Further discoveries of fortifications—Thegreat discovery of theTREASUREon the city wall—Expedient for its preservation—The articles of the Treasure described—The Shield—The Caldron—Bottle and Vases of Gold—The golden δέπας ἀμφικύπελλον—Modes of working the gold—A cup of electrum—Silver plates, probably thetalentsof Homer—Vessels of Silver—Copper lance-heads: their peculiar form—Copper battle-axes—Copper daggers—Metal articles fused together by the conflagration—A knife and a piece of a sword—Signs of the Treasure having been packed in a wooden chest—The Key found—The Treasure probably left behind in an effort to escape—Other articles found near the Treasure—The thousands of gold jewels found in a silver vase—The two golden Diadems—The ear-rings, bracelets, and finger-rings—The smaller jewels of gold—Analysis of the copper articles by M. Landerer—Discovery of another room in the Palace containing an inscribed stone, and curious terra-cottas—Silver dishes—Greek terra-cotta figures—Great abundance of the owl-faced vases.LIMITEDextent of Troy—Its walls traced—Poetic exaggerations of Homer—The one great point ofTroy’sreality established—It was as large as the primitive Athens and Mycenæ—The wealth and power of Troy—Great height of its houses—Probable population—Troy known to Homer only by tradition—Question of a Temple in Homer’s time—Characteristics of the Trojan stratum of remains, and their difference from those of the lowest stratum—The former opinion on this point recalled—Layer of metallicscoriæthrough the whole hill—Error of Strabo about the utter destruction of Troy—Part of the real Troy unfortunately destroyed in the earlier excavations; but many Trojan houses brought to light since—The stones of Troy not used in building other cities—The Trojan houses of sun-dried bricks, except the most important buildings, which are of stones and earth—Extent and results of the excavations—Advice to future explorers.Further excavations on the North side—Very curious terra-cotta vessels—Perforated vases—A terra-cotta with hieroglyphics—Heads of oxen and horses; their probable significance—Idols of the Ilian Athena—Greek and Roman medals—Greek inscriptions—Final close of the excavations: thanksgiving for freedom from serious accidents—Commendations of Nicolaus Saphyros Jannakis, and other assistants, and of the artist Polychronios Tempesis and the engineer Adolphe Laurent.
Further discoveries of fortifications—Thegreat discovery of theTREASUREon the city wall—Expedient for its preservation—The articles of the Treasure described—The Shield—The Caldron—Bottle and Vases of Gold—The golden δέπας ἀμφικύπελλον—Modes of working the gold—A cup of electrum—Silver plates, probably thetalentsof Homer—Vessels of Silver—Copper lance-heads: their peculiar form—Copper battle-axes—Copper daggers—Metal articles fused together by the conflagration—A knife and a piece of a sword—Signs of the Treasure having been packed in a wooden chest—The Key found—The Treasure probably left behind in an effort to escape—Other articles found near the Treasure—The thousands of gold jewels found in a silver vase—The two golden Diadems—The ear-rings, bracelets, and finger-rings—The smaller jewels of gold—Analysis of the copper articles by M. Landerer—Discovery of another room in the Palace containing an inscribed stone, and curious terra-cottas—Silver dishes—Greek terra-cotta figures—Great abundance of the owl-faced vases.
LIMITEDextent of Troy—Its walls traced—Poetic exaggerations of Homer—The one great point ofTroy’sreality established—It was as large as the primitive Athens and Mycenæ—The wealth and power of Troy—Great height of its houses—Probable population—Troy known to Homer only by tradition—Question of a Temple in Homer’s time—Characteristics of the Trojan stratum of remains, and their difference from those of the lowest stratum—The former opinion on this point recalled—Layer of metallicscoriæthrough the whole hill—Error of Strabo about the utter destruction of Troy—Part of the real Troy unfortunately destroyed in the earlier excavations; but many Trojan houses brought to light since—The stones of Troy not used in building other cities—The Trojan houses of sun-dried bricks, except the most important buildings, which are of stones and earth—Extent and results of the excavations—Advice to future explorers.
Further excavations on the North side—Very curious terra-cotta vessels—Perforated vases—A terra-cotta with hieroglyphics—Heads of oxen and horses; their probable significance—Idols of the Ilian Athena—Greek and Roman medals—Greek inscriptions—Final close of the excavations: thanksgiving for freedom from serious accidents—Commendations of Nicolaus Saphyros Jannakis, and other assistants, and of the artist Polychronios Tempesis and the engineer Adolphe Laurent.
Troy, June 17th, 1873.
SINCEmy report of the 10th of last month I have been especially anxious to hasten the great excavation on the north-west side of the hill, and for this purpose I have made a deep cutting on the west side also, in which, unfortunately, I came obliquely upon the enclosing wall of Lysimachus, which is 13 feet high and 10 feet thick. I was therefore compelled to break out from this wall a double quantity of stones in order to gain an entrance; but I again came upon the ruins of colossal buildings of the Hellenic and pre-Hellenic periods, so that this excavation can only proceed slowly. Here, at a distance of 69 feet from the declivity of the hill, at a depth of 20 feet, I met with an ancient enclosure 5 feet high, and with a projecting battlement. It is not connected with the wall which runs out from the Scæan Gate in a north-westerly direction, and, on account of its very different structure and small height, it must belong to a post-Trojan period. In any case, however, it is much older than the Greek colony, because it is built of stones and earth, and because I found by the side of it several marble idols of the tutelar goddess of Ilium. I am, unfortunately, obliged to break down a portion of this wall to a length of 17½ feet, in order to proceed further, but I have left standing nearly 8 feet of the part I have excavated, so that the wall may be examined. Behind it I found a level place paved partly with large flags of stone, partly with stones more or less hewn, and after this a wall of fortification 20 feet high and 5 feet thick, built of large stones and earth; it runs below my wooden house, but 6½ feet above the Trojan city wall which proceeds from the Scæan Gate.
In the new large excavation on the north-west side, which is connected with the one I have just been describing, I have convinced myself that the splendid wall of large hewn stones, which I uncovered in April 1870, belongs toa tower, the lower projecting part of which must have been built during the first period of the Greek colony, whereas its upper portion seems to belong to the time of Lysimachus. (SeePlate XIII.) To this tower also belongs the wall that I mentioned in my last report as 9 feet high and 6 feet broad, and as continuous with the surrounding wall of Lysimachus; and so does the wall of the same dimensions, situated 49 feet from it, which I have likewise broken through. Behind the latter, at a depth of from 26 to 30 feet, I uncovered the Trojan city wall which runs out from the Scæan Gate.
In excavating this wall further and directly by the side of the palace of King Priam,[275]I came upon a large copper article of the most remarkable form, which attracted my attention all the more as I thought I saw gold behind it. On the top of this copper article lay a stratum of red and calcined ruins, from 4¾ to 5¼ feet thick, as hard as stone, and above this again lay the above-mentioned wall of fortification (6 feet broad and 20 feet high) which was built of large stones and earth, and must have belonged to an early date after the destruction of Troy. In order to withdraw the Treasure from the greed of my workmen, and to save it for archæology, I had to be most expeditious, and although it was not yet time for breakfast, I immediately had “païdos” called. This is a word of uncertain derivation, which has passed over into Turkish, and is here employed in place of ἀνάπαυσις, or time for rest. While the men were eating and resting, I cut out the Treasure with a large knife, which it was impossible to do without the very greatest exertion and the most fearful risk of my life, for the great fortification-wall, beneath which I had to dig, threatened every moment to fall down upon me. But the sight of so many objects, every one of which is of inestimable value to archæology, made me foolhardy, and I never thought of any danger. It would, however, have been impossiblefor me to have removed the Treasure without the help of my dear wife, who stood by me ready to pack the things which I cut out in her shawl and to carry them away.[276]
The first thing I found was a large copper shield (the ἀσπὶς ὀμφαλόεσσα of Homer) in the form of an oval salver, in the middle of which is a knob or boss encircled by a small furrow (αὔλαξ). This shield is a little less than 20 inches in length; it is quite flat, and surrounded by a rim (ἄντυξ) 1½ inch high; the boss (ὀμφαλός) is 2-1/3 inches high and 4-1/3 inches in diameter; the furrow encircling it is 7 inches in diameter and 2/5 of an inch deep.[277]
PLATE XIV.
No. 235.—Great Copper Caldron (λέβης). No. 234.—A Copper Shield with a boss (ἀσπὶς ὀμφαλόεσσα). THE TREASURE OF PRIAM. Page 324.No. 235.—Great Copper Caldron (λέβης).No. 234.—A Copper Shield with a boss (ἀσπὶς ὀμφαλόεσσα).THE TREASURE OF PRIAM.Page 324.
PLATE XV.
No. 236.—Curious Plate of Copper (perhaps a Hasp of the Chest), with Discs fixed on one end, and a Silver Vase welded to the other by the conflagration. No. 237.—Bottle of pure Gold, weighing about 1 lb. Troy. No. 238. Cup of pure Gold, panelled, weighing 7½ oz. Troy. THE TREASURE OF PRIAM. Page 325.No. 236.—Curious Plate of Copper (perhaps a Hasp of the Chest), with Discs fixed on one end, and a Silver Vase welded to the other by the conflagration.No. 237.—Bottle of pure Gold, weighing about 1 lb. Troy.No. 238. Cup of pure Gold, panelled, weighing 7½ oz. Troy.THE TREASURE OF PRIAM.Page 325.
The second object which I got out was a copper caldron with two horizontal handles, which certainly gives us an idea of the Homeric λέβης; it is 16½ inches in diameter and 5½ inches high; the bottom is flat, and is nearly 8 inches in diameter.[278]
The third object was a copper plate 2/5 of an inch thick, 6-1/3 inches broad, and 17-1/3 inches long; it has a rim about 1/12 of an inch high; at one end of it there are two immovable wheels with an axle-tree. This plate is very much bent in two places, but I believe that these curvatures have been produced by the heat to which the article was exposed in the conflagration; a silver vase 4¾ inches high and broad has been fused to it; I suppose, however, that this also happened by accident in the heat of the fire.[279]The fourth article I brought out was a copper vase 5½ inches high and 4-1/3 inches in diameter. Thereupon followed a globular bottle of the purest gold, weighing 403 grammes (6220 grains, or above 1 lb. troy); it is nearly 6 inches high and 5½ inches in diameter, and has the commencement of a zigzag decoration on the neck, which, however, is not continued all round. Then came a cup, likewise of the purest gold, weighing 226 grammes (7¼ oz. troy); it is 3½ inches high and 3 inches broad.[280]
PLATE XVI.
No. 239.—Outside View of the Two-handled Gold Cup. No. 240.—Inside View of the Two-handled Gold Cup. REMARKABLE TWO-HANDLED CUP OF PURE GOLD (δέπας ἀμφικύπελλον). Weighing about 1 lb. 6 oz. Troy. THE TREASURE OF PRIAM. Page 326.No. 239.—Outside View of the Two-handled Gold Cup.No. 240.—Inside View of the Two-handled Gold Cup.REMARKABLE TWO-HANDLED CUP OF PURE GOLD (δέπας ἀμφικύπελλον).Weighing about 1 lb. 6 oz. Troy.THE TREASURE OF PRIAM.Page 326.
Next came another cup of the purest gold, weighing exactly 600 grammes (about 1 lb. 6 oz. troy);[281]it is 3½ inches high, 7¼ inches long, and 7-1/5 inches broad; it is in the form of a ship with two large handles; on one side there is a mouth, 1-1/5 inch broad, for drinking out of, and another at the other side, which is 2¾ inches broad, and, as my esteemed friend Professor Stephanos Kumanudes, of Athens, remarks, the person who presented the filled cup may have first drunk from the small mouth, as a mark of respect, to let the guest drink from the larger mouth.[282]This vessel has a foot which projects about 1/12 of an inch, and is 1-1/3 inch long, and 4/5 of an inch broad. It is assuredly the Homeric δέπας ἀμφικύπελλον. But I adhere to my supposition that all of those tall and brilliant red goblets of terra-cotta, in the form of champagne-glasses with two enormous handles, are also δέπα ἀμφικύπελλα, and that this form probably existed in gold also. I must further make an observation which is very important for the history of art, that the above-mentioned gold δέπας ἀμφικύπελλον is ofcast gold, andthat the large handles, which are not solid, have been fused on to it. On the other hand the gold bottle and the gold cup mentioned above have beenwrought with the hammer.
No. 241. Bronze Cup used in China for Libations and Drinking.No. 241. Bronze Cup used in China for Libations and Drinking.
The Treasure further contained a small cup of gold alloyed with 20 per cent. of silver, that is, the mixed metal calledelectrum.[283]It weighs 70 grammes (2¼ oz. troy), and is above 3 inches high, and above 2½ inches broad. Its foot is only 4/5 of an inch high and nearly an inch broad, and ismoreover not quite straight, so that the cup appears to be meant only to stand upon its mouth.
I also found in the Treasure six pieces of the purest silver in the form of large knife-blades, having one end rounded, and the other cut into the form of a crescent; they have all been wrought with the hammer.[284]The two larger blades are nearly 8½ inches long and 2 inches broad, and weigh respectively 190 and 183 grammes. The next two pieces are about 7¼ inches long and 1½ broad, and weigh respectively 174 and 173 grammes. The two other pieces are nearly 7 inches long and 1-1/5 inch broad, and weigh respectively 173 and 171 grammes.[285]It is extremely probable that these are the Homerictalents(τάλαντα), which could only have been small, as, for instance, when Achilles offers for the first prize a woman, for the second a horse, for the third a caldron, and for the fourth two gold talents.[286]
PLATE XVII.
No. 242.—Six Blades of Silver (Homeric Talents?). Nos. 243 & 244.—Two Silver Vases, with caps, and rings for suspending cords. No. 245.—A Silver Dish (φιάλη), with a boss in the centre. No. 246.—A Silver Cup, 3-1/3 in. high and nearly 4 in. wide. THE TREASURE OF PRIAM. Page 328.No. 242.—Six Blades of Silver (Homeric Talents?).Nos. 243 & 244.—Two Silver Vases, with caps, and rings for suspending cords.No. 245.—A Silver Dish (φιάλη), with a boss in the centre.No. 246.—A Silver Cup, 3-1/3 in. high and nearly 4 in. wide.THE TREASURE OF PRIAM.Page 328.
PLATE XVIII.
No. 247.—A small Silver Cover. No. 248.—A small Cup of Electrum, (i.e. 4 parts of Gold to 1 of Silver). No. 249.—Large Silver Jug, with handle, in which the small Ornaments were found. No. 250.—Has part of another Silver Vase welded to it by the fire. No. 251.—Silver Vase with a quantity of copper fixed to its bottom by the fire. VESSELS OF SILVER AND ELECTRUM. THE TREASURE OF PRIAM. Page 329.No. 247.—A small Silver Cover.No. 248.—A small Cup of Electrum, (i.e. 4 parts of Gold to 1 of Silver).No. 249.—Large Silver Jug, with handle, in which the small Ornaments were found.No. 250.—Has part of another Silver Vase welded to it by the fire.No. 251.—Silver Vase with a quantity of copper fixed to its bottom by the fire.VESSELS OF SILVER AND ELECTRUM.THE TREASURE OF PRIAM.Page 329.
I also found in the Treasure three great silver vases, the largest of which is above 8¼ inches high and nearly 8 inches in diameter, and has a handle 5½ inches in length and 3½ in breadth.[287]The second vase is 6·9 inches high and nearly 6 inches in diameter; another silver vase is welded to the upper part of it, of which, however, only portions have been preserved.[288]The third vase is above 7 inches high and above 6 inches in diameter; the foot of the vase has a great deal of copper fused onto it, which must have dripped from the copper objects contained in the Treasure during the conflagration.[289]All of the three vases are perfectly round below, and therefore cannot stand upright without resting against something.
I found, further, a silver goblet above 3-1/3 inches high, the mouth of which is nearly 4 inches in diameter; also a silver flat cup or dish (φιάλη) 5½ inches in diameter, and two beautiful small silver vases of most exquisite workmanship. The larger one, which has two rings on either side for hanging it up by strings, is nearly 8 inches high with its hat-shaped lid, and 3½ inches in diameter across the bulge. The smaller silver vase, with a ring on either side for suspension by a string, is about 6¾ inches high, with its lid, and above 3 inches broad.[290]
No. 252. No. 253. No. 254. No. 255. No. 256. Trojan Lance-Heads of Copper.—TR. No. 256. Copper Lance and Battle-Axe welded together by the Conflagration. The Pin-hole of the Lance is visible.—TR.No. 252. No. 253. No. 254. No. 255. No. 256.Trojan Lance-Heads of Copper.—TR.No. 256. Copper Lance and Battle-Axe welded together by the Conflagration. The Pin-hole of the Lance is visible.—TR.
No. 257. No. 258. No. 259. No. 260. Trojan Battle-Axes of Copper—TR. Nos. 258 and 260 have pieces of other weapons welded onto them by the fire.No. 257. No. 258. No. 259. No. 260.Trojan Battle-Axes of Copper—TR.Nos. 258 and 260 have pieces of other weapons welded onto them by the fire.
Upon and beside the gold and silver articles, I found thirteen copper lances, from nearly 7 to above 12½ inches in length, and from above 1½ to 2-1/3 inches broad at the broadest point; at the lower end of each is a hole, in which, in most cases, the nail or peg which fastened the lance to the wooden handle is still sticking. The pin-hole is clearly visible in a lance-head which the conflagrationhas welded to a battle-axe. The Trojan lances were therefore quite different from those of the Greeks and Romans, for the latter stuck the shaft into the lance-head, the former fastened the head into the shaft.
I also found fourteen of those copper weapons, which are frequently met with here, but which have never been discovered elsewhere; at one end they are pointed but blunt, and at the other they end in a broad edge. I formerly considered them to be a species of lance, but now after mature consideration I am convinced that they could have been used only as battle-axes. They are from above 6 to above 12 inches in length, from nearly ½ to above ¾ of an inch thick, and from above 1 to nearly 3 inches broad; the largest of them weighs 1365 grammes (about 3 lbs. avoirdupois). The following cut shows an axe more like those of later ages.
No. 261. Trojan battle-axe.—TR.No. 261. Trojan battle-axe.—TR.
There were also seven large double-edged copper daggers, with a handle from about 2 to 2¾ inches long, the end of which is bent round at a right angle. These handles must at one time have been encased in wood, for if the cases had been made of bone they would still have been wholly or partially preserved. The pointed handle was inserted into a piece of wood, so that the end projected about half an inch beyond it, and this end was simply bent round. (Seepage 332.) The largest of these daggers is 10-2/3 inches in length and above 2 inches broad at the broadest part; a second dagger, which is above 1¾ inch broad, has the point broken off, and is now less than 9 inches long, but appears to have been 11 inches; a third dagger is 8-2/3 inches long, and measures above 1¼ inch at the broadest point; a fourth has become completely curled up in the conflagration, but appears to have been above 11 inches long. Of the fifth, sixth, and seventh daggers I only discovered the fragments; these are from nearly 4 to 5-1/3 inches in length. But in a packet of fourlances and battle-axes, which have been welded together in the heat of the fire, I believe I can recognise another dagger.
Of common one-edged knives I only found one in the Treasure; it is above 6 inches in length. I also found a piece of a sword which is 8-2/3 inches long and nearly 2 inches broad: also a four-cornered copper bar ending in an edge; it is nearly 15 inches long, and also appears to have served as a weapon.
Nos. 262, 263, 264, 266, Trojan Two-edged Copper Daggers, with hooked Stems that have been fastened into Wooden Handles; No. 264 is doubled up by the Conflagration. No. 265, Weapons molten together. No. 267, a Copper Sword-Blade, with a sharp edge at the end. No. 268, a Four-sided Copper Bar, ending in a sharp edge.—TR.Nos. 262, 263, 264, 266, Trojan Two-edged Copper Daggers, with hooked Stems that have been fastened into Wooden Handles; No. 264 is doubled up by the Conflagration. No. 265, Weapons molten together. No. 267, a Copper Sword-Blade, with a sharp edge at the end. No. 268, a Four-sided Copper Bar, ending in a sharp edge.—TR.
As I found all these articles together, forming a rectangular mass, or packed into one another, it seems to be certain that they were placed on the city wall in a wooden chest (φωριαμός), such as those mentioned byHomer as being in the palace of King Priam.[291]This appears to be the more certain, as close by the side of these articles I found a copper key above 4 inches long, the head of which (about 2 inches long and broad) greatly resembles a large safe-key of a bank. Curiously enough this key has had a wooden handle; there can be no doubt of this from the fact that the end of the stalk of the key is bent round at a right angle, as in the case of the daggers.
No 269. Copper Key, supposed to have belonged to the Treasure-chest.—TR.No 269. Copper Key, supposed to have belonged to the Treasure-chest.—TR.
It is probable that some member of the family of King Priam hurriedly packed the Treasure into the chest and carried it off without having time to pull out the key; that when he reached the wall, however, the hand of an enemy or the fire overtook him, and he was obliged to abandon the chest, which was immediately covered to a height of from 5 to 6 feet with the red ashes and the stones of the adjoining royal palace.
Perhaps the articles found a few days previously in a room of the royal palace, close to the place where the Treasure was discovered, belonged to this unfortunate person. These articles were a helmet, and a silver vase7 inches high and 5½ inches broad, containing an elegant cup of electrum 4-1/3 inches high and 3½ inches broad. The helmet was broken in being taken out, but I can have it mended, as I have all the pieces of it. The two upper portions, composing the crest (φάλος), are uninjured. Beside the helmet, as before, I found a curved copper pin, nearly 6 inches in length, which must have been in some way attached to it, and have served some purpose. (Compare No. 192, p. 281.)
No. 270. No. 271. Cups of Electrum and Silver. Found in the Palace, near the Treasure, 270 inside 271.No. 270. No. 271.Cups of Electrum and Silver. Found in the Palace, near the Treasure, 270 inside 271.
Nos. 272-275. Pieces of Helmet-crests found in a Room of the Palace.Nos. 272-275. Pieces of Helmet-crests found in a Room of the Palace.
At 5 or 6 feet above the Treasure, the successors of the Trojans erected a fortification wall 20 feet high and 6 feet broad, composed of large hewn and unhewn stones and earth; this wall extends to within 3¼ feet of the surface of the hill.
PLATE XIX.
Nos. 276 and 277.—THE TWO GOLDEN DIADEMS (πλεκταὶ ἀναδέσμαι). THE TREASURE OF PRIAM. Page 335.Nos. 276 and 277.—THE TWO GOLDEN DIADEMS (πλεκταὶ ἀναδέσμαι).THE TREASURE OF PRIAM.Page 335.
That the Treasure was packed together at terrible risk of life, and in the greatest anxiety, is proved among other things also by the contents of the largest silver vase,at the bottom of which I found two splendid gold diadems (κρήδεμνα)[292]; a fillet, and four beautiful gold ear-rings of most exquisite workmanship: upon these lay 56 gold ear-rings of exceedingly curious form and 8750 small gold rings, perforated prisms and dice, gold buttons, and similar jewels, which obviously belonged to other ornaments; then followed six gold bracelets, and on the top of all the two small gold goblets.[293]
The one diadem consists of a gold fillet, 21-2/3 inches long and nearly ½ an inch broad, from which there hang on either side seven little chains to cover the temples, each of which has eleven square leaves with a groove; these chains are joined to one another by four little cross chains, at the end of which hangs a glittering golden idol of the tutelar goddess of Troy, nearly an inch long. The entire length of each of these chains, with the idols, amounts to 10¼ inches. Almost all these idols have something of the human form, but the owl’s head with the two large eyes cannot be mistaken; their breadth at the lower end is about 9/10 of an inch. Between these ornaments for the temples there are 47 littlependant chains adorned with square leaves; at the end of each little chain is an idol of the tutelary goddess of Ilium, about ¾ of an inch long; the length of these little chains with the idols is not quite 4 inches.
The other diadem is 20 inches long, and consists of a gold chain, from which are suspended on each side eight chains completely covered with small gold leaves, to hang down over the temples, and at the end of every one of the sixteen chains there hangs a golden idol 1¼ inch long, with the owl’s head of the Ilian tutelary goddess. Between these ornaments for the temples there are likewise 74 little chains, about 4 inches long, covered with gold leaves, to hang down over the forehead; at the end of these chains there hangs a double leaf about ¾ of an inch long.
The fillet ἄμπυξ is above 18 inches long and 2/5 of an inch broad, and has three perforations at each end. Eight quadruple rows of dots divide it into nine compartments, in each of which there are two large dots; and an uninterrupted row of dots adorns the whole edge. Of the four ear-rings only two are exactly alike. From the upper part, which is almost in the shape of a basket, and is ornamented with two rows of decorations in the form of beads, there hang six small chains on which are three little cylinders; attached to the end of the chains are small idols of the tutelar goddess of Troy. The length of each ear-ring is 3½ inches. The upper part of the other two ear-rings is larger and thicker, but likewise almost in the shape of a basket, from it are suspended five little chains entirely covered with small round leaves, on which are likewise fastened small but more imposing idols of the Ilian tutelar divinity; the length of one of these pendants is 3½ inches, that of the other a little over 3 inches.[294]
PLATE XX.
No. 278.—Selection from the small Golden Jewels found in the Silver Jug. No. 279.—Golden Fillet (ἄμπυξ), above 18 inches long. No. 280.—Four Golden Ear-rings, or Tassels (θύσανοι), each 3½ inches long. JEWELS OF GOLD. THE TREASURE OF PRIAM. Page 336.No. 278.—Selection from the small Golden Jewels found in the Silver Jug.No. 279.—Golden Fillet (ἄμπυξ), above 18 inches long.No. 280.—Four Golden Ear-rings, or Tassels (θύσανοι), each 3½ inches long.JEWELS OF GOLD.THE TREASURE OF PRIAM.Page 336.
Of the six gold bracelets, two are quite simple and closed, and are about 1/5 of an inch thick; a third is likewise closed, but consists of an ornamented band 1/25 of an inch thick, and ¼ of an inch broad. The other three are double, and the ends are turned round and furnished with a head. The princesses who wore these bracelets must have had unusually small hands, for they are so small that a girl of ten would have difficulty in putting them on.
No. 281. Six golden Bracelets welded together by the conflagration.—[TR.]No. 281. Six golden Bracelets welded together by the conflagration.—[TR.]
The 56 other gold ear-rings are of various sizes, and three of them appear to have also been used by the princesses of the royal family as finger-rings.[295]Not one of the ear-rings has any resemblance in form to the Hellenic, Roman, Egyptian, or Assyrian ear-rings; 20 of them end in four leaves, ten in three leaves, lying beside one another and soldered together, and they are thus extremely like those ear-rings of gold and electrum which I found last year at a depth of 9 and 13 meters (29½ and 42½ feet). Eighteen other ear-rings end in six leaves; at the commencement of these there are two small studs,in the centre two rows of five small studs each, and at the end three small studs. Two of the largest rings, which, owing to the thickness of the one end, certainly cannot have been used as ear-rings, and appear to have been finger-rings only, terminate in four leaves, and at the commencement of these there are two, in the middle three, and at the end again two small studs. Of the remaining ear-rings two have the form of three, and four the form of two, beautifully ornamented serpents lying beside one another.
No. 282. THE TREASURE OF PRIAM. 4610 SMALL JEWELS OF GOLD.No. 282. THE TREASURE OF PRIAM.4610 SMALL JEWELS OF GOLD.
Besides the ear-rings, a great number of other ornaments strung on threads, or fastened on leather, had been put into the same large silver vase; for above and below them, as already said, I found 8750 small objects;[296]such as gold rings, only 1/8 of an inch in diameter; perforated dice, either smooth or in the form of little indented stars, about 1/6 of an inch in diameter; gold perforated prisms 1/10 of an inch high and 1/8 of an inch broad, decorated longitudinally with eight or sixteen incisions; small leaves about 1/5 of an inch long, and 1/6 of an inch broad, and pierced longitudinally with a hole for threading them; small gold pegs 1/3 of an inch long, with a button on one side, and a perforated hole on the other; perforated prisms about 1/5 of an inch long and 1/10 of an inch broad; double or triple gold rings soldered together and only ¼ of an inch in diameter, with holes on both sides for threading them; gold buttons or studs 1/5 of an inch high, in the cavity of which is a ring above 1/10 of an inch broad for sewing them on; gold double buttons, exactly like our shirt studs, 3/10 of an inch long, which, however, are not soldered, but simply stuck together, for from the cavity of the one button there projects a tube(αὐλίσκος) nearly ¼ of an inch long, and from the other a pin (ἔμβολον) of the same length, and the pin is merely stuck into the tube to form the double stud. These double buttons or studs can only have been used, probably, as ornament upon leather articles, for instance upon the handle-straps (τελαμῶνες) of swords, shields, or knives. I found in the vase also two gold cylinders above 1/10 of an inch thick and ¾ of an inch long; also a small gold peg above 4/5 of an inch in length, and from 6/100 to 8/100 of an inch thick; it has at one end a perforated hole for hanging it up, and on the other side six encircling incisions, which give the article the appearance of a screw; it is only by means of a magnifying glass that it is found not to be really a screw. I also found in the same vase two pieces of gold, one of which is 1/7 of an inch, the other above 2 inches, long; each of them has 21 perforations.[297]
The person who endeavoured to save the Treasure had fortunately the presence of mind to stand the silver vase, containing the valuable articles described above, upright in the chest, so that not so much as a bead could fall out, and everything has been preserved uninjured.
My esteemed friend M. Landerer, of Athens, a chemist well known through his discoveries and writings, who has most carefully examined all the copper articles of the Treasure, and analysed the fragments, finds that all of them consist of pure copper without any admixture of tin or zinc,[298]and that, in order to make them more durable, they have been wrought with the hammer (σφυρήλατον).
As I hoped to find other treasures here, and also wished to bring to light the wall that surrounded Troy, the erection of which Homer[299]ascribes to Poseidon andApollo, as far as the Scæan Gate, I have entirely cut away the upper wall, which rested partly upon the gate, to an extent of 56 feet. Visitors to the Troad can, however, still see part of it in the north-western earth-wall opposite the Scæan Gate. I have also broken down the enormous block of earth which separated my western and north-western cutting from the Great Tower; but in order to do this, I had to pull down the larger one of my wooden houses, and I had also to bridge over the Scæan Gate, so as to facilitate the removal of thedébris. The result of this new excavation is very important to archæology; for I have been able to uncover several walls, and also a room of the Royal Palace, 20 feet in length and breadth, upon which no buildings of a later period rest.
No. 283. Terra-cotta Vessel in the shape of a Cask. From the Palace (8 M.).No. 283. Terra-cotta Vessel in the shape of a Cask. From the Palace (8 M.).
Of the objects discovered there I have only to mention an excellently engraved inscription found upon a square piece of red slate, which has two holes not bored through it and an encircling incision, but neither can my learned friend Émile Burnouf nor can I tell in what language the inscription is written.[300]Further, there were some interesting terra-cottas, among which is a vessel, quite the form of a modern cask, and with a tube in the centre for pouringin and drawing off the liquid. There were also found upon the wall of Troy, 1¾ feet below the place where the Treasure was discovered, three silver dishes (φιάλαι), two of which were broken to pieces in digging down thedébris; they can, however, be repaired, as I have all the pieces.[301]These dishes seem to have belonged to the Treasure, and the fact of the latter having otherwise escaped our pickaxes is due to the above-mentioned large copper vessels which projected, so that I could cut everything out of the harddébrisby means of a knife.
No. 284. Large Silver Vase found in the House of Priam (8 M.).No. 284. Large Silver Vase found in the House of Priam (8 M.).
I now perceive that the cutting which I made in April 1870 was exactly at the proper point, and that if I had only continued it, I should in a few weeks have uncovered the most remarkable buildings in Troy, namely, the Palace of King Priam, the Scæan Gate, the Great Surrounding Wall, and the Great Tower of Ilium; whereas, in consequence of abandoning this cutting, I had to make colossal excavations from east to west and from north to south through the entire hill in order to find those most interesting buildings.
In the upper strata of the north-western and western excavations we came upon another great quantity of heads of beautiful terra-cotta figures of the best Hellenic period, and at a depth of 23 feet upon some idols, as well as the upper portion of a vase with the owl’s face and a lid in the form of a helmet. Lids of this kind, upon the edge of which female hair is indicated by incisions, are frequently found in all the strata between 4 and 10 meters (13 and 33 feet) deep, and as they belong to vases with owls’ faces, the number of lids gives us an idea of the number of the vases with the figure of the owl-headed Athena, which existed here in Troy.
But Troy was not large. I have altogether made twenty borings down to the rock, on the west, south-west, south, south-east and east of the Pergamus, directly at its foot or at some distance from it, on the plateau of the Ilium of the Greek colony. As I find in these borings no trace either of fragments of Trojan pottery or of Trojan house-walls, and nothing but fragments of Hellenic pottery and Hellenic house-walls, and as, moreover, the hill of the Pergamus has a very steep slope towards the north, the north-east, and the north-west, facing the Hellespont, and is also very steep towards the Plain, the city could not possibly have extended in any one of these directions. I now most emphatically declare that the city of Priam cannot have extended on any one sidebeyond the primeval plateau of this fortress, the circumference of which is indicated to the south and south-west by the Great Tower and the Scæan Gate, and to the north-west, north-east and east by the surrounding wall of Troy. The city was so strongly fortified by nature on the north side, that the wall there consisted only of those large blocks of stone, loosely piled one upon another in the form of a wall, which last year gave me such immense trouble to remove. This wall can be recognized at once, immediately to the right in the northern entrance of my large cutting, which runs through the entire hill.
I am extremely disappointed at being obliged to give so small a plan of Troy; nay, I had wished to be able to make it a thousand times larger, but I value truth above everything, and I rejoice that my three years’ excavations have laid open the Homeric Troy, even though on a diminished scale, and that I have proved the Iliad to be based upon real facts.
Homer is an epic poet, and not an historian: so it is quite natural that he should have exaggerated everything with poetic licence. Moreover, the events which he describes are so marvellous, that many scholars have long doubted the very existence of Troy, and have considered the city to be a mere invention of the poet’s fancy. I venture to hope that the civilized world will not only not be disappointed that the city of Priam has shown itself to be scarcely a twentieth part as large as was to be expected from the statements of the Iliad, but that, on the contrary, it will accept with delight and enthusiasm the certainty that Ilium did really exist, that a large portion of it has now been brought to light, and that Homer, even although he exaggerates, nevertheless sings of events that actually happened. Besides, it ought to be remembered that the area of Troy, now reduced to this small hill, is still as large as, or even larger than, the royal city of Athens, which was confined to the Acropolis,and did not extend beyond it, till the time when Theseus added the twelve villages, and the city was consequently named in the plural Ἀθῆναι. It is very likely that the same happened to the town of Mycenæ (Μυκῆναι), which Homer describes as being rich in gold, and which is also spoken of in the singular,εὐρυάγυια Μυκήνη.[302]
But this little Troy was immensely rich for the circumstances of those times, since I find here a treasure of gold and silver articles, such as is now scarcely to be found in an emperor’s palace; and as the town was wealthy, so was it also powerful, and ruled over a large territory.
The houses of Troy were all very high and had several storeys, as is obvious from the thickness of the walls and the colossal heaps ofdébris. But even if we assume the houses to have been of three storeys, and standing close by the side of one another, the town can nevertheless not have contained more than 5000 inhabitants, and cannot have mustered more than 500 soldiers; but it could always raise a considerable army from among its subjects, and as it was rich and powerful, it could obtain mercenaries from all quarters.
As I do not find in my shafts (that is, beyond the hill itself) a trace of earthenware belonging to the successors of the Trojans up to the time of the Greek colony, it may with certainty be assumed that Troy had increased in size at Homer’s time only to the small amount of what was added through the heaps of rubbish caused by the destruction of the city. Homer canneverhave seen Ilium’s Great Tower, the surrounding wall of Poseidon and Apollo, the Scæan Gate or the Palace of King Priam, for all these monuments lay buried deep in heaps of rubbish, and he made no excavations to bring them to light. He knew of these monuments of immortal fame only from hearsay, for the tragic fate of ancient Troy wasthen still in fresh remembrance, and had already been for centuries in the mouth of all minstrels.[303]
Homer rarely mentions temples, and, although he speaks of the temple of Athena, yet, considering the smallness of the city, it is very doubtful whether it actually existed. It is probable that the tutelar goddess at that time possessed only the sacrificial altar which I discovered, and the crescent form of which greatly resembles the upper portion of the ivory idol found in the lowest strata,[304]as well as the one end of the six talents contained among the Treasure.
The position, size, and depth of all my shafts will be found most accurately specified on my plan of the Ilium of the Greek colony;[305]I therefore refrain from repeating these statements here, so as not to weary the reader. I also add an accurate plan of my excavations,[306]a plan of the Scæan Gate and of the Great Tower of Ilium,[307]and lastly, a plan of the city of Troy at the time of the great destruction (Plan IV.).
Plan IV.—Plan of Troy at the Epoch of Priam, according to Dr. Schliemann’s Excavations.Plan IV.—Plan of Troy at the Epoch of Priam, according to Dr. Schliemann’s Excavations.
The Scæan Gate gives us the age of the royal edifice in front of which it stands, and of the vessels of pottery which are found in that house. This earthenware is indeed better than what is generally found here at a depth of from 7 to 10 meters (23 to 33 feet), but it is exactly similar; and consequently all the strata ofdébrisfrom these depthsbelong to the Trojan people. These strata are composed of red, yellow, and occasionally black wood-ashes, and every stone found there bears the marks of the fearful heat to which it has been exposed. In these strata we never meet with those brilliant black plates and dishes, with a long horizontal ring on either side, found at the depth of from 13 to 16 meters (42½ to 52½ feet), nor do we meet with the vases with two long tubes on either side. Besides the vessels in the lowest strata are entirely different in quality and in form from those found at a depth of from 23 to 33 feet, so that they certainly cannot have belonged to the same people. But they belong, at all events, to a kindred Aryan nation, as these too possessed in common with the Trojans the whorls ornamented with Aryan religious symbols, and also idols of the Ilian Athena. I formerly believed that the most ancient people who inhabited this site were the Trojans, because I fancied that among their ruins I had found the δέπας ἀμφικύπελλον, but I nowperceive that Priam’s people were the succeeding nation, because in their ruins I have discovered the actual δέπας ἀμφικύπελλον, made of gold and also of terra-cotta, and likewise the Scæan Gate.
Several geologists, who have visited me here, maintain that the stratum of scoriæ, which runs through the greater part of the hill, at an average depth of 9 meters (29½ feet), has been formed by melted lead and copper ore, quantities of which must have existed here at the time of the destruction of Troy; and this opinion is also shared by the engineer, Adolphe Laurent, who has returned to help me with my last works, and to make some new plans.
Strabo says,[308]“No trace of the ancient city (Troy) has been preserved. This is very natural; for, as all the towns round about were desolated, yet not completely destroyed, while Troy was razed to the ground, so all the stones were carried off to renovate the others. Thus, at least, Archæanax of Mitylene is said to have built a wall round Sigeum with the stones.” These statements of Strabo are, however, completely erroneous, and the tradition of antiquity, that Troy was razed to the ground, can only be explained by its having been buried deep beneath colossal masses of wood-ashes and stone, which were built over by a new town; the latter being again destroyed, and again surmounted by buildings which had a similar fate; till at last the mass ofdébrislying upon Troy reached a height of from 6 to 8 meters (20 to 26 feet), and upon this was established the Acropolis of the Ilium of the Greek colony.
In consequence of my former mistaken idea, that Troy was to be found on the primary soil or close above it, I unfortunately, in 1871 and 1872, destroyed a large portion of the city, for I at that time broke down all the house-walls in the higher strata which obstructed my way. This year, however, as soon as I had come by clear proofs to thefirm conviction that Troy was not to be found upon the primary soil, but at a depth of from 23 to 33 feet, I ceased to break down any house-wall in these strata, so that in my excavations of this year a number of Trojan houses have been brought to light. They will still stand for centuries, and visitors to the Troad may convince themselves that the stones of the Trojan buildings canneverhave been used for building other towns, for the greater part of them are stillin situ. Moreover, they are small, and millions of such stones are to be found upon all the fields of this district.
Valuable stones, such as those large flags which cover the road leading from the Scæan Gate to the Plain, as well as the stones of the enclosing wall and of the Great Tower, have been left untouched, and not a single stone of the Scæan Gate is wanting. Nay, with the exception of the houses which I myself destroyed, it would be quite possible to uncover the “carcasses” of all the houses, as in the case of Pompeii. The houses, as I have already said, must have been very high, and a great deal of wood must have been used in their construction, for otherwise the conflagration could not have produced such an enormous quantity of ashes and rubbish.
In my excavations of 1871 and 1872, at a depth of from 7 to 10 meters (23 to 33 feet), I found only house-walls composed of sun-dried bricks; and, as anyone may convince himself by examining the houses which I have uncovered, this style of building was almost exclusively met with during that year. It is only the buildings by the side of the Scæan Gate, and a few houses in the depths of the Temple of Athena, that are made of stones and earth.
No. 285. Splendid Terra-cotta Vase from the Palace of Priam. This is the largest vase of the type frequent in the ruins, with two small handles and two great upright wings. The cover was found near it.No. 285. Splendid Terra-cotta Vase from the Palace of Priam. This is the largest vase of the type frequent in the ruins, with two small handles and two great upright wings. The cover was found near it.
As may be seen from my plan of the site of Troy, I have excavated two-thirds of the entire city; and, as I have brought to light the Great Tower, the Scæan Gate, the city wall of Troy, the royal palace, the sacrificial altar of the Ilian Athena, and so forth, I have uncoveredthe grandest buildings, and, in fact, the best part of the city. I have also made an exceedingly copious collection of all the articles of the domestic life and the religion of the Trojans; and therefore it is not to be expected that science would gain anything more by further excavations. If, however, my excavations should at any time be continued, I urgently entreat those who do so to throw thedébrisof their diggings from the declivity of the hill, andnotto fill up the colossal cuttings which I have made with such infinite trouble and at such great expense, for they are of great value to archæology, inasmuch as in these cuttings all the strata ofdébris, from the primary soil up to the surface of the hill, can be examined with little trouble.
On the north side of the hill, I have now also uncovered several house-walls at a depth of 13 meters (42½ feet), and also the beginning of that remarkable wall of fortification already mentioned, the continuation of which may be seen in the labyrinth of house-walls in the depths of the Temple of Athena. On the north side, above the primary soil, I have also brought to light a portion of the pavement already mentioned, composed of small, round white sea-pebbles, below which are the calcined ruins of a building which formerly stood there.
No. 286. Curious double-necked Jug (8 M.).No. 286. Curious double-necked Jug (8 M.).No. 287. Terra-cotta Vessel consisting of three Goblets rising out of a tube on three feet (4 M.).—[6 M. in Atlas.]
No. 288. Terra-cotta Vessel in the form of a Pig, with legs too short to stand it on (7 M.).No. 288. Terra-cotta Vessel in the form of a Pig, with legs too short to stand it on (7 M.).No. 289. A round Terra-cotta, stamped with Hieroglyphics (1½ M.).
Among some very remarkable terra-cottas discovered since my last report, I must mention two jugs found on the north side, at a depth of from 23 to 26 feet, each of which has two upright necks standing side by side, but their handles are united. One of them has also beside the mouths two small elevations, which may probably indicate eyes. Of a third jug of this kind, I only found the upper portion. I must also mention an exceedingly curious cup, discovered at a depth of 4 meters (13 feet), which consists of a tube resting upon three feet and ending in one large andtwo small goblets; the larger goblet is connected with the opposite side of the tube by a handle. At the same depth I met with a large vase, from which projects a separate small vase; it is ornamented with incisions, and has three feet and two very pretty handles and rings for hanging it up. I found likewise, at the depth of 13 feet, a vase with two female breasts, two large handles and engravings resembling letters. Among other extremely curious terra-cottas, I must also mention three pots with three rows of perforations; they have the usual handle on one side and three feet on the other; also three large vases with perforations right round, on all sides from the bottom to the top; their use is a riddle to me; can they have served as bee-hives?[309]Also a vessel in the form of a pig with four feet, which are, however, shorter than the belly, so that the vessel cannot stand upon them; the neck of the vessel, which is attached to the back of the pig, is connected with the hinder part by a handle. I further found a pot in the form of a basket with a handle crossing the mouth, and with a tube in the bulge for drawing off the liquid. Also two terra-cotta funnels, at a depth of 10 feet, with a letter, which I have repeatedly met with on some of the terra-cottas of which I have given drawings,and which therefore will probably be deciphered. At a depth of 5 feet I found one of those round twice-perforated terra-cottas with a stamp, in which there are Egyptian hieroglyphics; also a dozen of the same articles in the stamps of which are a crowned head, a bird, a dog’s head, a flying man or an eagle and a stag. At a depth of 16½ feet, I found the handle of a cup with the beautifully modelled head of a bull, which probably represents the βοῶπις πότνια Ἥρη:[310]however, this cannot be proved, for up to that time I had never found an idol with the head of an ox. Neither can I prove that the terra-cottas here frequently met with, in the form of horses’ heads, represent the mother of Hera, Cybele or Rhea; but it is very likely, for, as is well known, in Phrygia she was represented with a horse’s head. Terra-cotta idols of the Ilian Athena are rarely met with; but we daily find marble idols of this goddess, most of which have almost a human form. We also frequently come upon oblong flat pieces of rough marble, upon which the owl’s face of the goddess is more or less deeply engraved. It is often so finely scratched that the aid of a magnifying glass is required to convince one that it actually exists; we found several such pieces of marble where the owl’s head was painted in a black colour. Since I have come to the conclusion that they are idols of the tutelary divinity of Troy, I have carefully collectedthem; but in 1871 and 1872 seven-eighths of all the marble idols must have escaped my notice, for at that time I had no idea of their significance.
No. 290. Fragment of a Terra-cotta Vessel, in the shape of a Horse’s Head (4 M.).No. 290. Fragment of a Terra-cotta Vessel, in the shape of a Horse’s Head (4 M.).
In excavating the ground upon which my wooden house had stood, we found, at a depth of from 9 to 19 inches, eighteen copper and two silver medals; one of the latter is of Marcus Aurelius. The other is a tetradrachm of the island of Tenedos; on the obverse, to the right, is the head of Jupiter, to the left that of Juno, both having one neck in common, like the heads of Janus. The head of Jupiter is crowned with laurels, that of Juno has a wreath or crown. Upon the reverse of the coin there is a laurel wreath round the edge, and in the centre a large double axe, above which stands the word ΤΕΝΕΔΙΩΝ: below and to the right of the handle of the double axe there is a winged Eros, who is holding up an object which it is difficult to distinguish; to the left is a bunch of grapes and a monogram, which looks like the letter Α.
Of the copper coins, five are of Alexandria Troas, two of Ophrynium, one of Tenedos, two of Abydos, and one of Dardania. Two have on one side the bust of Julia Domna, with the inscription ΟΥΛΙΑ ΣΕΒΑΣΤΗ; one of these has on the reverse the full-length figure of this empress with the inscription ΙΛΙΕΩΝ, and the other has the figure of Hector with the inscription ΙΛΙΕΩΝ ϶ΚΤΩΡ. The other medals belong to an earlier period of Ilium, and have on the one side the bust of Athena, and on the other the inscription ΙΛΙΕΩΝ.
In April of this year, when I uncovered the road paved with large flags of stone, which leads from the Scæan Gate to the Plain, the stones looked as new as if they had just been hewn. But since then, under the influence of the burning sun, the flags of the upper portion of the road, which have specially suffered from the conflagration that destroyed the city, are rapidly crumbling away, and will probably have quite disappeared in a few years. However,the flags of stone on the north-western half of the road which have been less exposed to the heat, may still last many centuries.
The following inscriptions were found at a depth of from 19 inches to 3½ feet below my wooden house.