Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-03-08
sCrsIrEMaSx.s ANCtRNr rRoY.

sCrfLIEMANN's ANCIENT TROY.
DR.. Heinrich Schiemann has made
out strong case of circumstantial
evidence that he has discovered the
veritable site and ruins of ancient Troy.
His varied and extensive testimony is
aboutlto bepubhshed in Germany, and
the Ne,v York Tribnne has thus early in 4
letter from Bayard Taylor resume of
the work. There is a rich feast for
classical tastes in the fruits of Schlie-
mann's lavish expenditure and remark
able exertions. We propose TO serve a
light repast for our readers. We will
sketch how the discoveries were made
and then describe some of them,
The enterprise required great means
to carry it out, as well as scholarship to
inspire it. Schliemann is to be the
more admired for undertaking 1t, as he
began life with nothing but poverty
and ignorance. He engaged in mercan-
tile business by which he became rich
at the age of forty-two. Constant and
ardent study made him fine scholar
by the time he resolved upon his great
task of exhuming the Homeric city.
He was an enthusiastic student of
Greek. and had made himself thor
oughly familiar with the 1liad. In the
summer of 1869, with the Iliad and the
Odyssey in hispocket he started on his
first tour Of research. Hitherto arch
biologists had fixed upon the site OF
Bounarbaschi, a Turkish village In
Asia Minor, as the place where
Troy had stood. Schliemann's
familiarity with the 1liad sup
ported by some practical expert
ments, soon convinced him that this
was a mistake, and that Hissarhk, a
village few miles north of Bounar-
baschi, and nearer the ancient con-
vergence of the Simois and the Sea-
mander, rested upon the remains of
Troy. The battlefield was between
those two rivers and the walls of the
city. Here was plateau about three
miles In circumference and eighty
feet above the level Of the plain. On
the northwest corner Of this there was
a second plateau twenty-six feet higher
than the first Q05 feet higher than the
plain, and nearly 1000 feet by zoo in
length and breadth. The explorer
thought that this mustbe the citadelof
Priam, and resolved to make ex-
cayations. He naturally enough
experienced provoking difficulties in
securing the necessary rights to prose-
cute his design. Employing a few la
borers, he began in 1870 by cutting
down into the higher plateau. Here
wall six feet thich was soon found, and
as soon as this was known troubles with
the natives sprung up, ana work was
stopped for the year. In October, 1871,
work was again commenced with about
eighty laborers. 1t was continued at
different intervals till about the middle
of June, 1873, when the evidence had
rolled itself up to SO imposing a mag
nitude that Schliemann felt sure of his
triumph. Taylor describes the explora-
lions as like play in acts: 1869, 20,
II, 20, 70, the interest increasing until
it eliminates in grand deRouement.
His plan in 1871 was to eleave the up
per and lower plateas, down to the
soil. a cut of 80 feet depth
was made thatyear. Masonry, pottery,
ashes, debris, relics Of a most unexpect-
ed character, were found in abundance.
Coins, dices, vases, urns, stone utensils,
vessels, and emblems. of various kinds
were exhumed, in such an order as to
indicate an increasing civilization the
deeper they went. When the season
opened in 1872 Schliemann began his
labors with 100 hands, which were af-
forwards increased. Immense excava- |
tions were made during the |
year and the developments were of |
a startling character. Vases with the |
moulded on them, were fire.
quently exhumed, and the doctor could |
see IN this the symbol of the owl-head- |
ed Minerva. The Doric triglyph was
with a bas-relief nearly a |
yard square in the interspace, repre-
senting the Sun God driving his four
horse chariot. This piece of art was
purely Grecian. As Schliemann ad- |
yanced, he was struck with the fact
that the remains of massive cut-stOne
houses, copper weapons, vases of ele-
CANT form and rare and curious SYM
boical figures ceased suddenly, at the
depth of about 80 feet; while, below
that depth, to the primeval, undisturb-
ed earth, at As to IS feet, a new and
much older class of relics
was found. By the end of July a wall
Six feet thick and nine feet high was
at depth of AZ feet, on
the northern side of the plateau, and
4 tower, 40 feet in diameter, based on
The bedrock, on the southern. Twenty
FEET of the tower were still remaining.
md the mass of loose blocks scattered
around it indicated a much greater
original hight. The number of relics
which had been unearthed was now
lbout 100000. The degree of skill ex-
libited in their workmanship gave
proof of distinct successive historic pc
'iods. The deepest class seemed to
oxen an earlier city than Troy itself.
The spring Of 1873 was the most
fruitful of all in evidence. A strongly
wall was found and sup
,osed by Schliemann to be the relic of
he temple of Minerva. The founda-
ions indicated a buil5ino $50 nv IN