DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.47231#0011
PREFACE. vii
purpose, they appear, as will be seen, rather meagre in the absence of any
explanatory text. I have, however, thought it better to print them just as
they stand, and to supplement them by notes whicn are readily distinguished
from them. These supplementary notes are not to be regarded as making
any claim to be a commentary or discussion on the topographical questions
raised. A few of them correct what appear to be oversights or errors of
detail, or mention subsequent discoveries which would doubtless have led Dr.
Middleton to modify or supplement his statements. But the greater part of
them consists of extracts or inferences from Dr. Middleton’s own note-books,
such as he probably intended to embody in the text of the book. The
selection of these has not been easy ; perhaps more might have been included
with advantage. But, from the nature of the material, it has been very
difficult to reproduce without an amount of inference and interpretation
which would have made Dr. Middleton’s own views hard to distinguish from
those of his editor; and, as has already been said, the object of the present
publication is to put his observations upon record, not to base any indepen-
dent work upon them.
The difficulty of an adequate publication of the contents of the note-books
makes it all the more desirable that some arrangement should be made by
which they may become accessible to students of architecture or of Athenian
topography. I am glad to be able to announce that, by the kindness of
Mrs. Middleton, and of the present Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum
at Cambridge, such an arrangement has now been made. These note-books
of Dr. Middleton's will now be deposited in the Library of the Fitzwilliam
Museum of which he was formerly Director ; and thus students in future will
be able to gather from them some reflection of the invaluable teaching which
their more fortunate predecessors owed to Dr. Middleton’s lectures and
advice.
Before concluding this preface, I wish to point out once more, what in itself
is obvious, that the most important part of the editing has been the revision
of the plans and drawings by Mr. T. D.. Atkinson, who gave a considerable
amount of time to this work both before and after his service as architect to
the excavations of the British School in Melos. The Society is to be
congratulated on having secured Mr. Atkinson’s help for this revision, for he
was a pupil of Dr. Middleton’s, and had actually assisted in the drawing of
some of the plans intended for the book on Athens. At an earlier stage, I
have also to acknowledge the help of Mr. H. M. Fletcher, another pupil of
Dr. Middleton’s, in the selection and cataloguing of the contents of the
note-books.
The thanks of the Society are above all due to Dr. Middleton’s executors,
and especially to Mrs. Middleton, for the offer of this valuable material for
purpose, they appear, as will be seen, rather meagre in the absence of any
explanatory text. I have, however, thought it better to print them just as
they stand, and to supplement them by notes whicn are readily distinguished
from them. These supplementary notes are not to be regarded as making
any claim to be a commentary or discussion on the topographical questions
raised. A few of them correct what appear to be oversights or errors of
detail, or mention subsequent discoveries which would doubtless have led Dr.
Middleton to modify or supplement his statements. But the greater part of
them consists of extracts or inferences from Dr. Middleton’s own note-books,
such as he probably intended to embody in the text of the book. The
selection of these has not been easy ; perhaps more might have been included
with advantage. But, from the nature of the material, it has been very
difficult to reproduce without an amount of inference and interpretation
which would have made Dr. Middleton’s own views hard to distinguish from
those of his editor; and, as has already been said, the object of the present
publication is to put his observations upon record, not to base any indepen-
dent work upon them.
The difficulty of an adequate publication of the contents of the note-books
makes it all the more desirable that some arrangement should be made by
which they may become accessible to students of architecture or of Athenian
topography. I am glad to be able to announce that, by the kindness of
Mrs. Middleton, and of the present Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum
at Cambridge, such an arrangement has now been made. These note-books
of Dr. Middleton's will now be deposited in the Library of the Fitzwilliam
Museum of which he was formerly Director ; and thus students in future will
be able to gather from them some reflection of the invaluable teaching which
their more fortunate predecessors owed to Dr. Middleton’s lectures and
advice.
Before concluding this preface, I wish to point out once more, what in itself
is obvious, that the most important part of the editing has been the revision
of the plans and drawings by Mr. T. D.. Atkinson, who gave a considerable
amount of time to this work both before and after his service as architect to
the excavations of the British School in Melos. The Society is to be
congratulated on having secured Mr. Atkinson’s help for this revision, for he
was a pupil of Dr. Middleton’s, and had actually assisted in the drawing of
some of the plans intended for the book on Athens. At an earlier stage, I
have also to acknowledge the help of Mr. H. M. Fletcher, another pupil of
Dr. Middleton’s, in the selection and cataloguing of the contents of the
note-books.
The thanks of the Society are above all due to Dr. Middleton’s executors,
and especially to Mrs. Middleton, for the offer of this valuable material for