DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.808#0045
PART II
'THE RING OF .NESTOR': A GLIMPSE INTO THE MINOAN
AFTER-WORLD
' Nestor's Pylos ': The Beehive Tombs of Kakovatos
In pursuing his Homeric investigations on the western coast of the Morea,
Dr. Dorpfeld in 1907 made a series of archaeological discoveries which go far
to show that Nestor's Pylos was not, as Leake and others supposed, at the
Messenian site of that name on the Bay of Navarino, but, in accordance with
the view of Homeric students,—the 'Ofiripucanepoi, cited by Strabo,—within
the Triphylian borders.1
Here, in fact, on a bluff known as Kakovatos, rising about 60 m. above
the Kalydona brook and commanding what was known as the Pylian Plain that
stretches, with its lagunes and sandy shore, from the ancient site of Samikon
to Kyparissia, he found a prehistoric acropolis and the remains of three great
beehive tombs like those of Mycenae.2 His party came on a gang of peasants
actually engaged in removing blocks from the circular wall of the largest of
these for building material. This tholos had an interior diameter of 12-12-10 m.,
giving, by analogy with the Mycenae tombs, a more or less equal measurement,
or nearly 40 feet, for the original height of the vault. The destruction of other
ancient walls had also brought to light the lower part of the waning of the
two other similar tholoi. The tholos mentioned above (A) showed a sepul-
chral pit about 2 m. long and 0-70 m. broad, with two of its massive covering
slabs lying near, which in Dr. Dorpfeld's opinion had originally contained the
royal corpse. Both this and the floor of the chamber itself had been entirely
ransacked and what was left of the original contents was thrown about in the
utmost confusion.
Such relics as could be extracted and other scattered remains of a similar
character brought out of the deposit within the other two grave circles have
been described by Dr. Kurt Muller,3 and a series of magnificent amphoras,
put together by him and his coadjutors after arduous labours, is now in the
National Museum at Athens. These represent the purest work of Minoan
1 Strabo, viii. c. 3, 7. Mitth., xxxii. loc. cit., pp. xi.-xiv. His
2 Ath. MUth., xxxii. (1907). Supple- full Report is given, Ath. M-itth., xxxiv.
ment : Tiryns, Olyrrvpia, Pylos, p. vi. seqq. (1909), p. 269 seqq.
3 For his first summary account see Ath.
'THE RING OF .NESTOR': A GLIMPSE INTO THE MINOAN
AFTER-WORLD
' Nestor's Pylos ': The Beehive Tombs of Kakovatos
In pursuing his Homeric investigations on the western coast of the Morea,
Dr. Dorpfeld in 1907 made a series of archaeological discoveries which go far
to show that Nestor's Pylos was not, as Leake and others supposed, at the
Messenian site of that name on the Bay of Navarino, but, in accordance with
the view of Homeric students,—the 'Ofiripucanepoi, cited by Strabo,—within
the Triphylian borders.1
Here, in fact, on a bluff known as Kakovatos, rising about 60 m. above
the Kalydona brook and commanding what was known as the Pylian Plain that
stretches, with its lagunes and sandy shore, from the ancient site of Samikon
to Kyparissia, he found a prehistoric acropolis and the remains of three great
beehive tombs like those of Mycenae.2 His party came on a gang of peasants
actually engaged in removing blocks from the circular wall of the largest of
these for building material. This tholos had an interior diameter of 12-12-10 m.,
giving, by analogy with the Mycenae tombs, a more or less equal measurement,
or nearly 40 feet, for the original height of the vault. The destruction of other
ancient walls had also brought to light the lower part of the waning of the
two other similar tholoi. The tholos mentioned above (A) showed a sepul-
chral pit about 2 m. long and 0-70 m. broad, with two of its massive covering
slabs lying near, which in Dr. Dorpfeld's opinion had originally contained the
royal corpse. Both this and the floor of the chamber itself had been entirely
ransacked and what was left of the original contents was thrown about in the
utmost confusion.
Such relics as could be extracted and other scattered remains of a similar
character brought out of the deposit within the other two grave circles have
been described by Dr. Kurt Muller,3 and a series of magnificent amphoras,
put together by him and his coadjutors after arduous labours, is now in the
National Museum at Athens. These represent the purest work of Minoan
1 Strabo, viii. c. 3, 7. Mitth., xxxii. loc. cit., pp. xi.-xiv. His
2 Ath. MUth., xxxii. (1907). Supple- full Report is given, Ath. M-itth., xxxiv.
ment : Tiryns, Olyrrvpia, Pylos, p. vi. seqq. (1909), p. 269 seqq.
3 For his first summary account see Ath.