Cretans of the " golden age " during the third and 

 second millenniums B. C, and to lay surer fotmdations for the study 

 of European civilization than ever before existed. Further work will 

 no doubt bring many fresh surprises and will throw new light on the 

 origins of Mediterranean culture. 



a Report of the American Exploration Society's Excavations at Gournia, 

 Crete, 1901-1903. 



f> An abstract from transactions of the department of archeology. T'^niversity 

 iif Pennsylvania. Vol. I, pts. 1 and 2, 1904, i)rinted l)y permission ctf the Amer- 

 ican Exploration Society. 



«■ See articles by Mr. Evans on the Palace Site in British Sclmoj Annual. 1899- 



1900, 1900-1901, 1901-2, 19(»2-8, and an article l)y Mr. Dunc.in .Mackenzie ..n 

 the Pottery of Knossos in .Tournal of Hellenic Studies, 190;!. 



f^See article by Mr. Hogarth in British School Annual. 189!>-1900. 



e See article by Mr. Bosanquet in British School Annual. 1901-2. 



f See article by Mr. Hogarth on Excavations in British School Annual. ICOO- 



1901, and article by Mr. Hogarth on Zakro Vases in Journal of Hellenic Studies, 

 1902. 



See article by Mr. Bosanquet in British Scliool Annual. 1901-2. 

 '' See article by Mr. Halbherr and Mr. Pernier in Moimmeuti Antichi della 

 Reale Accademia dei Lincei, Vols. XII, XIII. and XIV. 



559 



