Transcriber’s Note:
Minor errors in punctuation and formatting have been silentlycorrected. Please see the transcriber’s note at the end of thistext for details regarding the handling of any textual issuesencountered during its preparation. The end note also discusses thehandling of the many Greek inscriptions.
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HISTORY OF ANCIENT POTTERY
KYLIX BY DURIS.
THE LABOURS OF THESEUS.
(British Museum).
PREFACE
In 1857 Dr. Samuel Birch issued his well-known work onancient pottery, at that time almost the first attempt atdealing with the whole subject in a comprehensive manner.Sixteen years later, in 1873, he brought out a second edition,in some respects condensed, in others enlarged and broughtup to date. But it is curious to reflect that the succeedingsixteen years should not only have doubled or even trebledthe material available for a study of this subject, but shouldeven have revolutionised that study. The year 1889 also sawthe completion of the excavations of the Acropolis at Athens,which did much to settle the question of the chronology ofAttic vases. Yet another sixteen years, and if the increasein actual bulk of material is relatively not so great, yet theadvance in the study of pottery, especially that of theprimitive periods, has been astounding; and while in 1857,and even in 1873, it was impossible to do much more thancollect and co-ordinate material, in 1905 Greek ceramicshave become one of the most advanced and firmly basedbranches of classical archaeology.
It therefore implies no slur on the reputation of SamuelBirch’s work that it has become out of date. Up till nowit has remained the only comprehensive treatise,