Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1893-06-20

ItuehtA uoAAAAHteA HN
New York custom house, which
will form one Of the most interest
ing collections presented to the
Smithsonian Institution for many
years. They we're dug from the
ruins Of Troy by DR.. Schliemann
and must have passed through the
mighty conilagration which the
says ended the Trojan war.
The meaning and associations OF
these are of surprising interest,
for until a few years ago scholars
and learned men believed that the
heroes of Homer and Virgil, who
at the dawn of history, ex-
listed only in myth and story.
Their discovery worked a revolu-
ton in classic history. These in
teresting objects are made of many
materials, of which stone, bronze,
ivory, marble, terra Gotta and bone
may be mentioned. In all there
are one hundred and lightweight,
including a variety of articles,
such as weapons, idols, vases, urns,
knives, daggers, pins, whorls,
drinking vessels of elaborate de-
sign and pattern, rings, jugs and
bullets. The whorls, which are
the most numerous of any objects
in the collection, had a peculiar
use. In number there were Is,
of a circular shape, varying from
one inch to three inches in dame
ter and are made of stone highly
polished and ornamented, forming
a very essential part OF the rude
spinning wheel which the Trojan
matrons of hat day used. 1t was
fashionable then for all women to
spin, and even those of royal blood
who from the walls often watched
their friends and favorites in the
battles on the plains below, could
twist threads of great even
ness and uniformity.
The drinking vessels excite the
greatest curiosity. A few of the
names as they appear in the orig
inal catalogue will show what a
variety of them there is. There
are globular jugs, lustrous jugs
with lncised ornamentation, two
handled goblets, two handled jugs,
two handled cups, one handled
cups, lilliputian jugs, bowls and
other vessels. Some hold as much
as two quarts and some no more
than a thimbleful. But the double
handled goblets, OF which there
are three, are of the most curious
construction. About six inches
high, they have on either side Ions
slender handles reaching from tor
to bottom, and they hold about a.
much as the goblets of the pres
emit day. A broad, shallow bow
in the collection may have beef
used in the sacrifices to holC
the sacred meal which it wa
the custom of Greeks and Trojan
to throw over the animal about t
be sacrificed. Besides the drink
ing vessels there are many interest
ing vases. One of these is a tripoc
vase about ten inches high whic.
was made to stand upon tire
short legs. Another is a vase G
mythic style and a third is orna
mented with strange lines whic
portray the likeness of a woman
face. Some of the other object
are of terra Gotta, of which tire
balls, oblong and pyramida
weights, one idol, one head an.
one ring are the most important
Many curious pieces of marble ar
quantity carved, thin as wafer
and grotesquely shaped. TIL
bronze relics comprise weaponi
nails, pins and sinkers. The nail
are from four to six inches Ions
and are covered with a vitriol-co.
ored rust.
Some of the ivory relics are {
remarkable finish and execution
One little ball the size and shap
of a robins egg is perhaps tn
most noteworthy. 1t is doubtfr
what its use was. There are ais
several ivory needles about fou
inches long, exquisitely finished
which must have been part of th
equipment for some woman's worE
basket. Several objects fashione
from ebony are especially notice
able on account Of their grea
weight. One of them is charre
and was probably burned by th
same fire that reduced the city O
Scamandrian plain TO ashes. Som
of the relics fashioned from bon