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248

CORINTH

a parapet at the rear single slender Ionic columns between barian captive like those found on Eoman triumphal two antae supporting an entablature. The chambers were arches, is practically entire; and another, its counterreally reservoirs. The water flowed along their backs, part, is preserved down to the thighs. These figures poured into them, and then out into a large basin in are not quite like Caryatids and Atlantes, which bear the open air, enclosed by a large quadrangle with apses the entablature on their heads. They seem rather to on three sides and the facade of the fountain on the prop up the Corinthian capitals, which rest upon pilasters other. The whole quadrangle w7as faced with marble. that form a part of their backs. Two of these stood During the Byzantine period a pretentious but very rough at each end of a re-entrant curve of the entablature. Two addition was made to this facade by setting five marble female heads of like proportions belonged to figures with columns about four feet in front of the older fagade, the same architectural functions, bearing straight lines with heavy architrave blocks running from them back of entablature, and were placed probably to the right into the facade, which was roughly cut into for the and left of the first pair. The building to which they purpose, the object probably being to form a sort of belonged was probably a porch which abutted upon the balcony. The columns, the Corinthian capitals, and the propylaea on the west, and had a facade like the Septibases are all of varying sizes, and, like the architrave zonium at Rome on a small scale. The foundations of blocks, were surely taken from earlier buildings. the porch were of a core of opus incertum. To the west of the temple of Apollo r w as a cube of rock protruding some 10 feet from the ground. This, on being excavated, proved to be the fountain Glance, an impressive structure entirely cut out of native rock, consisting of four chambers, with a porch of three pillars between two antae, approached by a flight of five steps. This falls in line, as it should, between the temple of Apollo and the theatre. To the north of the propylaea and Pirene, the brick ruins in the middle of the village were explored, and appeared to be the baths of Eurycles, w7hich should lie here on the street to Lechaeum. Some other monuments were identified with more or less probability. But enough has been located with absolute certainty to allow us to speak of a topography of Corinth, not as based on mere conjecture, but on facts; and for the first time a map of the central portion of the ancient city can be drawm. This is perhaps the greatest result of the excavations, but much more has been accomplished. Vases and fragments of vases have been found, of all periods except the Mycenaean, a gap which will presumably be filled later. On the north side of the hillock on which stands the village schoolhouse there were found several rock-cut vertical shafts, which led into lateral passages used for burial. These contained unpainted vases in considerable quantity, of most varied forms, some of them with incised ornamentation, PLAN OF COPvINTH SHOWING SITES OF EXCAVATIONS. corresponding closely to the prehistoric pottery of Thera and Hissarlik. A deep digging near In 1900 was found an ancient Greek fountain in the foot of the staircase leading to the propylaea yielded the agora, 25 feet below the present surface of the soil. fifteen vases with geometric decoration. In a well about It -is approached through an opening in an enclosure 30 feet below the surface of the road leading westward made of metopes and triglyphs, with the painted patterns out of the village square wTas found a large celebe of on them almost as fresh as if they had been painted a old Corinthian style in forty-six fragments, with pieces year ago. Through the opening a flight of seven steps of several similar vases. A good many so-called Proto- leads down to a quadrangular room, in the west wall of which are two bronze lion’s heads, through the open Corinthian vases may be added to the list. 7 The statuary yielded by the excavations is mostly of mouths of which w ater was once discharged. The whole Roman times. A head of Dionysus crowned with a adjustment and its greater depth than the Roman surwreath of ivy, and a round base with a relief of dancing roundings prove its great antiquity. It is the only case Maenads, surpass in value the many headless statues which of an intact Greek fountain, and so of the highest interest have been constantly turning up. But the most important in itself, and perhaps still more interesting as an earnest sculptures of this period are a group of colossal statues of ancient things still to be discovered when the requisite supporting an entablature, a great part of which has been level is reached. Among the inscriptions, which are mostly of Roman found. One of these figures, apparently a young bar-