Between Mesopotamia and Hellas there stretch some thousand miles of desert and hill country hard to traverse; between Egypt and the nearest, the southernmost, point of the Peloponnesus lies five hundred miles of open sea difficult to navigate. Assyria and Egypt seem to lie utterly aloof. If the fancy of the Greek artist was indeed stimulated by the art-treasures of Egypt and Chaldaso-Assyria, if he learnt anything of the realism of the one, the symbolism and decorative skill of the other, the technical dexterity of both, Where was the point of contact? by land or sea? By land the route from Assyria is tedious and difficult, still, as we shall see, possible; only the sea is left for Egypt, and Egypt never loved the sea. The sandy shallows of the Delta were enough to dishearten her timid sailors; what enterprise by sea she attempted was in the sheltered waters of the Arabian Gulf. With a curiosity that is well-nigh incredulity we ask again, Where and how was the point of contact?

Perhaps we may find an answer in the picture that lies before us (Fig. 4). The design is taken from a silver gilt bowl, adorned by concentric, embossed friezes. The decoration is so complicated and the details for us of such vital importance, that we must consider it bit by bit. First let us look at the centre medallion. A figure with four wings seizes with his left hand a lion, and, with his right, stabs him. We seem to be back again in Assyria, the familiar demon with his four symbolical, mechanical wings is pourtrayed, and in the equally familiar animal-taming (Thierbändigung) scheme.