Greek Archæology 1

Abstract

THE articles in the latest volume of the “Annual of the British School at Athens” which are of importance are those by Mr. R. C. Bosanquet, the late director of the School, and his assistants, which describe their ex cavations in the temple and pre cinct of the goddess Artemis Orthia at Sparta. Thus, for the first time for some years, the main interest of the School's work is transferred from things “Mycenæan” or “Minoan” to anti quities of the “classical” period. The excavations of the School at Palaíkastro, in Crete, which have pro duced so many interesting monu ments of the older civilisation of Greece, have been brought to an end (Mr. Dawkins de scribes the last flicker of this work last year in the present volume), and a new scene of labour, amid totally different surroundings, and productive of totally different results, has been wisely chosen. This is as it should be. Eventually the present phase of the school's work will also exhaust itself, and then, all in good time, the attention of the school will no doubt again be turned towards Mycenaean matters. Dr. Arthur Evans will by that time have published his great book on Knossos, the Italian results will also be published, and we can start afresh with renewed interest and increased knowledge, derived from the complete study of the results of the previous period of excavation. Then the school will, it is to be hoped, complete the great work of excavation at Phylakopi, in Melos, which remains unfinished. Meanwhile, the Mycenasologues can discuss the results of the energetic exploring work of the last decade, and books such as Prof. Burrows's recently published “Discoveries in Crete,” or articles like that of Dr. Mackenzie on “Cretan Palaces and the Egean Civilisation,” which appears in this volume, will help us to understand these results better.