The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-09-24
ANCIENT TROY.
Extracts from a Private Letter from
DR.. Schliemanm-Histor Value
of the Late Archaeological DiscOv.
eries-His Enrly Theories confirm
From the Troy, New York; Times. !

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1t will, no doubt, be interesting to
you and to our honored friend Prof.
North, to hear that Prof. H. Gomperz
in Vienna, has already succeeded in de.
ciphering ten of my Trojan inscriptions,
all of'which are in very primitive Cy-
prian characters, but contain pure
Greek words. Thus the important fact
is established that the Trojans spoke
Greek. But the chronology of these
monuments, as well as the objects which
came from the burnt city in from TWEEN.
ty-three to thirty.three feet below the
surface, is now generally acknowledged
to be between 1900 and 1000 years be-
fore Christ, while the Homeric hymns
cannot be older than 900 years before
Christ. But Troy's tragical fate had
remained in fresh memory, for it was
sung by numerous rhapsodies, and
probably by hundreds of them before
Homer, whose poems alone are pre-
served because they were the most
sublime and perfect. Troy was re-
built, and ten feet above the ruins of
tho ancient Ilion you find a posterior
prehistoric city. which must also have
been destroyed, for, like in Troy
and like in Pompey, you can
dig up there the skeleton of
every house. In the Egyptian poem of
Pentasus, which dates from the fiji.
teenth century before Christ, the Tro-
jams of lion are described as fighting
against Ramases l.. the Sesostris of the
Greeks, while in the sculptures of Med.
inet-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 Trojans must derive from the
prehistoric city which you find in IL to
% feet below the surface, on the top OF
Troy. No doubt the site Of Troy had
been abandoned and uninhabite
for centuries before the age Of
Homer, for the objects, and particular
ly the idols, found even in the highest
prehistoric layers of ruin. show an i'm.
mcnse difference in age when compared
with those described by Homer; be-
SAuCS LII lotICI SOuSAHudliy SPEAKS Oh
iron, whereas l never found . trace of
iron in any one of the four prehistoric
cities of Troy, and not even In the up
permost. which just precedcs the lion
Of the Greek colony.
John Murray. of London, who is well
known BY his guide book fer travellers,
is now going to publish my work on
Troy in an English dress,sand with, /
think. all my two hundred and eighteen
tablets, which he has got beautifully
engraved. l trust this English trans
lation will be well received all over the
globe, for the worlds enthusiasm for
the Homeric seng will never subside as
long as onr planet is inhabited by men.
The Times adds:
In this connection we may state that
We have information to the effect that a
plan of settlement has been agreed
upon between DR.. Schliemann and the
Turkish government, by which the for
mer are TO pay over to the barbarians
one-half of the value of the treasures
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 Tu. kiSh govern.
ment. aud as soon as their report is
made DR.. Schiiemann will settle the de-
mand. and come into undisputed pos.