Two inscriptions commemorating the battle of Marathon and set up soon after 490 have come down to us. Both are epigrams and both have profited by recent discovery and research. The one, IG I2 763, has had its left-hand portion added by a fortunate find in the Agora, giving the beginnings of four hexameters: the other, IG I2 609, an inscribed column formerly carrying a statue, has now, as a result of recent study, been reunited with the dedication it once bore, a winged woman, a Nike, it is thought. The group is one of the more spectacular fruits of the long-sustained and still continuing attempt to reunite the scattered pieces of the ‘Perserschutt’. The reasons for dealing again with this latter dedication are new readings offered as a result of an examination of the inscription in the Epigraphical Museum in Athens.

Through the kindness of Dr. Charles Seltman I am enabled to publish an inscribed sherd in his possession, the singular character of which has not hitherto been noticed. Its history is obscure; it was bought, so Dr. Seltman informs me, from a dealer who said that it had been found on the North Slope of the Athenian Acropolis. This provenance may well be correct; the sherd is certainly Attic, and the dealer made no financial gain from his statement; nor, apparently, did he regard the inscriptions as more than a curiosity. The sherd measures 11·6 cm. at its greatest length, and is 4·8 cm. wide at 1. 22 of the inscription on the upper surface. It apparently forms part of the rim and body of a plate of the type known as a fish-plate, of which a considerable number exist, both Attic and South Italian, in a complete or fragmentary state, though they have not received much attention from scholars.

In this paper I propose, not to give the history of Lesbos, for which the curious may consult well-known books; nor to offer new geographical details, for which I am not qualified; but merely to recount my impressions of the island, its scenery, products, and people; to mention such remains of antiquity as can still be seen there; and, finally, a few interesting relics of ancient custom which the people to this day observe.

In shape, the island resembles the claw of a crab; the two ends of which enclose a wide gulf. The space enclosed would be contained by a triangle, whose S., N.E., and N.W. sides are about 45, 30, and 25 miles respectively. A backbone of rocks runs round the curve, broadening at the two points into wide stretches of hill country, and sinking into a low and fertile plain round the Gulf of Kalloni. The southern claw itself contains a smaller gulf, that of Hiera.

In the spring of 1915 I had the opportunity of examining the long Greek inscription at Petworth House, Sussex, first published in 1883 by U. Köhler (Ath. Mitt. viii. pp. 57 f.), from a squeeze and copy supplied by the late Dr. A. S. Murray (Fig. 1), and republished with corrections in I.G. ii. 5, 477 d. The right side of the inscription is so much worn (Pl. XIV.) that though the letters can be traced in a good light on the stone or on a photograph, they leave no impression on a squeeze; I was therefore able to make some important additions to the published text.

They may be summed up as follows:—

(1) The lines are incomplete on the right side.

(2) The stone contains lists of names from six tribes, not four, but a portion of the lines belonging to the third and the sixth tribe has been cut off.

(3) The second tribe is Akamantis and the list under that heading is now complete; the third is Hippothontis.

(4) A few words and letters have been added to the fragmentary Decree at the top of the stone (ll. 1–6).

(5) Köhler's restorations of the text of the second Decree (ll. 7–26) are almost all correct.

This deposit is one of a series of stratified groups from the recent excavations at Mycenae' which should form the basis for a closer definition of the pottery sequence there than has been possible before; it should also help with the identification of the sequence elsewhere, particularly in the Argolid.

It was found in a room in the ‘House with the Idols’ (Citade lHouse) constructed at or very near the beginning of the period defined as L.H. IIIB 1, and seems to be household rubbish which accumulated during a span of some years; subsequently it was covered by an inserted wall before the conflagration during the period L.H. IIIB 2 which destroyed so many of the buildings at Mycenae. The deposit consists of a small but distinctive quantity of painted wares, largely open shapes, and a large group of unpainted pottery including many whole profiles. Its date is clearly within L.H. IIIB 1, with ‘Zygouries’ type kylikes, ‘open style’ deep bowls, and only slight evidence for the presence of deep bowls with monochrome interiors and none for ‘rosette’ bowls, two of the main criteria for the subsequent period. In my opinion it represents, when viewed as a whole, a slightly later stage of development than the group published in BSA lxi by Mrs. French, there seem to be fewer of the elements surviving from earlier, and a rather more limited range of patterns. The various stages of deposition cover an unknown period of time, ending perhaps as late as the beginning of L.H. IIIB 2. Despite the small number of pieces it may be that this is a more typical selection of L.H. IIIB 1 pottery than the group previously published.

Surface discovery in Rhodes in the Mycenaean cemetery at Moschu Vounara of a (Cypriot) White Slip I bowl fragment (now lost) is described. A short general account is given of the distribution of Cypriot goods in Greek lands in the earlier part of the Late Bronze Age.

A small number of clay pipes for smoking tobacco (of the Eastern or tsimbouchi variety) were uncovered in the Knossos Medical Faculty excavations. These are first catalogued and discussed, and then compared with other published material from Greek lands within the Ottoman Empire. Because such study is still in its infancy, the conclusions are but slight: the KMF pieces, lying relatively early within the series (perhaps broadly the 18th century AD), display a considerable range of variation ‥ not all of which can be paralleled yet from elsewhere.

Square brackets denote conjectural restorations. S denotes the stone; B Professor Bosanquet, to whose copies and photographs of the inscription I owe all my knowledge of it.

In the summer of 1975 the owner of a small estate on the eastern slopes of Lower Gypsadhes decided to build a private road upslope to a belvedere overlooking the palace area. In the course of grading, several archaeological features were damaged before work was halted by the intervention of the Antiquities Guard. The Ephor of Antiquities at Herakleion then asked the British School to undertake rescue excavations in the area, and the Director of the School requested that I investigate the most important of the damaged constructions, an Iron Age chamber tomb.

About half-way along the course of the new road was a large area covered with the shattered remains of Geometric and Orientalizing vessels, but no sign of a tomb remained above ground. Preliminary excavation revealed the cause of this pattern.

Some experimental excavations were carried out at Geraki (the ancient Geronthrae) between May 26 and June 6 of 1905.

Geraki lies in the upland plain which includes practically the whole of east central Laconia extending from the left bank of the Eurotas to the foothills of Parnon: it is on the south and south-western slopes of one of these foothills—the ancient acropolis of Geronthrae, which we shall discuss later in detail—that the modern village is built.

I discuss four Linear A axe-head inscriptions. Two of them have not previously been published, one is discussed (though without a photograph) in AE 1953–4 (ii), 64 by N. K. Boufides, and one, though published by Evans in his first article on Cretan script before his excavations at Knossos (JHS xiv (1894), 280), is referred to neither in S.M. i nor by Carratelli. Its attribution to Linear A is probable but not certain.

In March 1905 I went to Skyros for a week, primarily to see and photograph the Carnival masquerade described in B.S.A. vi. p. 125, by Mr. Lawson. I was there for the last of the three Sundays of Carnival, and the following Monday, when, to the scandal of the Hegoumenos of St. George of Skyros, it being the first day of Lent, the festival is at its height. Although the village sounds with the clatter of the bells of these strange figures all through Carnival, on this last Sunday the masqueraders, of whom Mr. Lawson has given an account, appear in the greatest numbers. A full set consists of three young men, disguised, one as an Old Man (γέρος) one as a Maid (κορέλλα) and one as a Frank (Φράγκος). The Frank's attire differs, but his distinctive features are a sheep-bell tied on at the waist behind, and a conch-shell to blow. He either has a cloth tied over his face, or wears a modern pasteboard mask. The κορέλλα is a boy dressed as a girl, generally with a modern mask, in the festal attire of a Skyrian bride.

Since the earlier parts of this study were written, various interesting discoveries have been made, not only in Crete, but on the mainland of Greece, such as tend partly to clear up, partly to complicate the problem of Aegean Civilization.

Of the discoveries in Crete the most fruitful in new results are those of Mr. Richard B. Seager relating to the Early Minoan Period, firstly at Vasilikí on the mainland of the Gulf of Mirabello, and later on the islands of Psira and Mochlos off the same coast.

The Object of these notes is to draw attention to some ancient sites mostly within easy reach of Salonika which seem to have hitherto escaped the notice of travellers. It has been possible to make a few additions to the list of mounds published by Mr. Wace in 1915, and supplementary notes are added in a few cases-where further exploration has confirmed or modified his conclusions. A few of the mounds given in his list have been excavated with varying degrees of thoroughness, but it is to be feared that the results will not be published as a whole, and in many instances not at all.

Excavations at Akrotiri on Thera, where some house roofs remain intact, have shown that U-shaped terracotta drains, set projecting out beyond the outside walls, drained roof terraces. These terraces were often surrounded by built parapets.

What then of contemporary Neopalatial buildings on Crete, where construction and style are similar but much less is preserved? Evidence for the appearance and use of roofs and parapets there consists of drains that seem to have fallen, as now reported at various recently excavated sites (Kommos, Mochlos, Palaikastro); also staircases that probably led to the roof; and architectural depictions (a model, plaques).

An account is given of the adult life and career of Peter Megaw, from his first admission to the British School at Athens as Walston Student in 1931, to his Vice-Presidency of the School at the time of his death in 2006. His years (1935–60) as Director of the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus are described, and the great importance stressed of his work in preserving the island's architectural heritage of the Christian period. His Directorship of the British School at Athens is described. His publications are noted, including his (posthumous) Kourion: Excavations in the Episcopal Precinct.

The British excavations at Mycenae in 1953 were continued with a research grant from the American Philosophical Society assisted by contributions from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, the British Academy, Bollingen Foundation, and the British School at Athens, under whose aegis the excavations were conducted. The Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton has provided an ideal base for preparing the material for publication.

The excavations began on July 8th, and work ceased on August 24th. On August 25th the bulk of the finds was moved to the Nauplia Museum and stored in the room reserved for the finds from Mycenae. The finds from 1952 are already in this room. We improved its facilities this year by the erection of some wooden shelving. The days from August 26th to August 30th were spent at Nauplia in studying and arranging the finds and in photography. The carved ivories, the tablet and seal impressions have been taken to Athens, but the stone vases were taken to the Nauplia Museum with the pottery.

This paper presents the results of the second and main period of excavation. The limits of the site were defined: a monumental building with four covered slipways or shipsheds, flanking another major public building, quite possibly the agora. Preliminary conclusions based on the 2001 excavation of the northernmost shipshed (BSA 2003) can be supplemented and modified.

The surprising discovery was ramps of sand, resurfaced several times during the second half of the fifth century. Shipsheds 3–4 produced evidence of two architectural phases, with the back- and side-walls moved upslope, and the ramps now ending in an upswinging curve.

The existence of an early phase in the dockyard, already indicated in 2001, was confirmed. The later roof of Corinthian type, without decoration (second half of fifth century), was preceded by a roof of the late sixth–early fifth century BC, attested in particular by a remarkable series of antefixes, both Sileni and Gorgoneia, found in every shed, with some concentration in sheds 2 and 3, and with a number of other architectural terracottas (all described in the catalogue). The excavation context shows that this material comes from the same roof, indicating the very unusual combination of Silenus mask and Gorgon mask antefixes.

Other finds are more briefly discussed. Remains of red and blue pigment show that ships were painted in the shipsheds. Pottery finds provide considerable evidence of drinking; so do some graffiti, while others may be ostraka for a selection procedure (possibly ostracism). A scatter of arrow-heads and a few spear-heads have been found in the working levels of the ramps.

The case is put for shipsheds as monumental architecture, with some specifically Sicilian features. Comparative material for use of wooden posts and post-pits is discussed, and also the use of mudbrick.

A three-dimensional computer reconstruction of the shipshed complex is illustrated, and some particular aspects discussed (lighting and drainage of water from the roof). The reconstruction preferred has a separate stepped ridged roof over shipsheds 1–2 and 3–4.

Η παρούσα ανακοίνωση παρουσιάζει τα αποτελέσματα της δεύτερης και κύριας ανασκαφικής περιόδου. Τα όρια που καθορίστηκαν στον ανασκαφικό χώρο ήταν: ένα κτίριο μνημειακής αρχιτεκτονικής με τέσσερα στεγαζόμενα νεώρια ή νεωσοίκους, το οποίο βρισκεται πλευρικά σε ένα άλλο μεγάλο δημόσιο κτίριο, κατά πάσα πιθανότητα την αγορά. Τα αρχικά συμπεράσματα που βασίζονται στις ανασκαφές του 2001 στο βορειότερο νεώσοικο (BSA 2003) μπορούν να συμπληρωθούν και να τροποποιηθούν.

Η απροσδόκητη ανακάλυψη ήταν τα κεκλιμμένα επίπεδα (ράμπες) από άμμο, τα οποία επιστρώθηκαν ξανά αρκετές φορές κατά τη διάρκεια του δεύτερου μισού του 5ου αιώνα. Οι νεώσοικοι 3–4 παρείσχαν ενδείξεις δύο αρχιτεκτονικών φάσεων, με τους οπίσθιους και πλαϊνούς τοίχους μετακινημένους προς την πλαγιά του λόφου και τα κεκλιμμένα επίπεδα να καταλήγουν τώρα σε μία ανωφερική καμπύλη.

Η ύπαρξη μίας πρωιμότερης φάσης στο νεώριο, που είχε ήδη επισημανθεί το 2001, επιβεβαιώθηκε. Της ύστερης στέγης κορινθιακού τύπου χωρίς διακόσμηση (δεύτερο μισό του 5ου αιώνα) προηγήθηκε μία στέγη του ύστερου 6ου-πρώιμου 5ου αιώνα π.Χ., η οποία πιστοποιήθηκε ειδικότερα από μία εντυπωσιακή σειρά από ακροκέραμα, με μορφές Σειληνών και Гοργόνεια, τα οποία βρέθηκαν σε κάθε νεώσοικο, με μια ιδιαίτερη συγκέντρωση στους νεωσοίκους 2 και 3, όπως επίσης και από έναν αριθμό άλλων πήλινων αρχιτεκτονικών μελών (περιγράφονται στον κατάλογο). Το ανασκαφικό περιβάλλον (context) δείχνει ότι αυτό το υλικό προέρχεται από την ίδια στέγη, υποδεικνύοντας τον πολύ ασυνήθιστο συνδυασμό ακροκεράμων με προσωπίδες Σειληνών και Гοργόνεια.

Τα υπόλοιπα ευρήματα συζητώνται με μεγαλύτερη συντομία. Υπολείμματα ερυθράς και κυανής χρωστικής δείχνουν ότι η βαφή των πλοίων γινόταν στους νεωσοίκους. Ευρήματα κεραμεικής παρέχουν αξιόλογες ενδείξεις κατανάλωσης ποτού- το ίδιο υποδηλώνουν και ορισμένα ακκιδογραφήματα (graffiti), ενώ άλλα, είναι ίσως όσιρακα προς χρήσιν σε κάποια εκλογική διαδικασία (ενδεχομένως οστρακισμό). Ένας αριθμός διεσπαρμένων αιχμών βελών και λίγες αιχμές ακοντίων έχουν βρεθεί στους χώρους εργασίας των κεκλιμμένων επιπέδων.

Η θεωρία που διατυπώνεται αφορά στους νεωσοίκους ως μνημειακή αρχιτεκτονική με ορισμένα ιδιαίτερα σικελικά χαρακτηριστικά. Εξετάζεται και συγκριτικό υλικό για την χρήση ξύλινων πασσάλων και πασσαλο-οπών, όπως επίσης και η χρήση ωμοπλίνθων.

Απεικονίζεται, ακόμη, μία τρισδιάστατη ηλεκτρονική αναπαράσταση του συγκροτήματος των νεωσοίκων και εξετάζονται ορισμένα ιδιαίτερα χαρακτηριστικά (ο φωτισμός και η απορροή του νερού από τη στέγη). Η αναπαράσταση που προτιμήθηκε παρουσιάζει μία ξεχωριστή, βαθμιδωτή, δίρριχτη στέγη πάνω από τους νεωσοίκους 1–2 και 3–4.