Hogarth, David G.; Smith, Cecil Harcourt [Contr.]: Excavations at Ephesus: the archaic Artemisia: Text (London, 1908)

i2o The Archaic Artemisia of Ephesus.

Inscribed Plate.1

The discovery of fragments of a thin silver plate, inscribed on both faces,
has been mentioned on p. 46. These lay at a level of —4*00 just outside
{i.e. east of) the intrusive D foundation, probably designed to support inner
columns, which returns parallel with the eastern face of the Basis (see pp. 68, 69),
and a little to south of its central point. So close did the fragments lie to
this foundation that it seemed likely that more fragments might be found
actually underneath the stones, and I had many of these removed subsequently ;
but in vain. Found as it was at a spot where disturbance of the Primitive
stratum by the D builders had certainly taken place, this plate cannot
safely be ascribed to the Primitive period. Possibly it slipped down when
the Croesus foundations were being laid : possibly at even a later moment.
In short, its age must be determined, if at all, on grounds other than its place
in the ddbris.

The fragments were found partly doubled up, split along the creases, and
in very bad condition. Almost all metallic quality has been lost from the
silver, and the surface is greatly corroded in many places. Expert cleaners
have not ventured to flatten out or rejoin the fragments ; but photographs were
taken with these as nearly as possible in their relative positions (Plate xiii.),
and the sounder parts were " squeezed " with foil. On tracings from these
squeezes the "facsimile" given below is based, the unsqueezed parts having
been copied by hand.

The fragments found make the greater part of a thin plate measuring
approximately ' 23 x "06, and there is reason to think that these were its full
dimensions when perfect, i.e. that only corners are missing. The upper and
lower margins are preserved along most of their length. So also is a
minute part of the left-hand margin (Face A. 1. 4 init). The only doubt
remaining concerns the right-hand margin, which shows no clean edge ; but
it seems probable that, where the plate projects farthest, only insignificant
chips have broken away, for lines 3 and 4 seem to read continuously,
boustrophcdon, without requiring any additional letters. If this be so, we
can tell with close approximation how many letters are lost at the beginning
and end of the less perfect lines. It will be observed that all the angles
of the plate are defective—a fact which suggests that it was originally fixed
by the corners, and has broken away. The further fact that the right-hand

1 This object, which is probably not of ijuite so early a date as other object-, in Silver, is dealt with here
because, even if it is to be referred to the inception of Temple /', it precede', that structure, and may be laid i,, fall :\\
the very end of period C (see later, p. 139 ff).