In the old Lacedaemonian district of Amyclae, where a series of distinctly pre-Hellenic cults was preserved down to historic times, one of the richest Mycenaean tholos tombs, that of Vaphio, was discovered fifty years ago. Some of the objects found in this tomb shew clearly oriental connections, while others, among which are the two famous gold goblets, are of pure Minoan origin.

Though the tomb was not plundered, some of the objects contained in it were scattered about. The fragments of an inlaid dagger, decorated with a representation of swimming men, have been tentatively reconstructed by me. Another weapon from the same tomb is discussed on p. 190.

Wondering what I could offer to J. L. M. I began to think about the very letters J. L. M.; perhaps I might have something to say about them. Saint Paul would not have the hardihood to call them φαῦλα καὶ πτωχὰστοιχεῖα seeing that they stand for the most forcible personality of our generation in our study of the ancient world.

How did J get its tail? and that phonetic difference from I into which Romance speech has brought such confusion that for every language one must learn separately what value to give it? Once the practical Greek had substituted for the Semitic picture of a hand with its value yod a simple stroke denoting a vowel, all would seem straightforward.

Recent excavations in the district of Lasithi in Crete have both raised and answered a number of historical problems which, while not suitable for inclusion in a strict excavation report, may yet properly be the subject of an essay in honour of one who did so much for the archaeology and topography of Crete in the early days.

It must be remembered that the following pages are suggestions intended merely to stimulate further enquiry on a less restricted scale. In prehistoric archaeology certainty is impossible. A definite set of facts may be interpreted in two quite different ways, both equally possible. The only hope is to fit the greatest possible number of facts into the framework and to make sure that there is no vital fact which contradicts the whole.

Such editors of Aeschylus as have time left from considering difficulties of the text to deal with larger problems of structure and presentation remark on the fact that Pylades speaks but three lines in the whole play. Verrall, for instance, who despite his many and great shortcomings as a scholar never lost sight of the essential fact that Aeschylus is a dramatist, draws attention to and attempts to justify it.

The general theme of the ode, is labour leading to peace and happiness: Rest is the first word, Home is the last, and between we have the Labours of Heracles indicated by a specimen, his earliest feat of prowess. The poet need not give a complete catalogue of the labours, which every child knew by heart; nor need he give any special one, such as the Nemean Lion: he gives the first, and leaves the etcetera to take care of itself. And by this choice of the first, he brings out one of the underlying thoughts—that natural ability is the great thing. No one can have taught a baby just born what to do when serpents appear. As regards Chromios, the choice of Heracles was proper, if he claimed to be himself a Heracleid, as seems likely; and the general parallel of a long life of labour is close enough, without pressing a detail.

Lieu de trouvaille et date. Le cratère à représentation de char qui fait l'objet de cette étude a été trouvé au cours de notre huitième campagne de fouilles parmi les ruines d'une habitation, au pied de l'acropole nord-est du tell. Il y a là dans les couches du Ier niveau les vestiges d'un quartier datant des XVe–XIIIe siècles. L'une des maisons était habitée par un artisan qui semble avoir pratiqué le métier d'orfèvre, à en juger par la balance de précision, le jeu de poids et le moule que nous avons retrouvé dans son habitation. C'est à lui aussi qu'appartenait peut-être le cratère dont les fragments ont été recueillis au même endroit. La profondeur à laquelle ils furent rencontrés et le contexte archéologique permettent d'attribuer ce vase au XIVe siècle avant notre ère. Sa hauteur est de 46cm, le plus grand diamètre de la panse est de 37cm. 5, fig. 1.

In 1913 an essay of mine appeared in the JHS (XXXIII 27 ff.) entitled ‘Three Greek Numeral Systems.’ Shortly afterwards I published in this Annual (XVIII 98 ff.) an article on ‘The Greek Numeral Notation,’ in which I collected and summarised the available evidence for all the numeral systems of the acrophonic type used among the Greeks and set forth the main conclusions to which that evidence pointed. In a later volume (XXVIII 141 ff.) I added some ‘Further Notes on the Greek Acrophonic Numerals,’ recording the examples which had accumulated since the publication of my previous article and giving a new and fuller edition of an important text from a site near Andania in Messenia (IG V 1. 1532). No further discussion of the subject has appeared and scholars have repeatedly cited my articles as giving the fullest and most recent treatment of it.

The Mycenean pottery which is often found in tombs and on inhabited sites in Palestine frequently provides useful evidence for dating purposes, and occasionally, too, the presence of Egyptian objects helps to confirm the dating of the Mycenean pottery itself. Recent research, especially on the Mainland of Greece, has made clear the main lines of development of Mycenean pottery through the three periods of L.H. I, II and III and consequently the comparative dates provided by the finding of such pottery on Palestinian sites may be taken as approximately correct. It is, however, essential that the Mycenean pottery or the local Palestinian imitations of it should be assigned to the correct period. Failure to do so may lead to a misdating of the Palestinian local wares or of the other objects associated with them. A case of this seems to have occurred at Jericho.

Whilst archon, in 493/2 B.C., Themistokles began his constructions at Peiraeus, which he got finished in 479/8 (Thuc. I. 93.3). On the latter occasion he persuaded (ἔπεισε) the demos: on the former he evidently acted in virtue of the archon's powers. What powers?

The classical archon's functions were mainly two: to conduct certain public festivals, and to see to such lawsuits as pertained to the family. Not unimportant functions, at least not unimportant in the archaic state: when his discretion in his own court was still considerable, the man who could, e.g., dispose of heiresses had much power and enjoyed much confidence. But not by any means enough to account for his known importance.