Evans, Arthur: An illustrative selection of Greek and Greco-Roman gems: to which is added a Minoan and proto-Hellenic series ; acquired, through over 60 years of travel and research in Crete, Mainland Greece, the East Adriatic Coastlands, Sicily, and Magna Graecia (Oxford, 1938)

A numerous series of the gems in the present collec-
tion have been the result of repeated visits to Greece
with Athens as a centre, covering a space of some fiftv
years. These investigations were of particular service
in enabling me to put together a series of seal-stones
(here incorporated) illustrating the Early Geometrical
types. These have been here prefaced by a parallel
series from Crete, the historic place of which during
that period has not been hitherto sufficiently recog-
nized (Nos. 14-17).

These Geometrical pieces were succeeded by the
well-known Melian Class, extending to the Pelopon-
nese and Crete itself, characterized by the revival,
mostly in a green translucent 'soapstone', of the
Alinoan lentoid and amygdaloid seals after an interval
of some five centuries (Nos. 26-36). Several outstand-
ing examples of this Class are here represented, such as
the forepart of a galley in green translucent steatite
from Epidauros Limera (Old Monemvasia), No. 35,
and the winged horse and winged Capricorn on the
two faces of No. 37.

But of the greatest interest is the lentoid (No. 38)
from Peraia, near Corinth, depicting the Telamonian
Ajax falling on his sword as on a proto-Corinthian
bronze matrix from Corcyra and accompanied by the
inscription Hahivas (= Ahivas or Ajax), in archaic
letters. This is the earliest known inscription on a
Greek gem.

My explorations from 1894 onwards in Crete, fol-
lowed by the long period of excavations at Knossos,
offered ample opportunities for the collection of
Minoan seal-stones, especially during the early days
of these travels when I found bead-seals of this class
constantly worn as 'milk stones'. These are now prin-
cipally in course of transference by me to the Ash-

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