The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-01-07
RUINS OF ANCIENT TROY.
REMARKABLE DISCOVERIES EAST OF
THE ARCHIPELAGO.

but deeply Interest, not arch biologists merely,
but every one who has read the tale Of
Achilles's wrath. to Greece the dlrcful spring
or woes unnumbered.
From Homerio times the Plains Of Troy,
traversed BY the little streams, Scamander
and simois, and lying between the Agean
Sea and Mount Ida, have been Identified with
the scenes described in the Had but 80 wide.
ly have travellers aHd arch9ologists differed
with regard to the site Of the famous city
which for ten years dehed the united arms of
Greece, that it has long been doubted whether
any genuine remains of Troy could be found
within the Troad. and, In fact, whether such q
city ever existed save In the fertile imagina-
tion of the author of the Homeric Epic.
DIR. sCHLIENANN's EXPLORATIONS.
These doubts are In fair way of being re-.
moved by the discoveries of Dr.. Henry Schlie-
mann, who for more than year has been
conducting series of explorations on the
Plains OF Troy, oi which he has furnished an
elaborate account TO the Herald. he had
previously broker ground In this neghoor-
hood, chiefly to satisfy himself that Burnaba-
shl, which 1t had become the fashion to de-
scribe as the site OF Troy, could lay no claim
to that honor. He found that no considerable
city could have been built there, both on &C.
count OF the limited area of the site and OF
the absence of remains Of pottery at greater
depth than three or four feet below the sur
lace. Excavations at other points, suggested
by Strabo and other ancient historians and
geographers, wers equally frultless of valua-
BILE results. Having settled this point he
turned his attention to plateau several miles
north Of Burnabashi, rising about hundred
feet above the plain and terminating abruptly
on Its northern and northwestern sides,
which seemed admirably adapted for The site
OF large city, such as Troy is described to
have been. A slight excavation made In 1870
showed that the place was rich In remains OF
buried architecture and pottery. he at once
made up his mind that he had discovered the
site OF Troy, and prepared to conduct his la
bors on an extensive scale and with method.
BEGINNING TIE WORK.
The first difficulty to overcome was to OBJ
tain permission 10 dig into and through the
plateau, which was owned partly by Mr..
Frank Calvert aud partly by Two Turks. The
former cheertully consented to have bis
premises invaded, but the latter, not sharing
Or. SchIemann's archaeological enthusiasm,
would neither sell their land nor permit 1t 10
be e1cavated, except on the condition that
they should receive large sum OF money,
and that the trenches should be alied up on
ternal Ottoman Government stepped 10, COM
pslled the Turks to sell tie land at It's estl-
mated value 10 the ministry of public lnstruc-
tio1, aud then obligiDgly turned 10 over to
DR.. Schliemann. With eighty men he broke
ground 10 October, 1871, and excavated until
compelled, at The end of November by the
winter rains, 10 desist. He resumed WORK
with q much larger force Of men last April,
and has steadily prosecuted 1t until within the
Mo- ha n
tinue the Interesting task he has undertaken.
SECRETS OF THE ANCIENT CITY.
The cnlting made in 1871 revealed to him
ruins oil different ages In strata OF co npara-
tive regularity. Those Of historic times were
nowhere more than seven feet below the sur
face. At q depth OF fifteen feet only calolned
ruin were found, showing that for ages pre-
c,dig historic times none but wooden houses
had existed there. At O depth or from four
teen TO twenty four feet many stone imple-
ments and fragments Of pottery were found,
but no metal. and the houses were OF small
stones, united with earlh-an indication that
he came upon houses OF unburned brick, aAd
Implements and weapons OF copper, and be-
low this stratum were unearthed huge blocks
of stone, which led the explorer to believe he
had reached the verltable ruins OF the lost
city. Last spring he opened trench In the
abrupt north side, which he believed
must have formed the site of the aero:
polls, and this was followed oy other cut,
t,pgs ip the vicinity, which bsve occupied
the whole of the past season. Working his
way with difficulty through immense masses
of rubbish he came In June upon colossal
structure of solid masonry forty feet In thick
ness aud twenty in height, built upon the
primitive rock, which he conjectnres may
have been tower of the wall OF Troy, and
possibly that from which Andromache wit
messed the death of Hector. 1t 10 composed
OF stones joined with clay, and Is apparently
as ancient as those prehistoric remains known
as Cyclopean, and go different In structure and
character from the ruins exhumed above it
that there can be no doubt that lts origin
dates far back into the age Of tradition and
fable. He also discovered on the slope OF the
plateau part OF wall OF huge stones joined
with clay, seven feet In thickness by Ten In
height, which may have been the wall OF cir
mentioned In the lllad as having
been built around The city by Neptune and
Apollo. "
INTERESTING DISCOVERIES.
These structures. together with the sup
posed site OF temple, constitute the primer
nal architectural discoveries Of DR.. schlie.
mann, and of their absorbing interest ana
value there can be no question. But In con-
nectIon with the remains OF Troy he has also
unearthed many implements and utenells,
mostly In o mutilated condition, which Illus
trale the habits and religion of the ancient
people who owned the sway OF Priam. Tnese
comprise pottery OF many varieties and great
beauty, stone Instruments, copper nails,
lampp, urns, &C., which In material, work-
msnship, shape and ornamentation. Indicate
a people far more civilized than the races VINO
successfully built over the site OF Troy. Mucn
of The pottery Is embellished with the crochet
ed cross, wel-knowu symbol OF the Aryan
race. At depth OF ffty-three feet large toads
were found, which must unquestlonably have
lived there some three thousand years. "lC
is with strange sensation" writes DR.. Scnlle-
mann, "lhat one looks upon creatures tnat
were the contemporaries Of Hector ana An
dromache, though they be only loads"
WORK YET TO BE DONE.
The excavations have hitherto been con-
Quoted by DR.. Schlemann at his own expense,
and he intimates his Willingness to resign the
further prosecution of the work into the
hands of competent and intelligent persons.
From the cline already furnished by him the
Of the excavations can only be
question OF time and money, and 1t IL 10 pe
6oped that the want OF these may not delay
or indefinitely postpone discoveries IN wnlch
all civilized persons are interested. a lew
years Intelligent labor would doubtless lay
bare the foundations Of the most famous city
of epic song.