Septemuek 15, 1904J 



NATURE 



483 



form and stature the proportions assigned to the 

 ■ Mediterranean race ' [of Sergi], and thus can be de- 

 scribed as the earliest known representatives of that 

 race " (p. 354). It is, however, confusing to speak of 

 the PaUikastro people as " anticipating " the 

 Mediterraneans in any way; the Paldikastro skulls, 

 though no doubt a few hundred years older than 

 " those discovered at Zakro [on the coast south of 

 Palc^iikastro] and described by Boyd Dawkins, and 

 those from Erganos [a Mycenaean site in a valley 

 running up from the Pediada plain into the Lasithi 

 mountain-system near the Aphendis Sarakinos] de- 

 scribed by Sergi " (p. 353), are of Bronze age date, 

 while the' Neolithic Mediterraneans belong to Sergi's 

 race as much as the Mycenaeans; the Paldikastro 

 people liiere " Mediterraneans " (as Mr. Ducli worth 

 says on p. 349) — they did not anticipate 

 them. _ 



The Petsof^ find of votive terracottas is [ 

 paralleled by the very similar pocket of votive \ 

 female figures and models of female breasts, 

 c\:c., phalli, and figures of cows, of red pottery 

 and blue glazed faience, found by Prof. Naville } 

 and myself during the past season in the 

 eighteenth dynasty dust-heap of Queen Hat- 

 shi-psu's temple at Deir-el-Bahari, in Egypt; 

 a number of these votive figures were exhibited 

 at the annual show of the Egypt Exploration 

 Fund at Universitv College, Gower Street, in 

 July. 



The pottery from Palaikastro is discussed 

 by -Mr. R. M. Dawkins, who publishes a very 

 fine " filler-vase" (p. 311) of the well known 

 Mycensan type. For a parallel Mr. Dawkin>~ 

 refers to a representation of a vase in the 

 tomb of Rekhmara, at Thebes in Egypt, pub- 

 lished by Mr. W. M. Miiller in his " ."Xsien und 

 Europa," p. 340, and by me in "The Oldest 

 Civilization of Greece," frontispiece. This 

 representation of the vase in question, for ''""• ■•■ 

 which not Mr. Miiller, but the great Cham- 

 pollion is responsible, is, however, inaccurate. 

 Mr. Dawkins would have found a better parallel from 

 the tomb of Rekhmara in last year's " Annual of the 

 British School," p. 171. Mr. Dawkins also contributes 

 a most interesting account of a visit to the rather 

 remote island of Karpathos, between Crete and 

 Rhodes, which should be of interest to geographers 

 and anthropologists. To anybody who has seen them 

 from the Eteokretan heights above Sitia, or from the 

 shores of Grandes Bay by which Paliiikastro lies, the 

 islands of Kasos and Karpathos offer a most alluring 

 invitation ; but it is not everybody who can spare the 

 time to accept it. Mr. Dawkins has been able to do so, 

 and is lucky. 



The excavations at Phylakopi, in Melos, were con- 

 ducted by the School before those at Paldikastro, in 

 Crete, were begun. They are not yet completed, the 

 work at Paldikastro having been taken up with the 

 idea of returning to Phylakopi at some future date. 

 It is to be hoped that this aspiration will be fulfilled, 

 for Phylakopi is among the most interesting of 

 " Mycenaean " sites. The excavations were carried 

 out from 1896 to 1899, Mr. Cecil Smith being in com- 

 niand during the first two years, Mr. Hogarth in the 

 third, and Mr. Mackenzie, now Mr. Evans's assistant 

 at Knossos, in the fourth. Mr. Mackenzie was pre- 

 sent during the whole four seasons, thus supplying the 

 " element of continuity " in the excavations. Each 

 of these gentlemen has contributed his quotum to the 

 combined work which has been issued for the school 

 by the .Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies 

 under the direction of an editorial committee, com- 

 posed of Mr. Bosanquet, Mr. E. A. Gardner, and Mr. 



NO. 1820, VOL. 70] 



G. F. Hill, of the British Museum. Messrs. Arthur 

 Evans, Bosanquet, G. C. Edgar, F. D. Atkinson, and 

 F. B. Welch have also contributed to the volume. 



The result is a remarkably valuable and well got-up 

 book, with an extremely good series of illustrations. 

 Among articles which are all of equal value and 

 interest it is invidious to direct special attention to 

 any in particular, but while Mr. Bosanquet 's on the 

 wall-paintings and Mr. Edgar's on the pottery are 

 of special interest to " Mycenseologists," those of Mr. 

 Bosanquet on the early i^igean trade in obsidian, 

 which seems to have radiated from Melos, and of Mr. 

 Mackenzie on the general historical relations of the 

 successive settlements, especially in connection with the 

 Minoan culture, which Mr. Mackenzie has had such 

 unequalled opportunities of observing in the course of 



his work with Mr. Evans at Knossos, will be of more 

 general interest, and should be carefully noted by all 

 students of early culture-development. The famous 

 fresco of the flyi'ng-fish, the most remarkable example 

 of MycenEean art found at Phylakopi, is published in 

 colour on Plate iii. ; as a delineation of the animal it 

 is remarkably accurate, and as a design most 

 admirable. 



Enough has been said to show that this year's 

 record of the annual progress of the discovery of the 

 older civilisation of Greece has in no way fallen behind 

 its predecessors in interest. H- R. Hall. 



On Saturday last, September 10, the Discovery arrived at 

 Portsmouth with the members of the British Antarctic 

 E.xpedition. On Sunday Captain Scott received a telegram 

 from the King- offering- His Majesty's congratulations on 

 the success and safe return of the e-xplorers. The King has 

 directed that a new medal for service in the Polar regions 

 shall be struck and granted to the officers and crew of the 

 Discovery in recognition of the successful accomplishment 

 of their enterprise. Commander Scott has been promoted 

 to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy ; and the nation's 

 thanks are due to him, the officers, scientific staff, and 

 crew of the Discovery for the successful way in which they 

 have maintained the credit of our country in the records of 

 geographical discovery. The first news of the expedition 

 after the departure of the Discovery from New Zealand in 



