ON SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS. 23 
no vestige of it existed, and that its site was 
entirely unknown.—It is not however easily to 
be found even by those acquainted with its 
general position;—for though myself and my 
companions were furnished with the best maps, 
and travelled Pausanias in hand, it was not till 
the second day’s search, that we were at length 
rewarded by stumbling upon the Citadel, among 
the low hills near the village of Charvati. 
The Acropolis of Mycene is a rocky hill en- 
tirely surrounded by walls, which in many parts 
are still tolerably perfect, and, except at inter- 
vals, are of the oldest style of Cyclopian archi- 
tecture. Ofthe Pelasgians or Cyclopes, to whom 
all the most solid and stupendous structures of 
ancient Greece and Italy are, by common fame, 
attributed, we know almost nothing;—nor has 
the profound and patient genius of Niebuhr 
succeeded in throwing any material light on the 
origin, history or achievements of this singular 
and powerful people——Their national existence 
would seem to have been almost terminated be- 
fore the commencement of the historic era;— 
and many of the most ancient and remarkable 
cities in Greece Proper and Magna Grecia ap- 
pear to have been founded by them, either while 
existing as an independent people, or after their 
subjugation by other Greek tribes. 
