DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.1021#0439
384
THE MYCENAEAN AGE
closed at the farther end by a wall 3 feet thick. The sides of the dromos
are hewn in the rock, like those of the chamber-tombs, resembling in this
respect the poorest and most roughly-built " beehives " of Mycenae. The
elliptical form is probably employed to simplify the roofing problem.
The entrance is at one end of the longer diameter of the ellipse. This
tomb had already been plundered, and nothing was found in it save
" broken pottery of the Mycenaean period." The other elliptical tomb
is very small and much injured, and is chiefly noteworthy from the fact
that the dromos enters it in line with the shorter axis of the ellipse, not
however at the middle of the longer, side but slightly to the right. This,
again, may be due to negligence or want of skill on the builders' part-
Fig. W2. Beehive Tomb at Thorieus
The third tomb, discovered by Staes himself, is of the usual circular
form, and built of small unhewn stones in substantially the same fashion
as the tomb at Menidi. It has, however, several peculiar features. In
the first place, the two sides of the dromos are of unequal length, the one
9 yards long, the other some half a yard shorter. Again, the axis of the
dromos is not in line with that of the doorway, but forms an obtuse angle
with it. Finally, the axis of the entrance does not coincide with a dia-
meter of the dome, but if prolonged would run to one side of the centre.
All these irregularities again seem to betray the architect's lack of skill.
The dromos has its sides faced with stone, and is closed at the outer
end by a wall nearly 7 feet high. The entrance is in no way remarkable,
save that over the lintel of three large slabs there seems to have been no
THE MYCENAEAN AGE
closed at the farther end by a wall 3 feet thick. The sides of the dromos
are hewn in the rock, like those of the chamber-tombs, resembling in this
respect the poorest and most roughly-built " beehives " of Mycenae. The
elliptical form is probably employed to simplify the roofing problem.
The entrance is at one end of the longer diameter of the ellipse. This
tomb had already been plundered, and nothing was found in it save
" broken pottery of the Mycenaean period." The other elliptical tomb
is very small and much injured, and is chiefly noteworthy from the fact
that the dromos enters it in line with the shorter axis of the ellipse, not
however at the middle of the longer, side but slightly to the right. This,
again, may be due to negligence or want of skill on the builders' part-
Fig. W2. Beehive Tomb at Thorieus
The third tomb, discovered by Staes himself, is of the usual circular
form, and built of small unhewn stones in substantially the same fashion
as the tomb at Menidi. It has, however, several peculiar features. In
the first place, the two sides of the dromos are of unequal length, the one
9 yards long, the other some half a yard shorter. Again, the axis of the
dromos is not in line with that of the doorway, but forms an obtuse angle
with it. Finally, the axis of the entrance does not coincide with a dia-
meter of the dome, but if prolonged would run to one side of the centre.
All these irregularities again seem to betray the architect's lack of skill.
The dromos has its sides faced with stone, and is closed at the outer
end by a wall nearly 7 feet high. The entrance is in no way remarkable,
save that over the lintel of three large slabs there seems to have been no