14 DR. SCIILIEM ANN'S DISCOVERIES. 



of Myceiife. In clearing out the 13.20-feet deep masses of rubbish which 

 obstructed the passage of the gate, I found a well preserved bronze sealing 

 ring, on which are engraved two young women of marvellous beauty, which 

 seems still to be increased by their simple and graceful hair dress. Both 

 sit close together, but their heads are turned in opposite directions. The 

 anatomy is well observed. There were besides found a large number of 

 Juno-idols in cow or horned-female form, and a cow idol, showing, on a 

 light yellow dead color, a number of dark red signs, which may be letters; 

 also, large quantities of melted lead; further, a very primitive golden ear- 

 ring, consisting of a quadrangular golden wire twice turned round. The 

 same form of ear-rings occurs also in the first of- the four pre-historic cities 

 at Troy, with the only difference that the wire there is round. There were 

 also found here on the virgin soil a great many fragments of hand-made 

 vases, having either inside and outside a plain, lustrous black or red, or a 

 light green color, with black spiral ornaments. At only six feet behind the 

 Cyclopean wall, on the east side of the passage, I have brought to light an 

 evidently much more ancient wall of huge blocks. 



"The circular parallel double row of large slabs, which I have repeated- 

 ly referred to in my former letters, had originally been covered with cross 

 slabs, of which a small number are still in situ; the}^ are solidly fitted in 

 and consolidated by one and a quarter to one and a half inches deep and 

 four inches broad cuttings. As these latter exist on all the slabs, there can 

 be no doubt that the whole circle was primitively covered in the same way. 

 The slabs are from four feet two inches to eight feet two inches long, and 

 one foot eight inches to four feet broad, and the largest are in the two places 

 where the double row descends from the rock to the wall. Inside is at first 

 a layer of large stones one foot four inches thick, for the purpose of holding 

 the slabs in their position; the remaining space is filled up with pure earth 

 mixed with long, thin nails in the places where the original covering re- 

 mains in its position, or with household remains, mixed with innumerable 

 fragments of archaic pottery wherever the covering is missing. This cir- 

 cumstance can leave no doubt that the cross slabs were removed in a remote 

 antiquity, and it gives at the same time some idea as to the age of the 

 double circle of slabs. 



"In continuing the excavation on the north side of the Cyclopean house, 

 I brought to light two more chambers of it, and found there, at a depth of 

 sixteen and one-half feet, three splendidly incised, perforated, round agates 

 of a necklace, the one representing a cow head with very long horns, the 

 other two horses standing against each other on their hind legs and turning 

 their heads toward the spectator, just as the two animals on the sculpture 

 above the gate must have done. Above the two horses on the agate is en- 

 graved a man with a Phrygian cap and a young woman with an uncovered 

 head. The third agate is of a transparent red color and represents a stag, 

 which appears to move with great velocity, although its head is turned 

 backward. There were also found Juno-idols of a new form — e. g., a per- 

 fectly flat cow with only one big hind leg and two forelegs; a female idol 

 with a very compressed bird's face, and with a Phi-ygian cap, instead of 

 usual 'polos;' and, finally, a headless idol with all the characteristics of a 

 woman, but with two long cow horns. There was likewise found a terra 

 cotta cow horn three and a half inches long, which shows that there must 

 have been much larger idols than those hitherto found. There were fur- 

 ther found a number of small terra cotta trijDods, in form of arm-chairs, 

 cradles — in two instances even cradles with a child in them; ail are gay- 

 colored, and must have served as offerings; farther, two perforated i:iai-al- 

 lelopipeds of variegated color, four inches long, the use of which I can not 



