134 



ANCIENT AKT OF THE PROVINCE 



each, and within these are peculiar di-viccs in black. Other 

 furnish figures of greatly diversilicil cliaractcrs, most of which evi- 

 dently refer to life forms. A full scries uf these is given in a subse- 

 quent section of this paper, where the origin of the nodes and the 

 manner in which the painted figures probably became associated with 

 them will be fully set forth. 



In the series of outlines presented in Fig. 198, we have some of the 

 varieties of form and decoration of both the ordinary bottles and the 

 plainer tripod cups. Each example presents certain features of par- 

 ticular interest. The handsome little bottle (d) with the plastic orna- 

 ment about the neck and the zone of geometric ornament in black and 

 red lines is unique. The double necked bottle is an unusual form and 



its decoration consists of a strangely (•(mcciviMl rcin'cscntation of the 

 alligator. The tripod vases are wmtliy "f ddsc attt-ntiini: the piece 

 illustrated in b has a zone of ornament separated intii three parts by 

 vertical spaces, each part being enframed in black. The sections are 

 divided by red lines into three panels, each of which contains a con- 

 ventional figure of an alligator in black. The piece shown in a is 

 unique in its decoration. Four angular fret links in black are in- 

 closed in as many panels, bordered by red and sepai'ated by blank 

 spaces. These fret links, as I shall show further on, probably refer 

 to or symbolize the alligator. The legs of the cups are all conical 

 and are marked with short transverse lines in black, which have a 

 direct reference to the markings of the animal to which the vase was 

 consecrated. A careful study of the preceding illustrations leads to 



