ACCOUNTS, &C., OF THE- BRITISH MUSEUM. ip 



imperfectly known. It is believed, however, that the following objects in the Castellaui 

 Collection, all of which were obtained from Hellenic sites, were executed by Greek artists: 

 A sceptre. No. 842, terminating in a Corinthian column, on which rests a fruit modelled. 

 in green glass, and enclosed in acanthus leaves. The stem of the sceptre consists of a 

 hollow cylinder of gold, enclosed in a network of fine gold wire, each knot of the reticula- 

 tion being filled with white or blue vitreous paste. This exquisite and almost unique 

 object Avas found in a tomb at Tarentum, witli a beautiful necklace. No. 667, the pendants 

 of which are alternately heads of lo, and vases, and a gold ring. No. 146, of which the 

 device is a seated female figure, holding a scepti-e in her hand. This tomb may have been 

 that of a priestess, buried with the insignia of her sacerdotal office. 



A necklace. No. 662, consisting of two lions' heads in repousse work, ornamented with 

 enamel in the eyes of the lions. This is, perhaps, the finest known specimen of repousse 

 work in gold. It was found at Capua, together with a pair of earrings. No. 506, ter- 

 minating in lions' heads, and in the same style. 



A necklace. No. 660, composed of an intricate pattern of chain work, from which 

 depend rosettes and leaves, ornamented with blue and green vitreous paste, below Avhicli 

 again is a double row of amphoriski, 114 in number. This most subtle and orio-inal 

 specimen of Greek goldsmiths' work was found at Melos. 



A diadem. No. 815, also from Melos, iutlie centre of which a garnet is set in the centre 

 of an Herculean knot, inlaid with fine filagree, and blue and green vitreous pastes. On 

 each side of this central ornament is a twisted chain in which flowers are set. The design 

 of this diadem is as beautiful as it is original. In the Blacas Collection is the fragment 

 of a similar diadem. 



The examples of Greek goldsmiths' art here enumei'ated were all probably executed 

 between B.C. 350 and B.C. 250. The progress of the art of jewellery down to the Roman 

 time is admirably illustrated in the Castellani Collection by the fine series of earrings, 

 both from Etruria and Southern Italy ; among them may be particularly noticed a 

 pair. No. 561, found at Bolsena, in which Victories form the pendants, and which are 

 remarkable for their great size. 



Of Roman jewellery many interesting examples may be found in the Collection, and 

 especially in the series of rings, in Avhich a great variety of rare forms occur. Among the 

 other objects which may be referred with probability to the Roman period are a magnificent 

 necklace of cylinders of gold, richly studded with garnets. No. 665, from Olbia in Sardinia ; 

 a necklace from which hangs a butterfly composed of topaz, garnet, and sapphire, No. 670, 

 from Rome ; and a fibula of solid gold. No. 760, from Ravenna. Among, the objects which 

 may be ascribed to the period of barbarian occupation in Italy, consequent on the down- 

 fall of the Roman empire, is a large chain composed of spirals, found with a bulla, 

 on which is engraved the reception of Hercules in Olympus. It is believed that this 

 chain is an example of the ring-money which, according to Cajsar, was in use among the 

 Gauls in his time. It was found at Bolsena; a fragment of a similar chain found in a 

 tomb at Merida in Spain, has been recently purchased for the Museum. The series 

 of silver objects in the Castellani Collection is exceedingly choice; among them may be 

 especially noticed a seated figure of Jupiter, and the head of a dog. 



The Castellani Collection of gems is particularly rich in scarabs and scaraboids. It 

 contains a fine series of cameos, including some few which were formerly in the Blacas 

 Collection; and among the intaglios are many' of extraordinary merit, both from their 

 execution and the interest of their subjects. 



XIII. The excavations on the site of the Temple of Diana at Ephesus have been con- 

 tinued by Mr. Wood. The following is a summary of his operations at Ephesus on 

 account of the Museum: — From January 1864, when the first grant was made to Mr. 

 Wood by the Trustees, to the Autumn of 1868, he was chiefly engaged in clearing out 

 the Odeum and the Great Theatre, two sites in which some very remarkable inscriptions 

 were found. (See Annual Reports for the years 1865, 1866, 1867, 1868, 1869.) From 

 the Autumn of 1868 to May 1869, Mr. Wood was engaged in searching for_ the site of 

 the Temple along the line of an ancient road, following Avhich as a clue he hit upon the 

 angle of the peribolos wall of the Temple, which he identified by an inscription inserted in 

 the wall. This inscription, which was executed in duplicate, stated that the Emperor 

 Augustus, out of the revenues of the Goddess Diana, had rebuilt the peribolos wall round 

 her Temple. The date of this inscription is fixed by Mr. Waddington ^^Fastes, p. 94), to 

 the year 6, B.C. We know from Tacitus that thejsenioZosof the Temple formed a sanc- 

 tuary for criminals, and that as the right of asylum had been unduly abused, the limits 

 of the sanctuary were diminished by Augustus, and subsequently by Tiberius. 



It is from the date of this discovery. May 1869, that the determination of the site, from 

 being a vague possibility, became a probability. The interval between May 1869 and 

 February 1871 was spent by Mr. Wood in exploring the area within the periljo/os, with 

 a view of finding the site of the Temple ; an operation necessarily involving a large outlay 

 on account of the extent of the area to be exploi-ed, and the depth of soil, averaging 

 twenty feet throughout, Avhich had to be cut through. In January 1871, Mr. Wood 

 succeeded in fixing the site of the Temple by the discovery of a pavement, drums and 

 capitals of columns, and other architectural remains, all of the finest white marble, 

 and of the Ionic order. After about three months' labour, a small portion of the 

 area of the Temple was cleared down to the pavement, and this clearance led to the 

 l88. C 2 discovery 



