Worcester daily spy., 1872-05-10
MoItIse as an ArchaoIogi.t.

Marshal Won BIoltke, during his military
mission in Turkey, found tin<t to pay visit 10
the supposed site of Troy, and he describes this
visit in his recently published book:
81 directed my footsteps Che says) towards a
spot TO which are attached the oldest of his
torical souvenirs, but where time has probably
blotted out all traces of mans handiwork, to-
wards lion. Strange TO say, one still has point
ed out 10 one, with great appearances of proba-
bility, the theatre of events which were related
centuries ago by blind poet, and which occur
red centuries again before his day Nature has
remained the same Here are the two streams
where the women of Troy washed their Shining
robes there the Simois descends from Mount
Ida and confounds its turbulent waters with the
calm flood of the Scamander The waves still
roar around Cape Sigeum and the island of
lmbros. The white peak Mount Ida, from
whence Jupiter contemplated the doings of gods
and of men, is visible from every point in the
plain, and Posseidon who made the earth TO
tremble,' could not indeed have found more
splendid seat than the loftiest point of verdant
| SamoIhrace, from the height of which he wit
messed the strife and its issue In the 1lad' it
| is necessary to make distinction between the
| truth of the events which occurred and that of
the poem itself. That all the princes of whom
| Homer speaks combatted beneath the walls of
Pergamos may be as doubtful as the genealogy
| OF his demi-gOdS; but one thing is certain
| Homer made his story fit in with the locality
| which he must have known most thoroughly.
"The site of the city is determined by the fact
that the Scamander's source was just beneath it,
and that the waters of the Simois washed its
| walls When it is necessary 10 fix it more eX-
actly, the opinions of the sayantS vary consid-
erably; |, who am not an authority in science,
was merely guided by military instinct towards
| the spot which one would choose for the erection
of an impregnable fort. If, after leaving the
| Turkish fortress of Rumkalih, at the southern
| issue of the Dardanelles, you sail up the Simois
for three hours, you will find that the plain leads
to a chain of hills, at the foot of which is stu
| ated the village of Bunarbaschi. 1t received its
| present name from the source OF the Scamander
| which here springs from out OF the chalkstone.
Let us now ascend the slight decline, and we
shall reach the spot where most travellers place
Troy Further on-about thousand yards off
there is deep gorge, and further beyond a
still higher plateau about five hundred feet long,
which is undoubtedly the position OF Pergama.
A small mound is held to be the tomb of Hector.
; And now, starting for this supposed tomb, take
eight hundred steps forward in the same direc-
hon towards the mass of stones which is per
] haps the fallen tower OF the SCean gate whence
| Priam watched the combatants, and whence the
son of Andromache started back in terror before
the plumed helmet of his sire, you then see be
b fore you a piece of ground about five hundred
feet each way, and behind you some height
which served for the ctida of Priam, with it
SIX hundred apartments. These heights arr
bounded on three sides by inaccessible cliffs; til
: fourth side is practicable, and it is there tina
must have been situate the Scaan gate-tht
only one, indeed, that is mentioned as existing
Thence the view embraces the source of tn
Scamander and the plains where the battle
took place. the windings of the Simois, tn
tombs of Achilles and of Ajax, the pc
sition occupied by the feet near tn
sandy shore, Mount Ida and the verdan
Samothrace. Nor is this all; along these height
| discovered foundations Of walls cutting eacl
| Of npIa nd hufl pf ctO pf npi
GUS kinds without cement. | will not 'gut
that these are the walls of the houses OF Troy
but it is well known that temples have beel
raised and towns christened in memory of tina
city. 1t may be that some such monument ha
sprung from the ruins OF ancient Troy, and tha
they have furnished the numerous capitals an,
l sculptured columns which cover the whole Gem
etery of the wretched village of BunarbaSch
, | Among the most remarkable objects in this yer
interesting country are the tombs; that c
; Achilles is especially easy of recognition by tn
description given of it in Homer. 1t was 'upol
point of the HelespOnt coast, so that it nigh
be seen from atar upon the sea by all men whit
lived at that epoch and in the ages yet to come.
Between the tomb of Achilles and Cape RhoPtiun
rises another, which is said 10 be that of Ajax
This elevated mound has also been opened
Part of it has slipped away, and leaves exposed
| to view a large square chamber with solid walls,
| and about ten feet in length. In one corner of
this is vault about four feet high, along which
oue eau creep upon ono nduuS ana Ieet lot
about twelve feet; the cement of this masonry
work is mixed with greenish sort of gravel
| it is very hard and appears very ancient. But
| it shows that the vault does not reach back to
the time Of Homer, for at that period the dead
were laid in the depths of a grave that was
afterwards covered over with enormous stones
one upon the other 1t is very probable that in
later days some sovereign may have desired to
attach his memory to the imperishable name Of
Troy, and have had his grave dug in the verita.
BILE tumulus of the son Of lebanon. But he has
had no Homer TO confer on him the baptism oi
immortality; the remembrance of him has
passed away, and curiosity has found in thi!
venerable monument nothing save that which
vanity had deposited therein"