Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-09-23
ANCIENT TROY.
Extracts from II Private Letter from DIR.
Schiiemann-ItistOric of the Laet
acknowledged DfscOveries-His Early
Theories Confirmed


Theories Confirmed!
From the Troy Times.
1t Will no doubt, be interesting toyou
and to our honored friend, Prof. North,
to hear that Prof. Ell. Gomperz, in Eten-
ma, has already succeeded in decipher-
ing ten of my Trojan Inscriptions, all
OF when are in very primitive Cyprian
characters, but contain pure Greek
words. Thus the important fact is es
tabllshed that the Trojans spoke Greek.
But the chronology of these monu-
ments, as we'll as Of all objects which
came from the burnt city in from % to
50 teet below the surface, is now gen
orally acknowledged to be between
1,oOO and 1000 years before Christ,
while the Homeric hymns cannot be old
er than 900 years before Christ. But
Iroy's tragical fate had remained in
fresh memory, for it was sung by nu-
merous rhapsodies, and probably by
hundreds OF them before Homer, whose
poems alone are preserved because they
were the most sublime and perfect.
Troy was rebuilt, and 10 feet above the
ruins OF the ancient Ilion you find a
posterlor prehistoric city, which must
also have been destroyed, for, like in
Troy and like in Pompeii, you can dig up
there the skeleton of every house. In
the Egyptian poem of Pentasus, which
dates from the fifteenth century before
Christ, the Trojans of lion are des-
cr1bed as fighting against Ramases [. 9,
the Sesostris of the Greeks, while in the
sculptures of Medinet-Abou at Thebes
Egypt, which date from the end of
the fourteenth to the beginning of the
thirteenth century before Christ, the
Trojans still appear as one of the most
powerful nations of the coasts of the
Mediterranean; but all these Troians
must derive from the prehistoric city
which you find in 13 to % feet below
the surface, on the top of Troy. No
doubt the site of Troy had been aban-
doned and uninhabited for centuries be-
fore the age Of Homer, for the objects,
and particularly the idols, found even
in the highest prehistoric layers of ru-
ms, show an immense difference in age
when compared with those described by
Homer; besides, the latter continually
speaks of iron, whereas I never found a
trace of iron in any one of the four pre-
historic cities Of Troy, and not even in
the uppermost, which just precedes the
Ilum of the Greek colony.
John Murray Of London, who is we'll
known by his guide-books for travellers,
is now going to publish my work on
Troy in an English dress, and with, [
think, all my 21S tablets, which he has
got beautifully engraved I trust this
English translation will be well receiv-
ed 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: "In this connec-
ton we may state that we have informa-
ton to the effect that plan of settle
ment has been agreed upon between
DR.. Schliemann and the Turkish gov
eminent, by which the former is to pay
over to the barbarians one-half of the
value of the treasure taken from the
site of ancient Troy. Three experts
have been chosen to make estimates of
the value Of the interest thus conceded
to the Turkish government, and as soon
as their report is made DR.. Schlimann
will settle the demand, and come into
undisputed possession of his treasures,
which he values above price,"