New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-09-07
A WONDERFUL DISCOVERY.

| VI aOI. 110uTy ScUllcTuduu, VIM 1CA tAO
last three years has been occupied with ex-
cavations on the site of Ilium. 1t is dated
Troy, July II, and contains information of
very great importance to psychologists on
the latest results Of his labors. We extract
the following from Schliermann's interest
ing letter:
At the beginning Of this month, as was
digging at a depth OF eight and half
metres (twenty-seven feet ten inches), l
found the great circular wall of Troy,
which proceeds in a direction northwest BY
| west from the Scaan Gate, and subsequent
" in the immediate neighborhOod Of PIlams
Palace struck large copper object of
singular form, which claimed my attention
the more as l believed l noticed gold be-
hind it. On it rested solid layer OF red
ash and calcined fragments one and half
to one and three-quarters metres timex.
| On this was built a wall one and four-ffths
metres thick and eight metres high, which
! consisted Of large rocks and clay, and must
| date back to the period Immediately follow
! ing the destruction OF Troy. To save the
| treasure from the cupidity of my workmen
| and preserve it tor the benefit OF science the
| utmost haste was necessary, and although it
was not vet time for breakfast, l ordered
| them at once to cease work While my
workmen were taking their meal and rest
| ing cut out the treasure with large knife,
| a feat not to be accomplished without great
exerton and danger OF life. For the great
| fortified wall, which l must mine, threat
eued to topple over me every instant. But
the sight Of so many objects, each of which
| is of incalculable value to science, made me
! foolhardy and l disregafded the danger.
But without the aid of my dear wife it
| would have been impossible for me to carry
off the treasure. She was ever ready to
pack the objects dug out into her shawl
fhQvy m NIL f,f fofu
The object which l had first seen was a large,
fiat copper dish OF the form of a large tray.
1t is forty. nine centimetres In diameter, is
quite flat and surrounded by rim
fur centimetres high. In all probability
il is shield. The second object which I
! two horizontal handles. The third object
was long plate OF copper having rim
two millimetres in height. A silver vase
twelve centimetres high is soldered on it.
The fourth object was a copper vase. Next
l found perfectly round bottle OF the
purest gold. Around it runs partially
finished zig-zag decoration. heavy COB
let, also Of the purest gold, and another
gold drinking vessel, of the form of a ship,
with two large handles, which weighed
exactly 600 grammes lone and a third pounds
avoirdupois). One the one side there is an
, opening for drinking, seven centimetres in
breadth; the opening on the other side
measures but three centimetres. Perhaps,
according to the Suggestion of Professor
Stephanos kumanudes, of Athens the host
drank first from the small opening, while
the guest. as a mark off honor, was invited
to drink from the larger aperture.
The treasure likewise contains a small
goblet of gold alleged with twenty-five per
cent of silver, whose foot measures only two
centimetres in height and two and half
centimetres in breadth. Moreover it is not
entirely straight, and seems to have been
placed only in an inverted position | also
discovered six pieces of an alloy of gold and
silver hammered into the form of large
blades, one end of which was round, the
other cut out into the shape Of crescent.
In all likelihood these are the Homeric tai
ents, which must have been small, since. for
instance, Achilles (ll., XIII, 269) proposes
as the first prize in the funeral contest
female slave, as the second prize a horse, as
the third kettle, and as the fourth two
talents Of gold. | also found there three
large silver vases; all are spherical
below, and must have rested against
something. l also found there a silver
goblet, silver bowl, and two beauti-
fully worked silver vases. The larger vase
has two little tubes on each side, and was
hung up by string passed through the
tubes. Partly on tclsOf, partly next to the
articles above mentioned | found thirteen
copper lance heads. At the lower end may
be seen a hole, in which in most cases the
nail or pin by means of which the lance
head had been fastened to the OGDEN shaft
was inserted. The Trojan spears, there
fore, differed essentially from the Roman
and Greek, for the Trojans stuck the shaft
into the spear head, the Greeks and Ro-
mans the spear head into the shaft. ! also
found fourteen of the copper weapons so
frequently occurring here. and never met
with elsewhere, WHICH, while almost pointed
at one end. develop at the other into a
broad blade. / formerly considered them
to be peculiar kind of spear, but am now
convinced that they can have been
nothing but battle-axes. Moreover, ! dis
covered seven large doub,e-edged copper
daggers. Only one ordinary, single-edged
knife was found among these treasures. L
also found the fragment of sword, as well
as four cernered copper bar, with sharp
edge, which must certainly have served as
weapon. As found all the above men
toned objects together or packed the one
into the other on the city wei which, ac-
cording to Homer, was built w Neptune
and Apollo, it seems certain that they lay
in wooden box, which is mentioned in the
lliad as existing in Priam's Palace. This
appears the more unidentified as | found
next to the articles a copper kay ten and
half centimetres in length, the key bit be-
ing i've centimetres square. The key itself
bears very considerable likeness to the
large safe keys used in banks Strange to
say, this key had wooden handle. This is
proved by the end of the handle, which,
as IN case OF the daggers, is bent at right
angles.
Probably the treasure was hastily slowed
away into the box by some member of
Priams family, who carried it away with
out having time to withdraw the KEY. On
the wall he was Overtaken either by The
enemy or the fire, and was compelled to
abandon the chest, which was Immediately
buried to the depth of five or six feet under
the red ashes and the stones of the adioin-
ing palace. That the treasure was packed
away at the risk of life and amid fear and
trembling. is shown by the contents Of
the largest silver vase, at whose bottom
l found two magnificent golden head
bands and one frontlet, and four splendid,
most artistic ear pendants of gold. On
these lay ftty-six golden earrings
OF most singular design, and thousands of
very small rings, dice, buttons, etc, all
made OF gold, which were evidently de-
tached from the iewelry. Then followed
SIX bracelets, and on the top were
placed the two small geld goblets. The
one headband measures ffty-on centimetres
twenty lnchesj, and consists of golden
chaln, from each side of which hang down
elgnt chains thirty nine centimetres Fifteen
lnches) long, which are covered entirely
With small golden leaves to cover the tenn
pies. AT the end of each of these sixteen
chains hangs an idol three and one-fourth
centlmetres lone and one -fourth incbesl in
length, adorned with the owls head of the
goddess patron of lion. Between these
pendants for adorning the temples NAV {
DE seen seyenty-four chains, also covered
with leaves, ten centimetIes -four ipcbeal in
length, destined to banp down tho f,raba,d