As three years have elapsed since the appearance of the last report under this heading, from the pen of Mr. A. J. B. Wace, it is only to be expected that a large amount of material should have accumulated in the interval. The present report attempts to mention all the discoveries, of other than trifling importance, made during 1922 and 1923, together with summaries of such excavations carried out in 1924 as were completed, and of which particulars were available, before the end of August in that year. Naturally it has not been possible to dwell fully on all these undertakings and finds, and where a full report has already been published, I have contented myself with only brief mention of, or at times a mere reference to, the contents. Even so, the author is probably not alone in feeling that this report is unpardonably long. To facilitate reference, the order of arrangement employed in the last report has been retained.

American School

In 1922 Dr. C. W. Blegen continued his excavations of the prehistoric mound at Zygouries near Cleonae, and his discovery of a large store of complete or at least unused vessels of L.H. III. date, and of an adjacent potter's oven, is an important contribution to our knowledge of the domestic wares of this period, as well as an indication of local origin. The other remains of houses were less interesting, but further evidence was obtained with regard to the cemeteries, belonging to almost all periods of the occupation of the site. In 1924, two other sites in the same region, but both of the Classical epoch, were partly explored: at Nemea, where the work will, it is hoped, continue for at least one more season, being financed by supporters of the American School in Cincinnati, a promising start has been made.

This article offers a new, ironic reading of the false narrative of Orestes’ chariot accident in Sophocles’ Electra (680–763). It argues that the speech exploits an established connection between the ancestral evils of the Atreids and the thematic nexus of horses, chariot racing and disaster to evoke Orestes’ flight from the Erinyes following the matricide. Focusing on the language and structure of the narrative as well as drawing on other versions of the story (notably the surviving plays by Aeschylus and Euripides), the article demonstrates, in contrast to previous readings, that the speech is much more than an over-elaborate means to an end. Instead, in an ominous and profoundly ironic twist, the Paedagogus’ fictional narrative of the chariot race offers a possible vision of the trials awaiting the real Orestes. The matricide and murder, far from ending the ancestral woes of the Atreids, may well bring about Orestes’ pursuit by the Erinyes.

This paper investigates how Gregory of Nazianzus imitates and responds to the Greek literary tradition in the autobiographical poem ‘On his own affairs’ (2.1.1). Through six case studies, it contributes to the ongoing re-evaluation of Gregory’s literary merit. With learning, wit, subtle humour and faith, Gregory adapts and reinvents earlier poetry to express Christian themes. Imitation is at the heart of his poetic technique, but his imitations are never straight-forward. They include imitating both Homer and other poets’ imitations of Homer, learned word-play and combining references to non-Christian literature and the Septuagint. Gregory’s references add nuance to ‘On his own affairs’ and give pleasure to readers trained to judge poetry by comparing it to earlier poetry, especially the Homeric epics. They also demonstrate the breadth of his scholarship, which extends to Homeric variants, Platonic epigrams and the entirety of the New Testament and Septuagint. Above all, Gregory insists that he is a rightful participant in a living poetic tradition. He writes Greek poetry for the fourth century AD, just as Oppian did in the second century and Apollonius and Callimachus did in the Hellenistic period.

The comic poet Pherecrates does not appear to have been active after the mid 410s. I suggest that he is to be identified with an epigraphically-attested war-casualty from a few years later.

This article is a discussion and analysis of Aeschylus Agamemnon 104–05, with special reference to the epic models operating behind the typically Homeric enjambement ἀνδρῶν / ἐκτελέων. The ἄνδρες should be understood as the Argive heroes of the expedition against Troy, and not as the sons of Atreus, Agamemnon and Menelaus. This interpretation is supported by a number of examples taken from Archaic and Hellenistic epic poems.