Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-05-07
Ancient Troy.

Marshal Won Moltke, during his military
mission iu Turkey found time to pay, visit
to the supposed site of Troy, and he describes
this visit IN his recently published book: 1
directed my footsteps (he Says) towards spot
to which are attached the oldest OF historical
souvenirs, but where time has probably blot
ted out all traces of man 5 handiwork, toward
Lion Strange to say, one still has pointed
out to one with great appearances of probablll-
tv the theatre OF events which We're related
centuries ago by blind poet, and which oc-
Cured centuries again before his day. Ma
ture has remaiuded the same. Here are the
two streams where the women of Troy washed
their shining robes, there the Simols de-
scends from Mount Ida aud contouudS its tur-
bulent waters with the calm flood of the Sea
nauder. The waves still roar around Cape 81
pcum and the island of Imbros. The white
leak of Mount Lila, from whence Jupiter con-
templated the doings of gods and OF men, is VI
sibe from every polut in the plain, aud Posse-
don; who made the earth tremble, could not
indeed have found a more spleudld seat than
the luttiest point vi verdant Samothrace, from
the height Of which he witnessed the strife
aud its issue. In the 'Liiad 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
mos may be as doubtful as the genealogy OF
his demi gods; but one thing is certain-flom-
er made his story fit in with the locality which
he must have known most thoroughly. The
site ct the city is determined by the fact that
the Scamander's source was just beneath 1t,
aud that the waters of the Slmols washed Its
walls When it is necessary to hS 1t more
exactly, the opinions Of the savantS vary
considerably; |. who am not an authority
in science, was merely guided by military in-
stnct towards the spot which one would
choose for the erection OF an lmpregnable
fort IT, after leaving the Turkish fortress
of Rumkalih, at the southern issue of the
Dardanees, you sail up the Simois for
three hours, you will find that the plan leads
to a chain of hills at the foot of which Is sit
uaed the village of Bunarbaschi 1t received
its present. name from the source OF the Sea
mandcr which here springs from out OF The
Gladstone. Let lis now ascend the slight ln-
cline, and we shall reach the spot where most
travellers place Troy. Farther on-about. "a
thousand yards off there is deep gorge, aud
beyond u still higher plateau about five hun
dred feet long, which is undoubtedly the posi-
tiou Of Pergana A small mound is held to be
the tomb of Hector. And now, starting from
this supposed tonb, take eight hundred steps
forward iu the same direction toward the mass
stones which is perhaps the fallen tower OF the
the Scaau gate, whence Priam watched the
conbatants and whence the son OF Andromache
started back in terror before the plulned he'll
met of his sire You then see before you a
piece Of ground about five hundred feet each
way aud behind you some heights which serv-
ed for the citadel Of Priam, with its six hun
dred apartments. These heights are bounded
ON three sides by inaccessible cliffs the fourth
side is practicable, aud it is there that must
have been situated the ScIau gate-the only
one, indeed, that is mentioned as existing
From thence the view embraces the source OF
the Scamander and the plains where the bat
ties took place, the windings of the Simois, the
tombs of Achilles and of Ajax, the position oc-
cupcd by the fleet near the sandy shore,
Mount Ida and the verdant Samothrace. Nor
is this all. Along these heights / discovered
foundations of walls cutting each other at right
angles, aud built Of stones OF various kinds
without cement will not argue that these
are the walls of the houses of Troy but it is
we'll known that temples have been raised aud
towns christened in memory of that city. 1t
may be that some such monument has sprung
from the ruins of ancient Troy, aud that they
have furnished the numerous capitals and
sculptured columns which cover the whole
cemetery of the wretched village of Buuarbas-
eli. Among the most remarkable objects In
this very interesting country are tile tomts-
that of Achilles is especially easy of recogni-
tion by the description given of it in Homer.
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