The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1877-07-31
tesuoia's Discovery OF the Site of
an Ancient Temple.

Long before the traditional period
of the Trojan war, Cyprus had cities
and commerce. The Phnnician colony
became Egyptian for n while after the
fifteenth century r. C. Kurium bad
probably been founded before the
Egyptian conquest in li42 y. c.; hence
the accumulation OF the art OF many
centuries in tEe treasures OF her tenn
Dles.
General Cesnola found AZ kurium
only vast heaps of ruin. The city was
built on bluf three hundred feet in
perpendicular height on three sides.
The rock OF the blufi was soft calcare-
ous stone, and around the city, in the
sides Of the blufr, Ee found terrace "A
hundred feet wide, cut and followed
deep in the rock, in the sides Of which
were tOmbs. Among the ruins on the
hill lac identified the site Of temple
and here saw that explorers before him
had made excavations, and abandoned
them He was induced 10 deeper than
they had, under the mosaic floor Of the
temple. At the depth OF twenty feet
he struck a dark passageway, which lac
penetrated until stopped 10y low stone
hbNis iSAA SUNK AAlNs ITO ANNAAh iAAAA1iii
at the entrance of series Of vaulted
rooms in the rock. The rooms were
full Of fine earth which bad sifted
through the rock walls
The explorer did not know where he
WAS. but he was standing at the door
way which leads the stndent of art in-
20 the hitherto unknown fields of in
yestigntion amoug the early Greeks and
Phwnician predecessors. The general
soon perceived that the room which he
was to enter was not tomb Com
menciDg To remove the earth M the
slow and careful manner which the ex-
perieneed eXcaystor always practices,
be began to find beautiful objects IN
gold lying ia heaps on the floor of the
vault. Then came the evidence that
he had opened the treasure chambers
Of the temple. Twenty-Five hundred
years sgo the priests in the temple were
suddenly alarmed 10y the rush Of he
sieging army over or through the lofty
walls Of kurium. In the wild haste of
unexpected attack, they swept from al.
tars and shrines, where they were ex-
posed, the votive offerings Of genera
tons Of worshipers. hastened down the
dark passage, and threw them, heaps
on heaps, into the treasury vault. clos
ed the stone door. and doubtless also
closed the secret entrance TO the pas
sageway. The enemy came IN, and
hewed down the priests before the al
tars, or carried them away captive 10
Asia. None was left who knew the Sc
cret Of the vault. The temple was des-
ecrated. robbed, DESTROYED. its walls
and columns hurled down in hideous
rum, aud for twenty-five centuries the
gold of the old Pb@nician aud Egyp-
tian and Greek worshipers lay dark
and unknown IN the vaulted chamber.
From the gold chamber n low doorway
two feet seven inches high, opened in.
to the next vault, which was the silver
room. Black, corroded, unsightly as
IL il, this treasure was not less impor-
taut than the gold. For ancient silver
objects are very rare, especially cups
and vases. There were piles Of these
corrOded into masses. But consider
able number were perfect, and are Of
the greatest archaeological importance.
From this room opened another low
door into a third vault, in which were
found objects in alabaster, terra Gotta,
etc; and beyond this vault. and al
right angles with IL, was fourth room
which contained objects OF bronze.
many Of which were ia very fair preser-
vation. From this room a narrow pas.
sageway descended in the rock, which
the gaeral explored for l30 feet, and
then abandoned. because Of foul air
and the difficulty 81 proceeding. -
William c. Prime, IN Harper's Maga-
zine for August.