The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1875-09-03


81 That afternoon found him busily ct i
work, and when in q day. or two after
:! Sallie + came bach. he Welcomed her cor
daily and ectionately, and hand ID hand
they started downzthe dusty road to their
home and duties. -sszs}t.sst*' @s!i1zn7 Il
:. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Bit -
It isneedless to allude to the number:
less volumes written on the Trojan war
and the site Of Troy. or: the various con.
Trajectory theories broached TO reconcile
the alleged discrepancies between Il the
Homeric narrativess and Z the existing
physical geography Aof the region.
Strange as it seems, no one Of the pumer-s
'ous disputants appears to have conceived
the obvious truth that simple use Of
the spade would determine the facts Of
the ancient occupation Of given sight.
more satisfacto rily than the waste of GAL.
lens of controversial ink. .tBye this
method of excavation Dr.. Henry Schlie,
mann has proved cxhaustivcly that all
the sights for the ancient city most fav.
ored my modern scholars were physically
impossible They offered mot shadow
of evidence that they: had ever bean in.
habited by any but slight or transitory
settlements presenting no. analogy with
the world famed beleaguered city" of
Priam and Hector. One exception only
remained, the site of,the Greek colony Of
llium or New Troy, supposed by all an
tiquity to replace the ancient city, until
the time Of Strabo, when a now hypoth.
esis was framed, and gradually obtained
acceptance. This is now represented by
the Hill of Hissarlik. Standing at the
very point .ofjunction between, the East
and West, in the region: where is found
the connecting link between the primitive
Hellenic populations OF ASA and Europe,
the Hill of Hissarlik dominates over The
alluvial plain Of the Tread, forming in it's
present condition vast earthen mound
about one hundred feet high. Its appear
lance forcibly recalls the like condition Of
tho old oriental capitals on the Tigris and
the Euphrates, and, like them, it offers a
reward for investigation never accepted
until this late day. The natural advan-
| tages Of the site resembled those of most
of: the early Greek settlements. A hill
fort, or acropolis, backed at short dis.
lance by the ow-clad mountain chain Of
Ida, near but not close upon the sea, in
situation suited at once for defense
against the neighboring barbarians. and
for the development of an infant, though
active, commercial intercourse with for.
eign countries, whence were derived the
objects of distant origin, copper, ivory,
ETC., now occurring so plentifully among
the debris Of antiquity. This mound Of
Hissarlik was the scene of Dr. Schlie.
mann's excrtions for the best part Of
three years, 1918, and the main por-
ton Of his book is the record of the daily
progress of his researches detailed with
scrupulous fidelity.
| DR.. johnson said that the only great
instance of the enjoyment Of wealth that
he had ever known was that of Mr.. Daw.
kins the discoverer Of Palmyra, who, go
ing to visit the city and hearing the way
was infested with robbers, hired troop
Of Turkish horse to guard him. A sim
liar instance would have been furnished
by the advantages enjoyed by DR.. Schlie.
mann, fortunately for science. The con.
tents Of the mound were so anomalous
that, if attacked in the ordinary way OF
travellers, it would have proved mere
chaos-a riddle full Of strange meanings
never to be read. But the possession Of
wealth, combined with zeal and perse.
verence, made all things plain and clear.
All the ground that could be purchased
was bought, capable superintendent FAM
liar wi tn railway cuttings were engaged
to overlook hundred and fifty workmen
with lightweight whcelbarrows, one hum
| dred and eight spades, one hundred and
three pickaxes, etc, all Of the best Eng
lish manufacture, SO that more than sixty
Thousand dollars have been expended on
the task. Pounds of quinine and quarts
of arnica enabled him to bid defiance to
marsh fevers and accidents, at the COM
mencement Of each season, when DR.. and
Mrs. Schliemann, settled down in their
wooden.house at the summit of the
mound, fully determined to thoroughly
explore its mysteries and long
contents.
1t is difficult to explain briefly the pro-
gress of the researches. but the order of
the discoveries made was this: The first
objects of attack were the immense sub.
structures Of hewn stone and remains of
the Greek colony of 1lium or New Troy,
a city known to have, fourished for a
thousand years previous to its apparent
desertion, third or fourth century after
Christi, and possibly containing one hum
dred thousand inhabitants. These ruins
had for centuries formed quarry for
the neighborhood. The depth Of soil
now traceable to the existence or this
great city was not more than six feet.
FOne splendid piece of, sculpture, a Melope
from the Temple Of the: Sun, and the
usual coins, weapons Of bronze, etc., of
classic times, iwere furnished by these de.
posits. Seven feet below, at = depth Of
thirteen feet from the surface, were found
the remains Of smother city built by in
Aryan tribe las shown by the symbols
on their terra-cotta pottery:, principally
OF wood, and to whom the use of bronze
was Unknown, as all the lances, battle.
axes, etc, discovered were Of pure COP.
per, though curioua|y enough they are &C:
companied by stone implements splen.
didly polished axes and hammers; and it
is one of the most noticeable facts con-
nected with DR.. Schliemann's discoveries
that these stone implements were found
in every stratum except the highest or
Grecian one, and must have bee2 use
simultaneously with those made Of metal!
Numerous calcined layers Of debris
proved that the wooden llium was fire.
quently devastated o. destroyed by fire,
and it's inhabitants were in an inferior
stage Of civilization to that enjoyed by
their predecessors, the remains of whose
! c,tv ,uernl arrivo1 At ton fact ,lowor ~