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frieze made with a cylinder seal. A long strip of probably quite soft and wet clay was placed around the pithos, after which the seal was rolled over it, causing excess clay to ooze out on the sides of the band rather unevenly. The height of the seal (representation) was 1.9 cm. It appears that the representation consisted of one long and two short units (to be described below) giving a circumference of 7.6 cm. and a diameter of approximately 2.4 cm.
The representation consists of three creatures with long pointed snouts (or beaks?) and long mammalian bodies which flow into each other. Directly below each head on the lower part of their bodies is a kind of double curve back of the head and back of each animal is a row of dots. The snouts are which may be intended to represent feet or paws or fins. Rising from furnished with four wavy lines which may represent wrinkles. Rising from the center of the back of each animal is a forward thrusting curve; along the back of the head and back of each animal is a row of dots. The relief is quite bold and deep, and the modelling vigorous.
Maximum dimensions of the fragment are 15.1 cm. and 9 cm. with a thickness of 2 cm. The height of the added band is .3 cm. It was found in the topsoil of the southeast part of Area B.
I have purposely retained a note of ambiguity in the description of the animals because it does not seem possible to decide once for all whether the artist had in mind the representation of an amphibian mammal or of a quadruped with bird's head, that is a griffin. If it is the former, then the pointed wrinkled snouts and the faint suggestion of rudimentary paws might be the first known representation of the φώκαι of Proteus, or some such thing.
The secondary crest arising out of the middle of their backs would be an actual wave, the dots along their necks and backs would represent foam or bubbles tossed back by the wind. If it is the latter, then we have before us rather fearsome bird beaks and the forepaws of a lion's body. It is true that
65 figures hard to readstruck struck outadded written in above” jug ditto, and what it repeatsword reading not certain