The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1881-02-26
A TOMB OF HISTORY.

The account of DR.. Schliemann's dis
coveries in the liIiii Of Hissarlik reads like
chapter OF romance, and the whole story
of his excavations are so bewilderingly
strange that it has hardly yet sunk into
the common apprehension as a series OF
veritable archaeological facts surprising
in interest even the ruins Of Pompeii and
Nincyeh. The indefatigable little Ger
man doctor, aided by his patient and en-
thusiastic wife, has opened up hitherto
unknown epochs in prehistoric civliza-
tion, and furnished data for several gener-
ations of antiquaries to work upon and
quarrel over. He has uncovered not
only Troy, the city Of Priam and the
scenes of Homers immortal song, but he
has unearthed five other cities-two below
the three above it-making six cities,
superimposed one upon another. The first
city, built upon the black soil of the
plain, lies ffty-three feet below the pres.
ent surface. No. traces of fire ware found
in the walls and other debris of the orig
inal city, and it cannot be determined if
its inhabitants quietly abandoned it and
moved away, or were driven off by invad-
ing enemies in those prehistoric times
when onewave Of migration after another
from the East spread over Europe, push
ing the first immigrants to the Atlantic
Coast, and into the mountains of Spain
Above the ruins Of this city rests STRAIT
um several feet in thickness, abounding
in the debris of second city, the differ
ence of whose inhabitants in race, man.
ners and civilization is attested by the
Architecture and pottery. Both are en-
tirely distinct from anything found in the
lowest stratum. The first city was
built of small uncut stone; the second of
heavy masonry, with massive foundations.
Both difference between the pottery of
the two cities are marked, both in fabric
and shape, as to show that the vases and
household utensils were not the work of
the same race in different stages of devel-
opment but the product of different.
Above the second city lie the ruins of
the third, the great Ilium, a brick. built
city, whose cracked and blackened walls
and vitrified masses of pottery lying here
and there in heaps, tell the story of the
conAagration that destroyed it. The
bricks are invariably mixed with straw,
and the stones used in pavement and
foundation work are of reddish color,
entirely different from the large blocks
OF white limestone that mark the ruins ol
the city next beneath it. The most re-
markable of the houses brought to light
IN this burnt city is a large mansion which
DR.. Schliemann believes to have been the
palace of Priam, because it is the largest
dwelling discovered, and near it wer,
found nine treasure deposits. Just il
front OF it was an open area, where it il
supposed public assemblages were held
DR.. Schliemann believes this building tt
have been several stories high, and tt
have contained 100 rooms. The larges
was found packed together in quad
rangular mass on the great wall close tt
royal mansion, and DR.. Schliemann.
theory is that the treasure packed in .
wooden chest--the key of which wa
found, though the chest itself had rottet
to dust-was being carried away to
place of safety, in the attack on the city
and those who bore it were forced t
abandon it, to look after their own safety
and Immediately afterwards the ches
was buried beneath the tumbling walls
and held fast in the place where it reste
for thirty centuries, until brought to ligh
by the present explorer. The treasure
3 ingots of silver. silver vases. cups an
dishes, gold diadems, fillets and bracelet.
gold drinking cups and bottles, lare
double-hanaed gold cup, sixty pairs
gold earrings, thirteen gold necklaces
$500 gold rings, prisms, dice, buttor
and other things to which no name ca
be given. There were also in this cole
ton lance-heads, battls-axes, and dagge
OF bronze, copper armor and. instrumen
whose use is unknown, all showing e.
quisite workmanship, and indicating
people of high civilization. In the ruil