column

Parts of two carved green marble half-columns which flanked the tomb at the Treasury of Atreus.

Sculpture A51 - The left column.
(a) Left lower shaft. There is a joint above and below. On the lower bed are two dowel holes, each made of four circular drilled holes. The distance apart of these holes is 0.20m, centre to centre, which is slightly less than between the holes on the base, but the general agreement of base and shaft bed is considerable. The top bed has a swallow-tail cramp-hole cut to a depth of 0.085m below the upper bed, and therefore 1.895m above the base. On the façade is a swallow-tail cramp-hole 1.895m above the base, which thus corresponds. There are also two dowel holes, as before, in the extant part of the top bed, but as the left side of this is broken away, it is probable that there were three originally, set symmetrically around the cramp-hole.
(b) Left upper shaft. The pattern is continuous with that of the lower shaft. The bottom bed is partly preserved and shows two dowel holes which would correspond with the lateral holes of the lower shaft. Between the holes is a small groove cut with the saw. The upper bed is broken away. There is no trace of a joint and no cramp-holes are shown in the façade, so the whole upper shaft was in a single piece; about 0.995m is therefore missing from the top of this fragment.
(c) The greater part of the left capital and abacus is at Athens and is represented by a cast.
(d) A cast of a small fragment of the capital at Karlsruhe, showing part of the lower member, part of an upper spiral and the edge of a chevron, is fitted in the front.
(e) A cast of a small fragment, in Berlin since 1862, is inserted to the right of this; it shows part of the lower member and the end of a chevron.

Sculpture A52 - The right column.
(a) Right lower shaft. The bottom bed has two dowel holes irregularly placed on the right half which closely correspond with the two holes in the Pedestal. The upper joint is missing, but there traces of the bottom of a swallow-tail cramp-hole, 0.044m short of the greatest length, or 1.822m above the bottom bed. As the depth of the corresponding cramp-hole in the left shaft is 0.085m, the total height of this shaft was about 1.907m. The bottom of the cramp-hole in the façade is 1.787m above the pedestal.
(b) Right upper shaft. The length of the lower shaft being calculated at 1.907m, the upper portion will be 3.793m. Of this the top for a length of 2.256m is now in the National Museum at Athens.
(c) A cast of a small fragment at Munich has been placed in the sawn portion of the front of the Athens fragment at the top ; its place at this altitude is certain, as it gives the top of the pattern and the sunk depression between pattern and cap.
(d) Between the two main lengths of shaft, a small original fragment has been inserted at its correct position in the pattern.
(e) The right capital. Less of this is preserved. The largest fragment, at Athens, shows the under member and the centre of a chevron.
(f) An original fragment is introduced into the lower side of this capital, fitting above the Munich fragment (c) in the shaft. It gives a part of the lower member with the bed below.