ON THE SO-CALLED BOW-PULLER OF ANTIQUITY. 163 



often depicted in old Dutch paintings and is doubtless in 

 use in Holland to-day. In Gozzadini's final memoir on the 

 ancient Etruscan cemetery at Marzabotto, 1870, are fig- 

 ured two bronze pots to which are attached chains (links 

 8-shaped) terminating in a large circular ring and identi- 

 cal with one of the chains figured by Strobel as passing 

 through a bow-puller, a reproduction of which is given in 

 this paper in Fig. 10. 



If the various forms regarded as bow-pullers are for dif- 

 ferent purposes, and there can be no question that some 

 of them are entirely unrelated, then we may conceivethat 

 some of them might have been used for holding the reins. 

 The bow-pullers if representing a single purpose (as Stro- 

 bel is inclined to believe they do), invalidate by the Va- 

 ry ing length, character and number of spines, every 

 attribution assigned to them. 



As an evidence of the uncertainty in regard to the uses 

 of the bow-puller one may turn to the comprehensive 

 Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, by Darem- 

 berg and Saglio, in course of publication, and he will 

 there find on page 473, under matters pertaining to the 

 bow, a very poor figure of a bow-puller with a brief note 

 of its supposed use, signed by Saglio. Later on under 

 horses' bits, curbs, etc., under the sub-title Siguette, page 

 1336, the figures of Strobel are reproduced and his Inter- 

 pretation of the bow-puller as being a snaffle is indorsed. 

 The article is signed G. Lafaye. 



SUMMARY. 



1. As a Bow-Puller. It is simply impossible to draw 

 a bow with it, and if a bow-puller it would appear in an- 

 cient sculpture and painting. 



2. As a Cross-ßow Implement. The cross-bow was 

 unknown to the ancients. 



