The critics and commentators who read these notes will probably object that I have not paid sufficient attention to the earlier literature on the subject. I must admit that I have not read Gerlach's paper, which is not accessible in Alexandria, but I have read at one time or another most of the recent papers on the Homeric house from Myres' paper in the Journal of Hellenic Studies to that of Palmer lately published in the Transactions of the Philological Society.* I think that practically all of what was written on the Homeric house before the excavations of Schliemann at Tiryns should now be disregarded. Further since most of that written since the excavation of Tiryns follows the erroneous or ‘traditional’ interpretation of the two megara at Tiryns as a men's and as a women's megaron, it also need not now be taken into account. Palmer's paper makes a great advance, but he did not have the opportunity of knowing the House of Columns at Mycenae. I have therefore as regards earlier literature confined myself to Homer himself and standard editions like those of Monro, Leaf, Merry, and Stanford, and have read the newer translations of the Odyssey, the Loeb version and those of T. E. Shaw and E. V. Rieu. If I have missed anything of importance I can only plead that Alexandria of to-day does not possess the same library facilities as Ptolemaic Alexandria.

These notes are part of the results of a journey undertaken by us in the summer of 1906. We have been led to put them together in the hope that they may be of some service to other travellers, and perhaps serve as a basis for a fuller and more perfect account of the islands concerned. Any references not given in footnotes to the text will be found in the Bibliography at the beginning.

During the excavations along the course of the city wall a great number of fragments of tiles with stamped inscriptions were found. The majority, about a hundred in all, including several examples of the same stamp, came from the well by the Heroön (cf. p. 286). Many were found on the line of the wall further south, and many more in the Artemisium: a few by the Altar and in trial-pits north of the carriage road. It is by no means uncommon to find inscribed tiles in Greece; but in this respect the excavations at Sparta have so far easily surpassed all previous finds. The inscriptions are for the most part easy to read and intelligible, and fall into different classes, which in their turn sub-divide themselves into varieties.

On the road from new Sparta to Magoula the most noticeable remains of the ancient city are the extensive brick ruins called ‘Arapissa,’ from the localization here of a legend common in all parts of Greece of a negress or a negro guarding buried treasure. Since so large a building, if it existed in the time of Pausanias, is not likely to have been omitted by him in his description of the city, it was decided to test this site to determine its nature and date. Accordingly from April 20th to the 30th twenty-five men were employed digging round the walls visible above the surface, and sinking trial-pits in other parts to obtain some idea of the plan. Owing to the apparent want of symmetry and to the loose nature of the soil, which was full of rubble, the work proved more difficult and dangerous than had been anticipated.

South of the well mentioned above and inside the city wall a series of trial pits produced important results (P 13). At a distance of 1·80 m. from the city wall another wall was found which varies from ·50 to ·65 m. in width. Between this, which was followed for some distance, and the city wall, traces of a pavement of beaten earth came to light at a depth of 1·40 m. On the outside of the inner wall a drain was found running parallel to it. We have here, most probably, a street that followed the city wall on the inside. The depth at which it was found agrees very well with that of a similar pavement to the west of the Altar (1·82 m.). The lower level there perhaps indicates an earlier date. In any case the level of the road was raised in a later period, as proved by the tile drain referred to above. Within the inner wall we found distinct traces of a shrine, probably a Heroön. Everywhere, except in the neighbourhood of the well, where the lower strata are composed of gravel, regular stratification ranging from the Geometric age to late Greek times was distinguishable. The Greek layer, which cannot yet be divided into early and late periods, begins at an average depth of a metre. At about 1·90 m. Corinthian pottery was found, which between 2·15 and 2·45 m. was sometimes mixed with Geometric fragments. The Geometric stratum commences at an average depth of 2·30 m., and at three metres or a little deeper the soil is virgin.

During a visit to Turin last autumn to photograph the so-called ‘Diadumenos,’ which is here published, I believe for the first time, I took the opportunity to photograph one or two other works which seemed to be interesting. The photographs of these are published with the ‘Diadumenos’ in this paper. The discussions added to the descriptions of them are not intended to be complete, nor are they, I fear, perfect. My excuse is my desire to make interesting sculptures accessible to those better fitted to criticize them. In preparing this paper I have received much kind help from Dr. Amelung, who has most generously placed at my disposal many of his notes, especially as regards the list of replicas of the Praxitelean Athena, which is entirely his own.

This paper gives the results of a journey of exploration undertaken in April, 1905, in the Magnesian peninsula by Mr. A. W. Van Buren of the American School at Rome and myself. The observations are in many cases incomplete, but every effort has been made to make them as perfect as time and means allowed. I would like to point out to archaeologists who are too often content only with a tour to Larissa, Tempe, the Metéora, and Phersala, that Thessaly is in many respects a terra incognita. That it amply repays exploration and excavation is shewn by the results obtained by Dr. Tsountas and Dr. Stais at Dhimini, Sesklo, and Marmariani. It is to be hoped that in future archaeologists will visit Thessaly more frequently and not be content with mere sight-seeing. I myself hope to return this year to study the Ossa district ; and it is possible that the British School at Athens will, if circumstances permit, excavate the temple site at Kato Georgi.

The village of Angelona lies amongst the hills surrounding the plain of Molai, midway between the latter and Monemvasia. About half an hour east of the village is a small plateau known as Kollýri; this plateau is bounded on its south-eastern side by a revma, tributary to the greater ravine which runs down to the sea south of the ruins of Epidaurus Limera. At the head of the revma is a perpetual spring of good water, and in its neighbourhood are many traces of former human occupation; roof tiles of slightly concave section with a rough red-to-black glaze, and sherds of black-glazed and coarse red pottery are common. A few hundred yards above (west of) the spring an anta capital of poros (Fig. 1) lies on the surface; the block measures 0·82 m. in length, 0·80 in breadth and 0·23 in thickness, and is remarkable because the profile is continuous on the long side but only extends for 0·33 m. on the other. On one end there are traces of an attempt to work the profile, and on the top a series of rough toolings (dowel holes?) parallel to the breadth.

The sculptures here described and discussed have all been found at Geraki during the last few years, and owe their preservation to the energy of M. G. Papanikolaou the Demarch of Geronthrae, to whom is due the fact that they still are to be seen in the town where they were found. It is to be hoped that before long the Greek Ministry of Education will allow the formation of a small local museum to contain these and the many inscriptions and other monuments at present in Geraki.

Some experimental excavations were carried out at Geraki (the ancient Geronthrae) between May 26 and June 6 of 1905.

Geraki lies in the upland plain which includes practically the whole of east central Laconia extending from the left bank of the Eurotas to the foothills of Parnon: it is on the south and south-western slopes of one of these foothills—the ancient acropolis of Geronthrae, which we shall discuss later in detail—that the modern village is built.

In connection with the inscription from Geraki (No. 11) published above, and the parallel inscription from Mantinea, it seems worth while to discuss two obscure points. (1) The history ot Demetrius the Fair, the father of Antigonus Doson. (2) The worship of the earlier Diadochi.

This paper does not pretend to be the result of original research, but to be rather a compilation of the various identifications of bronze or marble portrait heads as kings of the great dynasties of the Hellenistic period, that different archaeologists have proposed from time to time. In the course of my study of the evolution of later Greek art, I proceeded from studying the series of coins of the Hellenistic dynasties to examine the portraits identified by means of the coins. I hoped by that method to obtain surer ground for the succession of styles in the period. But there is so much uncertainty and often complete contradiction as regards the identification of the portraits, that so far a study of the portraits has yielded little. Many of the heads identified as kings are not kings at all. In fact there exists too great a tendency to believe that every fine individual portrait must be that of a king or some other great man. Private portraits must have been even more plentiful than royal portraits, and as works of art would stand an equal chance of preservation.

Since remains, especially of an artistic nature, that can be definitely assigned to the Frankish period, are rare in Greece, the following monuments are of some interest.

The warrior relief (Fig. 1) is walled up in the house of Ioannes Sikiotes in the hamlet of Parori, at the foot of Taygetus about half an hour south of Mistra. It is of local bluish marble, and measures 85 × 53 m.; the height of the relief is 02 m. It shews a warrior en face, though his legs are represented in profile to the right; the hair does not seem to be indicated, nor is there any trace of a helmet; the eyes are roughly oval in shape and the pupils are indicated by dots; the ears are big, the nose is snub, and the mouth is rendered by a line that curves downwards at the corners; the neck is long, the body has no indication of detail except the nipples, the chest is narrow and the hips are rather wide; the legs and feet are very small.

In discussing the so-called Alexandrian Grotesques in a paper in this Annual last year I expressed the opinion that they should be assigned to Campanian art. I have, however, since then been enabled to study these grotesques more closely; and have in consequence been led to modify my former opinion very considerably. Though these grotesques were very popular in Italy during the late republican and the imperial periods, they were by no means peculiar to the west. They fall naturally into several classes, which, for convenience, are here given in tabular form.

§ 1.—This small statue of Apollo (Plate IV, a) now in the Museum at Alexandria, is worthy of remark not only from the excellence of the style, but also from the rare occurrence in sculpture of Apollo represented as seated on the Omphalos. In fact so far as I know there is no other statue in the round shewing Apollo so seated.

The provenance of this statue is not definitely known. It was bought in Alexandria in 1892, and may perhaps have been found somewhere in the neighbourhood of that city. Dr Botti in his catalogue of the Museum says:—‘Elle peut appartenir à l'époque hellénistique.’ In my opinion there is no doubt that it dates from the Hellenistic period.

It is of ordinary white marble, and in its present condition is about ·48 metre high. It has suffered considerable damage.