New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-03-02

SchliemanDs familiarity with Homer satisfied
him. at once that the latter had every locality
which be describes. In fact us impression is
strongly forced Upon evctty one who visits the spot
nave twice looked upon the plain of Troy from the
deck of a vessel passing besween it and Tenedos,
having CD one hand the sky-piercng peaks OF Samo-
thrUpe in the distance, towering over the low inter
mediate hills of ImbrOs. and on the other the broad
uncultivated fields of Troy divided by the sinuous
thickets which mark the course Of Scamander, with
Ida, furrowed with piny glens, in the background
and the snowy crest of tOpmost Gargarns' over all
You remember, no Doubt tue charming description
of the scene in Eothen'
In ten DAYS Schiemann convinced himself in the
most practical way, that the Mendere was the
Scamander and not the SimOis, that Bounarbashi
could not possibly be the site of Troy that the huge
natural acropolis near il had never borne " Priams
lofty house y and that Hum NOram had been simply
bnlt upon the rubbish of Hum Vetam-in short,
that whatever was to be found of the real Troy
must be sought for under the surface of the plateau
of Hissark His chief reasons are the following:
/ After sinking a number of small pits on the
higbts of Bounarbashi he found no trace of a city
having ever stood there. The primitive bedrock
was reached, in many instances.
q The tumul called after Hector and Priam. have
been opened. but contain no evidence of having
citadel are the remains of a small town. which
could not have contained more than 900 inhabitants
g The citadel. which has been supposed to be the
,eroamos of Pram has hight of 40 feet: its sides
fall at an angle of 45o at first, and finally OF 90, so
that Hector and Achilles in their triple race around
the walls of Troy could hardly have made the
| break-neck descent. The substructions OF the
ancient edfce on the summit are limited in space
having only one entrance-a door yard wide
that they never could have belonged TO the citadel
nalace of place 80 populous and important as Troy
4 The distance from Sigeum NEARLY 10 English
m,les is so great that the marches back and forth
of the Greeks from their camp to the walls OF Troy
as described in the first seven Books OF the HAD,
could not possibly have been performed IN the time
mentioned by Homer Troy must have stood much
nearer the sea or the poet INDUCED in a reckless
exaggeration with which be has never been charged
< Instead of the two fountains mentioned by
Homer there are no less than thiryfour at Bounar-
basbi. their united outflow forming strong stream
| cared the Scamander by former archaeological, a
| mart Of whose waters are carried to the Eeean by
| an ancient canal TO prevent the PLAIN from belng
| inundated during the Spring floods.
g. Mount Ida is not visible from any part OF the
| hight of Bounarbashi.
At Hissarik, however, DR.. Schemann found all
! the conditions required. Moreover. q number oil
passages in ancient authors, especially Strabo' all
indicated that the later ium occupied the site oil
the older city. The distance to Sigeum IL three
English miles the Scamander flows between ;
Mount Ida rises clearly above the eastern horizon
and smaller stream coming down from the north
ward sufficiently represents the SmOis. The situa-
ton is grand and imposing. overlooking plain and
sea- The circumference OF the walls of the later
! city Is about three miles, which. surprising they
| indicated the site of the ancient Trojan walls
would not be too great distance for the triple race
of Achilles and Hector AT Bounarbashi the space
] winch must necessarily have been taversed ID