Helena weekly herald., 1873-09-18
HOMER INDICATED.
THE ROYAL JEWEL.BOX MEN.
TONED IN THE ILIAD FOUND.
Recovery Of King Priam's Treasure,
Abandoned at the Sack of Troy.

The Augsburg Gazette publishes letter o1
DR.. Henry Sc6liermann, who for the last
three years has been occupied in excava.
tons of the site of Ilium 1t is dated Troy
July II, and contains information of very
great importance to arch9ologists on the
latest results of his labors. We extract the
following from Schliermann's interesting
letter:
AT the beginning of this month, as l was
digging at depth of 81 meters (27 feet 1C
inches), l found the great circular wall OF
Troy, which proceeds in direction north
west by west from the ScBan Gate, and sub
SeQuently in the immediate neighborhood of
Piams palace, struck large copper object
OF singular form, which claimed my attention
the more as l believed I noticed gold behind
it. On it rested solid layer of red ash and
calcined fragments II to II metres thick. On
this was built a wall As metres thick and
7metres high, which consisted of large rocks
and clay, and must date back to the period
Immediately following the destruction of
Troy. TO save the treasure from the cupid
ity of my workmen and preserve it for the
benefit of science the utmost haste was nee
essary, and although it was not yet time for
breakfast, ordered them at once to cease
work. Whilst my workmen were taking
their meal and resting cut out the treasure
with large knife, feat not to be accom-
plshed without great exertion and danger of
life. For the great fortified wall, which
must mine, threatened to topple over me
every instant But the sight of so many OBJ
jects, each of which is of incalculable value
to science, made me foolhardy and disre-
garded the danger. But without the aid of
my dear wife it would have been impossible
TOR me to carry off the treasure. She was
ever ready to pack the objects dug out
into her shawl and to convey them to place
OF safety. The object which l had first seen
was large, flat copper dish of the form of
tray 1t is 49 centimetres in diameter, is quite
bat and surrounded by rim centimetres
high. In all probability it is shield. The
second object which brought to light was a
copper kettle with two horizontal handles.
The third object was long plate of copper
having q rim millimetres in height. A
silver vase 12 centimetres high is soldered on
it. The fourth object was capper vase
Next l found perfectly round bottle of the
ished zig-zag decoration. A heavy goblet,
drinking vessel, of the form of ship, with
two large handles, which weighed exactly
600 grammes "a pounds avoirdupois). On
the one side there is an opening for drinking
Z centimetres in breadth; the opening on the
other side measures but centimetres. Per-
haps, according to the suggestion of Profes.
sor StephanOs Kumanudcs, of Athens, the
host drank first from the small opening,
whilst the guest, as a mark of honor, was in
vlted to drink from the larger aperture. The
treasure likewise contains small goblet OF
gold alloyed with 25 per cent of silver, whose
loot measures only centimetres in height
and p centimetres in breadth. Moreover it
IS not entirely straight, and seems to have
oeen placed only in an inverted position.
also discovered six pieces of an alloy of gold |
and silver hammered into the form of large |
olades one end of which was round, the |
other cut out into the sh,Ipe of crescent. |
IN all likelihood these are the Homeric talents |
which must have been small, since, for in |
stance, Achilles Nl., xxxiii., 260 proposes
as the first prize in the funeral contest fe-
male slave, as the second prize horse, as
inc third kettle, and as the fourth two
i'alents of gold. I also found there three
large silver vases. All are spherical below,
aiN anu must have rested against something. |
anS s,so found there silver goblet, Silver bowl
ana two beautifully worked silver vases. The
.arger vase has two little tubes on each side,
the tubes.
=, Partly on top of, partly next to the articles
isoove mentioned, I found thirteen copper
iance-heads. At their lower end may be seen
hole, in which in most cases the niil or pin
w means of which the lance-head haG been
~. listened to the wooden shaft was insArted.
!. Inc Trojan spears, therefore, differed esAen-l
MTally from the Roman and Greek, for he \
.,,folans stuck the shaft into the spear.heaA.
". Me Greeks and Romans the spear-head intol
Me shaft. / also found fourteen of the cop
per weapons so frequently occurring here,
and never met with elsewhere, which, while
Almost pointed ut the one end, develop at the
o.her into broad blade. I formerly consid- |