12 • DB. SCRLIEMANN'S DISCOVERIES. 



the large wood and alabaster buttons of the handles, the sword-handles of 

 this body seem to have had at their extremity richly ornamented golden 

 plates, ten of which were found close to it. Each of them is three and four- 

 fifths inches long and one and three-fifths inches broad, and every one of 

 them represents a large cow head, with long horns and immense eyes; fur- 

 ther, a lion pursuing a stag with such velocity that his four legs are in the 

 same horizontal line with the body; the stag, though still running at full 

 speed, feels that he is lost, turns his head toward his merciless pursuer and 

 looks at him full of anguish. To the reverse side of these wonderful plates 

 still sticks a good deal of blackish matter, perhaps a sort of lime, which may 

 have served, I do not know how, to fasten them to the handles. Two plates 

 must necessarily have been required for each handle. To the bronze sword 

 on the right of the body was attached a nine and three-fifths inch long 

 golden tassel. The massive golden mask which covered the head of this 

 body, and which I mentioned in my last letter, is twelve and two-thirds 

 inches long and twelve and a half inches broad. It is so thick that the 

 enormous weight, which for ages has been pressing upon it, has made no 

 impression on it. It shows a round face, with large eyes and a large 

 mouth, much resembling the features of the body when first uncovered, and 

 I feel now more convinced than ever that all the ,2^olden masks faithfully 

 represent the features which they cover. In fact, a single glance on these 

 splendidly-made masks must convince every one that they are real portraits 

 and not ideal types. 



■"I think it necessary to add that the metal of the Mycenroan weapons, 

 kettles, etc., may either be pure copper or bronze, for the analysis has not 

 yet been made. 



"My last letter was of the 7th inst., and I have continued the excava- 

 tions ever since with the utmost vigor, employing constantly 125 laborers 

 and five horse carts. In the treasury the difficulties were far greater than 

 I anticipated, particularly as the delegate of the Greek government opposed 

 the removal of the foundations of a Hellenic house just above the lower 

 part of the 'dromos.' Thus I have been unable to clear the latter of the 

 rubbish, nine feet deep, wdiich still covers its pavement, and have only suc- 

 ceeded in clearing out the 13-foot long and 8-foot broad passage of the 

 entrance, and the central part of the treasury, comprising a space of 360 

 square feet, around which I leave a 9-foot high and 10 foot thick border of 

 huge stones and rubbish. As soon as the Greek government consents to 

 the removal of the aforesaid ruins, which have not the slightest value to 

 science, I shall at once do the remainder of the work, but certainly not 

 sooner. The two columns, to the right and left of the entrance, were not 

 quadrangular, as I supposed, but fluted half columns, one of which — 4 feet 

 3 inches high and 1 foot 4 inches broad — was found in the passage near the 

 door. At 9^ feet before the latter, the 'dromos' is shut up by a five feet 

 high wall of square calcareous stones. The door of the treasury has the 

 enormous height of eighteen feet five inches, and is eight feet four inches 

 broad. On the threshold, which consists of a very fine calcareous stone, 

 and is two feet rive inches broad, I found a very thin round leaf of gold. 

 The floor of the treasury was covered with a coating of sand and chalk, 

 traces of which are visible in many places ; it slopes toward the center, 

 which is one foot below the threshold. There was found in the treasury a 

 large fragment of a frieze of blue marble, with an ornamentation re^^resent- 



