Evans, Arthur J.: The Palace of Minos: a comparative account of the successive stages of the early Cretan civilization as illustred by the discoveries at Knossos (Band 3): The great transitional age in the northern and eastern sections of the Palace (London, 1930)

ence.

BUTTERFLIES AND CHRYSALISES 149

these, moreover, is emphasized by the appearance above them of two small Butter-
objects showing traces of heads at tip and with hook-like projections at the cw^_
side, in which we may reasonably recognize the two corresponding chrysa- llses
Uses. A reproduction of these, enlarged 10 diameters, is given in Fig. 96. cal of
Professor Poulton, indeed, the eminent entomologist, when consulted on the
matter, not only expressed the opinion that we have here beyond all doubt to
deal with chrysalises, but that the ' tags' visible at the side answered to that
of the 'commonest of all pupae—the Common White'1. The conclusion
that the objects thus shown are indeed chrysalises is strikingly confirmed
by the parallel representation that it has now been possible to adduce
from a much enlarged reproduction of a Vapheio signet where a chrysalis
—facing in this case with both eyes visible—appears in a similar manner
above the right shoulder of the Goddess (see Fig. 97 and Fig. 91, p. 140,
above). It will be seen that the shield-shaped thorax corresponds with that
of the more naturalistic gold chrysalis (Fig. 102) from a chamber tomb at
Mycenae.2

The butterflies are of the typical Minoan kind as seen in profile with
the head, thorax, and abdomen clearly defined, and the abdomen as usual
curving downwards and of somewhat disproportionate length. They re-
semble, for instance, one of a purely naturalistic group on a haematite
lentoid in my possession, found near Knossos (Fig. 98). On a clay sealing

entomologist, Dr. S. Bengtsson (while admit- there is absolutely no warrant for the remark

ting that' the insects certainly resemble butter- (pp. cit., p. 552) that the artist 'has depicted

flies'), to express the opinion that ' the inter- one of them in such a way that it certainly

mediate part, resembling a small orb visible cannot be a butterfly'. No real distinction

between the head and the back part of its can be established between the pair, and

body', seen in the case of the insect to the Professor Poulton could only express his

right, shows ' that it cannot be a butterfly, but astonishment at the character of the above

must be a hymenopter' (Martin Nilsson, The self-contradictory criticisms.

Minoan-Mycenaean Religion,&c.,-p.5$2). But a ■ See, too, Poulton, Proc. Ent. Soc. Lond.,

butterfly has a thorax as much as a hymenopter. 1924, Ixxix seqq. Professor D'Arcy Thomp-

The chrysalises he regarded as 'a kind of shell' son in his remarks on the passages where

on account of the tags explained by Professor Aristotle (Hist. An., v. 19) describes the

Poulton and the concentric circles visible on whole development of a butterfly from a

the bodies. This theory entirely dissociates caterpillar, shows that he had in mind the

the two pairs of objects, which on the ring are Common White or 'Cabbage' butterfly (The

placed in an obvious relation. The conjunction Works of Aristotle, vol. iv, p. 55 r, a). The

of a butterfly with a chrysalis is natural; but cabbage (/5a<£avos or Kpi.jt.fit]) is mentioned

what connexion has a wasp, let us say, with by Aristotle (loc. cit.) as the food-plant of the

a periwinkle? The insects themselves show caterpillar.

detailed correspondences with other Minoan 2 See Ring of Ntstcr, &-c, p. 55, Fig. 47.
versions of butterflies (cf. Figs. 98, 99), and