While most of the dispositions of the ancient Greek theatre have been submitted in recent years to a searching examination, the question as to the scenery used as a background to plays has been somewhat neglected. It seems to me that a fresh enquiry on this particular point may be of service.

I must preface this enquiry by a statement of the view which I adopt as to the presence or absence of a raised stage in the Greek theatre, since it is obvious that any theory as to scenery must depend in a great degree upon the solution of the stage question which is adopted. It is quite impossible on this occasion to discuss fully the question whether the place of the actors in Greece was the orchestra or the λογεῖον I can only say that I assume the latter view to be correct. I think that from the time of Aeschylus onwards the stage, which had at first been a low platform of varying size, grew steadily in height as the part of the actors in the performance grew more important, and their independence of the chorus more complete. And as the stage grew higher it also grew narrower by an obvious necessity, until we have the long narrow stone stage of the Hellenistic age, which exactly corresponds with the assertions of Vitruvius and other ancient authorities.

Among the various references which Athenaeus makes in his Δειπνοσοφισταί to the encounter of Herakles with Helios, when he was going to the island of Erytheia, we find the following (Book xi. 39 ff):—

Φερεκύδης δ᾿ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ τῶν ίστοριῶν προειπὼν περὶ τοῦ ᾿ Ωκεανοῦἐπιφέρει ὁ δ᾿Ηρακλῆς ἔλκεται ἐπ᾿αὐτὸν τὸ τόξον ὡς βαλῶν καὶ ὁ Ηλιοςπαύσασθαι κελεύει ὄ δὲ δείσας παύεται. ῾´ Ηλιος δὶ ἀντὶ τούτου διδωσιναὐτῷ τὸ δέπας τὸ χρύσεον ὄ αὐτὸν ἐφόρει σὺν ταῖς ἴπποις ἐπὴν δύῃ διὰ τοῦΩκεαυοῦ τὴν νύκτα πρὸς ἐῴην ἴν᾿ἀνίσχει ὁ ᾿´ Ηλιος ἔπειτα πορεύεται ὁ῾ Ηρακλῆς ἐν τῷ δέπαϊ τούτῳ τούτῳ ἐς τὴν ῾ Ερύθειαν κ.τ.λ.

We learn from Pliny and Plutarch that there was in the sanctuary at Delphi a large bronze group, the work of Lysippus and Leochares, with a dedication by Craterus, Alexander's lieutenant, representing the rescue of Alexander by Craterus in a lion-hunt. The precision with which certain details are mentioned, (in particular the dogs) seems to show clearly that Plutarch was speaking de visu of this work of art; there is no need to imagine that it was transported to Rome and that it was there he saw it. It is therefore quite possible to suppose that it was still in existence at Delphi at the time of Pausanias's visit. As the Periegetes makes no reference to it, his enemies will not fail to take advantage of this omission; unjustly, for Pausanias did not undertake to give a complete enumeration of even the most important ex-votos, with which in his time the sanctuary at Delphi was still crowded.

§ 7. Savatra.—There is another important site in this district now called Ak-Ören (‘White Ruins’), which represents savatea or soatra (Strabo, p. 568), as Prof. Ramsay has rightly recognised, though he does not seem to indicate its position quite correctly when he speaks of ‘the ruins, four hours south-west of Eskil.’ Five hours west-south-west of that village is a fairer estimate. It is placed approximately in our map, but we did not revisit it. The remains must formerly have been very conspicuous: weeks before we arrived in this district we were told about the site as the sort of place people in search of ruins should not fail to visit. There is no village (as I understand) beside the ruins, and, to all appearance, the ancient name has migrated to Suwarek, which lies some distance to the west. Thither also great part of the remains has been transported. During a compulsory halt of an hour at Suwarek we copied a few inscriptions. Doubtless there are more, for the village was a place of some importance in Seldjuk times (cf. Sarre, Reise, in Kleinasien, p. 104–5 and Taf. XLIV.); but we imagined they must have been published already and we copied them mainly to amuse ourselves!

While the discovery of pre-historic remains proceeds apace on Greek soil, there has been for two or three years a certain pause in the exploration of purely Hellenic sites. Olympia, Epidaurus, the Athenian Acropolis, Delos, the Argive Heraeum, and Delphi kept the ball rolling merrily for some twenty years, but compared to those great enterprises in the strictly classical field the present is a day of small things. For some time past the German Institute has undertaken no considerable excavation. The French have only just got to work again at Goulás in Crete. The Greeks have made their most striking discoveries in cemeteries of the early period, to which the British School also has devoted all its energies for two years. Only the Americans have remained faithful to the classical tradition in their heavy and costly excavation of Corinth, which has not been rewarded, however, with much that belongs to any period before the Roman.

Riding down the valley of the Scamander on Sept. 24th of this year, I turned aside to see the ruins on Kurshunlu Tepe, the identity of which with the ancient Scepsis has lately been proved beyond all reasonable doubt by the inscription discovered there by Dr. W. Judeich (Festschrift für Heinrich Kiepert, p. 231). At the village of Kurshunlu I was so fortunate as to light upon the pair of inscriptions printed above. They are engraved on two marble slabs, which were unearthed on the top of the hill, apparently not many days before my visit. The neighbouring town of Bairamitch has recently suffered from a destructive fire, and much building is going on there. The villagers of Kurshunlu find a good market for stones from the ancient site, which they are quarrying in all directions.

The above inscription appears on a very rudely formed scarab of translucent noble serpentine, which was acquired by Professor Petrie in Egypt; I publish it here with his permission; for the identification of the material I am indebted to Professor Bonney. The name Λαῖλαψ is only known as the name of a dog. It occurs as the hound of Procris in Ovid's Metamorphoses III. 771, and also among the hounds of Actaeon, ibid. III. 211, and in Hyginus Fab. 181. It is possible that this rude scarab may have been hung, as an ornament or amulet, on the neck of a hound; but perhaps such a decoration is more suitable to a pet dog; in that case the imposing name may have been given in playful irony.

The ς at the end is superfluous; it may be an abbreviation of some sort; or possibly may be due to the hand of a foreigner who did not appreciate the significance of the Greek ψ. The lettering is of the late Hellenistic or of the Roman age.