DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.15680#0021
INTRODUCTION.
The narrative of the School undertaking in Melos (in 1896) which led to
the excavation of Phylakopi has alveady appeared in the Annual of the British
School; all that it is necessary to recall here may he restated in a few words.
The discovery of the marble Poseidon, now in the National Museum at
Athens, had led us to believe that a systematic excavation of Klima (a V-shaped
patch of garden land hard by the sea, below the classical town) might be
fruitful in results of similar importance. It was, inorever, a condition imposed
by the Greek Government that that site should be selected for the first excava-
tion. In this, the 2)oint d'appvd of the Melian campaign, we were disappointed ;
the excavations we made seemed to prove that the site was unoccupied,
and perhaps even was covered by the sea, until the late Roman period.
We next proceeded up the hill to the site near the village of Trypete,
which was already well known as covering the remains of the classical town.
The whole of this ground is under cultivation, and lying as it does mostly on
the side of a terraced slope, offers in most parts only a meagre depth of soil to
the excavator's spade. Moreover, ever since the discovery of the famous
Aphrodite, this partof Melos has been the happy hunting ground for casual
excavators: a fact which we were soon able to verify. Our efforts thus were
necessarily limited ; the season was spent partly in searching for tombs,
partly in the opening up of a late house with a fine mosaic, and in the identi-
fication of certain topographical features, including the probable agora and
stadion.
Such time as could be spared from excavation was usually occupied,
especially by Mr. Bosanquet and Mr. Mackenzie, in exploring the rest of the
island and examining likely sites for excavation. Chief among these was a
site close to the village of Phylakopi on the north-east coast, which Ross
(Insclreiscn iii. 13) had heard of in 1843 but had not visited, and of which
Weil and Dummler in Ath. Mitth. 1876, p. 246, and 1886, p. 26 give an
account. Both Boss and DUmmler call the site 'arbv YLdirpov: but this is
apparently a misconception, the real name being 'arbv Kcnrvöv, because of
the white spray that blows over it when the wind is strong from the north.1
We have called it Phylakopi after the village which Stands not far away.2
Some antiquities which we had seen offered for sale in Athens were said to
come from this site, and seemed to promise interesting results from an
1 Edgar in B.S.A. v. p. 15. to 'arh Karpo as 'eine Viertelstunde weiter
2 Weil also called it *uAoK«ir^, but referred sülwaits.'
B
The narrative of the School undertaking in Melos (in 1896) which led to
the excavation of Phylakopi has alveady appeared in the Annual of the British
School; all that it is necessary to recall here may he restated in a few words.
The discovery of the marble Poseidon, now in the National Museum at
Athens, had led us to believe that a systematic excavation of Klima (a V-shaped
patch of garden land hard by the sea, below the classical town) might be
fruitful in results of similar importance. It was, inorever, a condition imposed
by the Greek Government that that site should be selected for the first excava-
tion. In this, the 2)oint d'appvd of the Melian campaign, we were disappointed ;
the excavations we made seemed to prove that the site was unoccupied,
and perhaps even was covered by the sea, until the late Roman period.
We next proceeded up the hill to the site near the village of Trypete,
which was already well known as covering the remains of the classical town.
The whole of this ground is under cultivation, and lying as it does mostly on
the side of a terraced slope, offers in most parts only a meagre depth of soil to
the excavator's spade. Moreover, ever since the discovery of the famous
Aphrodite, this partof Melos has been the happy hunting ground for casual
excavators: a fact which we were soon able to verify. Our efforts thus were
necessarily limited ; the season was spent partly in searching for tombs,
partly in the opening up of a late house with a fine mosaic, and in the identi-
fication of certain topographical features, including the probable agora and
stadion.
Such time as could be spared from excavation was usually occupied,
especially by Mr. Bosanquet and Mr. Mackenzie, in exploring the rest of the
island and examining likely sites for excavation. Chief among these was a
site close to the village of Phylakopi on the north-east coast, which Ross
(Insclreiscn iii. 13) had heard of in 1843 but had not visited, and of which
Weil and Dummler in Ath. Mitth. 1876, p. 246, and 1886, p. 26 give an
account. Both Boss and DUmmler call the site 'arbv YLdirpov: but this is
apparently a misconception, the real name being 'arbv Kcnrvöv, because of
the white spray that blows over it when the wind is strong from the north.1
We have called it Phylakopi after the village which Stands not far away.2
Some antiquities which we had seen offered for sale in Athens were said to
come from this site, and seemed to promise interesting results from an
1 Edgar in B.S.A. v. p. 15. to 'arh Karpo as 'eine Viertelstunde weiter
2 Weil also called it *uAoK«ir^, but referred sülwaits.'
B