metal surface in different objects, which include the lion in various attitudes of repose or combat with man or bull, and a duel of warriors with a mortal wound.

1

Further, from this belt of Herakles we may interpret the embroidered girdle of Aphroditê, the figures on which are described by abstract terms, 'love, desire, caressing blandishment,' but which are doubtless to be understood of concrete forms suggesting those feelings. In the tomb of five were found three shoulder-belts of gold, one of which, No. 354, measured 4 ft. 1 in. long by 1 in. broad, ornamented with six-leaved rosettes, and with apertures, like keyholes, at one end, as though for some clasp to attach by. No. 369, referred to above, is a suspender, curiously like the termination of a pair of braces in the modern world, as the main strap, which is of a very long oval form and has a long volute ornament of elegant design, parts off at its lower end into two narrower thongs, while its upper end terminates in a ring, probably to run on some other belt across the chest, and the bifurcate lower extremities might sustain a sword, or, as suggested, sword and knife. In fact, we probably have such a belt as Homer calls a 'suspender' (άopтǹp), a term applied to the aforesaid one of Herakles. By such golden slings the sword of Agamemnon was sustained.2 Round the loins of the chief corpse in the tomb of five was a golden baldric firmly attached to a two-edged sword, and where the belt met the scabbard was a golden disc. On the armbone was a broad gold ribbon and floral ornament of repoussée work, No. 459, while above the knee was a golden band to attach the greave, besides a golden ornament for the greave, No. 338, which may be perhaps the Homeric Topúpiov. But the greave itself, such a prominent piece of the heroic panoply, had perished. It probably, therefore, was not metallic. Homer's greaves are in some remarkable instances of tin.

The sword of the Homeric hero-at least one form of it -is a weapon of considerable length (äop Tavúŋkɛs),3 and such is one type-the prevailing one, it should seem-of the Mycenæan, the larger specimens of which, when entire, were probably over three feet long. Another form found at Mycena, No. 446, and also represented as slung on the chariot rudely carved on the tombstone, No. 140, is a broad two-edged blade, tapering towards the point; and, as most of the sword-blows in the Iliad are given with edge, not point, this type also may have its illustrative value. The Homeric 1 Il. xiv. 216–7. 2 Il. xi. 31. 3 Il. xiv. 385 et al. 4 Cf. φάσγανον ἄμφηκες.-Ι. Χ. 256.

2

weapon has the epithet kwπneus,' denoting probably massiveness or prominence of hilt, but appears to have no guard. Where we have all details of equipment so fully given, the negative evidence of no guard being mentioned is strong. A sword breaks in combat (aupi kavλòv) 'round the stem' or 'shaft,' which expression reminds us of that used for a broken spear, and seems an unlikely one, if there had been any guard in the way. Probably, therefore, spear and sword were so far alike. Similarly the Mycenaan swords appear to have no guards. But it is as regards the mounting and equipment that the Homeric weapon receives most illustrations. Of the sword-belt we have already spoken. Twenty of the larger swords in the tomb of five had handles inlaid with gold, and large golden nails were conspicuous in the débris of their mountings. Again we illustrate the weapon of Agamemnon, which had blazing golden nails, a silver scabbard, and golden sling-straps. The hilts of two near one body at the north end were richly crusted with gold, No. 460. We have no golden hilt precisely so styled in Homer, who seems to love metallic contrasts, and makes the hilt, where costly, of silver,5 the nails or studs of gold. Apollo, however, is gifted with a 'golden sword,' which may probably mean golden-mounted in respect of hilt, etc. The Mycenaean scabbards had perished, being probably wooden, but must once have been hidden with gold plates and discs. An ivory handle, supposed to be that of a dagger, spiralled or marked with concentric circles, is mentioned as found. Another such weapon was found entire, with its handle inlaid with bone or wood. Both illustrate the weapon presented to Odysseus at Alcinoüs' court, in which ivory and circular ornamentation are expressly mentioned." Again we read of fifteen swords with great golden hilts, further illustrating the epithet kwπýεis mentioned above.

4

The large shield is called by Homer ἄσπις ἀμφιβρότη, as enveloping the man.. A massive jewel, No. 254, once a member of a lady's necklace, from Mycena, shows for its device a single combat in which one warrior receives a mortal wound over the upper edge of a large shield. The shield is either moulded in two compartments, or partly cloven-at any rate, deeply indented through about half its diameter, by a previous heavy blow. The wearer's chin nearly touches its

1 Il. xv. 713.

2 xvi. 338.

3 év kavλą čáyn.—Il. xiii. 162 et al.; cf. xvi. 115. 5 Il. i. 219; Od. viii. 403-4.

4 xi. 29-31.

Il. v. 509; xv. 256.

7 δώσω δὲ οἱ ἄορ παγχάλκεον, ᾧ ἔπι κώπη ἀργυρέη, κόλεον δὲ νεοπρίστου

ἐλέφαντος ἀμφιδεδίνηται. Οd. viii. 403-5.

8 Il. ii. 389 et al.

upper edge, its lower has reached the ground, as he falls forward on the point of the other's weapon, and it envelopes the whole man, so that only the head and right arm fully, and one leg partially, are visible. Again, a vase, No. 80, shows several warriors, each with a large oval shield, held with the shorter diameter vertical, yet even so covering the man from chin to knee. In this attitude the shield would be more portable, when on the arm; but if slung from the shoulder with the longer diameter vertical, we can easily realise the description of Hector's shield jolting against neck and ankle as he marched. In one battle scene a warrior trips up over his own shield and falls.2 This may possibly be intended in the case of the falling warrior in the duel described above. Our last illustration of the Homeric large shield is of another pattern, corresponding with the description of the shield of Ajax, 'like a tower.' 3 It is from the intaglio of a gold signet, No. 335, found in the tomb of five. One warrior there vanquishes three, one of whom has a long shield half or more than half cylindrical laterally. And in a vase, No. 213, we have a shield, circular, less a segment or lentil-shaped piece, cut off at bottom, and reaching thus only from neck to hips, perhaps illustrating the Homeric lighter shield (λaiońiov).*

This same No. 213, our last illustration of the shield, yields our first illustration of the helmet, which there appears light and small as regards protection afforded, but exuberant as regards display of crest; although this latter is only partly shown, as the border of the vase form intercepts it. Every student of the Iliad will remember the large number of fatal wounds given in the head, face, and adjacent parts.5 Here, correspondingly, all the features, chin, throat, and ears, appear undefended. The cap of the helmet seems to sit loosely on the head, and has no chin-strap such as Homer ascribes to it in one passage. The crown is surmounted by a large protuberant knob, which may perhaps be intended to break the shock of a weapon from above, and would easily offer to a foe such a handle as Menelaüs perhaps found in it in his combat with Paris. The crest, however, shown only in part here, is clearly of the same fashion as one worn in the

2 xv. 645-7.

1 vi. 117. 3 σάκος ἠΰτε πύργον.—Il. xi. 485; xvii. 128. The σάκος and the ἄσπις are probably of different forms; the latter circular, or nearly so. But the poet does not always keep them distinct.

4 Il. v. 453; xii. 426.

5 So ll. xvi. 338-9 : ὑπ ̓ οὔατος αὐχένα θεῖνεν . . . πᾶν δ ̓ εἴσω ἔδυ ξίφος ; and xiii. 614-5 : κόρυθος φάλον ἤλασεν ἱπποδασείης ἄκρον ὑπὸ λόφον αὐτόν. 7 Il. iii. 369-70.

6 Il. iii. 371-5.

VOL. VII.-NO. XIV.

E E

duel before referred to. In this latter the knob is raised above the crown on a small stem, while the crest projects like a curved horn springing out from the forehead, and arches itself highly backward, too highly indeed for the horsehair tuft which waves from it to reach the occiput. But there is no reason for thinking that Homeric helmets were all of one type,' through assuming which apparently Buttmann and others have failed in some of their interpretations. Some were cheek-plated (xaλкожάρηaι),2 and on an early Greek vase in the British Museum is a helmet form with large lateral plates covering cheek and jaw. Again, Homer gives us what has been interpreted as a helmet with a pierced visor, or something analogous to it (αὐλῶπις τρυφάλεια). A Mycenæan vase, No. 37, shows a helmet covering the whole face to below. the chin, and having a lozenge-shaped hole cut at the eye, defended by two small cross-bars. To pass on to the crest (ópos), Homer speaks as if nodding' was its peculiar attribute. Alcæus describes it as 'nodding' still when hung on its peg in the armoury. A glance at the Mycenæan vase design, No. 213, with the tube, no doubt metallic, projecting from the forehead, shows us that this might easily be so. A slight degree of elasticity in the metal would make this slender socket vibrate with every breath; and we realise the line, 'The horsehaired helms with dazzling crests were touching as they nodded,' when marching in dense array, since the crest of the man before would easily sweep the front of the helmet behind. A helmet-crest found at Hissarlik (Troy and its Remains, p. 280, fig. No. 191) is of two pieces, upper and lower, with a channel grooved along the ridge of the upper piece to receive the hair, not unlike the fashion, which corresponds more with conventional notions, shown in the figure of Pallas on the Burgon vase in the British Museum," where the two. sections or layers of the crest-stock are plainly distinguished. Still, there are probably other Homeric types of helmet which yet await illustration. We can, however, illustrate the caps worn by Diomedes and Odysseus in their night foray on the Trojan camp, which had no ornament or protective pieces save the boars' teeth which garnished one of them, and was of

6

1 The variety of names, kuvéŋ, kópus, týλnk, seems to show this, as gipos, dop. páryavov for sword; but, as in the case of the shield, they are not always kept distinct.

2 Il. xii. 183 et al.

4 Il. iii. 337 et al.

3 xiii. 530 et al.

5 Fragm. 15 (Bergk), 2, 3.

· ψαῦον δ' ἱππόκομοι κόρυθες λαμπροῖσι φάλοισι, νευόντων.—Il. xiii. 132; xvi. 216.

7 It is figured in Odyssey, ed. Hayman, vol. i. p. xl., App. C.

bull's or some other hide.1 The same vase, No. 213, shows a head in a cap, not unlike in shape to our own ‘Glengarry,' of hide, retaining the hair, which bristles up stiffly all over it. As to the boar's-teeth embellishment, we notice the fact that a number of such teeth were found in the tomb of five, pierced with holes as if to attach them, besides a larger number of square ornamental plates cut from such teeth.

The Homeric spear admits of but little illustration. The spear-head had a tubular socket to receive the shaft,2 and had a ring fixed somewhere below the head to keep the shaft from splitting. This latter would probably be on the wood, and might disappear with it. None such, at any rate, has been found; but the spear-heads at Mycenae had in several instances a ring or rings attached to the metal in order to prevent by means of a cord the loss of the head, and all the specimens are tubular. Specimens of the double and single headed axe, exactly as distinguished in the archery prize at Patroclus' funeral, were found, but not as there of iron or perhaps steel. In the Odyssey the axes have a ring attached to one extremity, and Odysseus shoots through these rings. No Mycenæan axe is thus ringed, but many swords were found with a ring at the end of the handle.

6

The Homeric chariot has, we believe, been previously illustrated in all its parts except one, the πɛípivs, an appendage to a travelling chariot, or which might be specially attached to an ordinary one. The chariot carved on the tombstone, No. 141, from the Mycenæan Acropolis, has some such appendage behind the plinth of the chariot on which the rider stands. The imperfect delineation prevents any certain judgment, but from the rounded lines and shallow configuration it seems contrasted, as regards material and make, with the more angular and rigid-looking plinth itself; and it may possibly represent basket-work such as one scholiastic tradition assigns to the Teipis. In Cyprus, pp. 268, 427, are figured two chariots from vases, each with a double body and a rider in each compartment. In the former the compartments seem

1 κυνέην . . . ταυρείην, ἄφαλόν τε καὶ ἄλλοφον, ἥ τε καταῖτυξ κέκληται.-ΙΙ. Χ. 257–9. κυνέην ῥινοῦ ποιητὴν, πολέσιν δ ̓ ἔντοσθεν ἱμᾶσιν ἐντέτατο στερεῶς· ἔκτοσθε δὲ λευκοὶ ὀδόντες ἀργιόδοντος ὑὸς θαμέες ἔχον ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα. Ibid. 261-4.

2 Il. xvii. 297.

4 xxiii. 851.

3 viii. 495.

5 Mycena, p. III. A four-bladed axe is also figured in the remarkable very early signet, where it stands as if symbolically above the centre of the group of figures, p. 354, 4.

6 ἰόεντα σίδηρον.-Ib. 850.

7 Od. xv. 131.

8 Il. xxiv. 190.