The Indiana State sentinel., 1874-09-22
ANCIENT TROY.

EXTRACTS OF A LETTER FROM DIR. eCrIIIK-
MANN-HIsroRICAL VALUE OF THB LATE
ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIscOvELIRs.
The TroytN. Y. }Timescontains the follow
ing additional testimony from private let
ter of DR.. Schliemann himself going to show
the validity of his early theories: Twill, no
doubt, be interesting 20 you ard to our
hOnored friend, Prof. North, to hear that
Prof. Fl: G0mpeiZ in Vienna has alreadysuc
ceeded in deciphering ten of my Trojan
Inscriptions, all OF which are in very prlm-
tive Cyprian character, but contain pure
Greek words. Thus the important fact In
established that the Trojsns spoke Greek.
But the chronology of these monuments.
as well as of ell objects which came from the
burnt city in from % to 33 feet below the sur
face. is now generally acknowledged to be
between 800 and 2, 600 before Christ, while the
HomeIic hymns can not be older than 900
years before Christ. But 1roy's tTagicsl fate
had remain ed in fresh memory. for it was
sung in numerous rhspsodes, and probably
by hundreds OF them before Homer, whose
poems are alone reserved because they were
the most sublime and perfect. Troy was
rebuilt, and 10 feet above the ruins of the
ancient lion you find a posterlor prehis-
toric city, which must also have been de-
stroyed, for, like in Troy and like in Pompey,
you can dig up there the skeleton of every
house. In the Egyptian poem of p ntasus,
which dates from the fifteenth century before
Christ, the TToians of lion ana described as
fighting against Ramase5 l., the SesostI is OF
the Greeks, while in the sculptures OF
Medinet-Abou at TheDes (Egypt) which
dete from the end OF the fourteenth to the
beginning of the thirteenth century before
Christ, the Trojsns still appear as one of
the most powerful nations of the coasts Of
the Mediterranean; bat all these Trojans
must derive from the prehistoric city which
you find in Is TO 23 feet below the surface,
0r, fho ton NJ Troy, No dOuht
THE SITE OF TROY
had been abandoned and uninhabited for
centuries before the age OF Homer, tor the
objects, and particularly the idols, found
even in the highest prehistoric layers
of ruins, show an immense difference in age
when compared with those described by
Homer; besides. he latter continually speaks
OF iron whereas never found trace of iron
in any one of the four prehistoric cities of
Troy, and not even in the uppermost, which
just precedes the llium of the Greek colony.
John Murray. of London, who is well
known by his guide books for traylers,
is now going to publish my work on Troy
in an English dress, and with, think, all my
2ls tablets which be has got beautifully en-
graved. / trust this English translation
will be well received all over the globe, for
the worlds enthusiasm for the Homeric
song will never subside as long as our planet
is Inhabited by men. The Times adds: I'm
this connection we may state that we have
information to the effect that plan of
settlement has been agreed upon between
DIR. Schlemann and the Turkish government,
by which the former is to pay the barbar-
ians one half OF the value OF the treasure
taken from the site OF ancient Troy. Three
experts have been chosen to mako estimates
of the value of the interests thus conceded to
the Turkish government, and as soon as
their report is made DR.. Schliemann will
settle the demand, and come into uudis-
puted possession of his treasures, which he
values above all price,"