The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-05-29

relics Of priceless value and high anti
guilty have just reached Washington
from the New York custom house,
which will form one OF the most inter-
esting collections presented to the
Smithsonian institution for many years,
They were dug from the ruins OF Troy
by DR.. schliemann,i aud must have
passed through the mighty conaagra-
ton which the legend says ended the
Trojan war. The meaning and assooi'
atoms Of these are OF surprising in
terest, for until few years ago scholars
and learned men believed that the
heroes OF Homer and Virgil, who fought
at the dawn Of history, existed only in
myth and story. Their discoveryworked
q revolution in classic history.
These interesting objects are made OF
materials, OF which stone, bronze, ivory,
marble, terra Gotta, and bone may BIO
mentioned There are 1888 in all, They
include a variety Of articles; such rs
weapons, idols, vases, urns, knives, dag:
gers, pins, whorls, drinking vessels OF
elaborate designs and patterns, rings,
jugd, and bullets.
The whorls, which are the most nu.
merous OF any objects In the collection,
had peculiar USE There are eighteen
Of these. They are clrcular-shaped,
vary from one inch to three inches in
diameter, aud are made OF stone highly
polished and ornamented.
They formed very essential part OF
the rude spinning wheel which the
Trojan matrons OF that day used.
Then it was fashionable for all women
to spin, and even those Of royal blood.
who from the walls often watched
their friends and favorites in the bat
ties on the plains below, could deity
twist threads OF great evenness and
uniformity.
The whorls were fixed in the middle
parts OF slender sticks-about twelve
Inches long and tapering on each end
which formed the primitive spindle,
These impaired momentum and steadi-
ness to the spindle when whirled Just
as the fly wheel Of machine. Tho
spindle, when the thread was attached,
was set in motion by rolling between
the palm OF the risht hand aud the
right leg, after which 1t was thrown in
to the air.
Tho drinking vessels excite the great
est curiosity. A few OF the names, as
they appear in the original catalogue,
will show what variety Of them there
IS. There are globular jugs, lustrous
Jugs, with incised Ornamentation, two
handled goblets. two-handled jugs, two
handled cups, one.handled cups, lilli-
putian jugs, bowls, nd other vessels.
These are OF various sizes. Some hold
as much as two quarts, and some no
more than q thimbleful One OF these
tiny creations was undoubtedly used
for wine. For aught that any one can
say it was used in the sacrifices to pour
libations to the gods, or to persuade
them to wreak vengeance on the heads
Of the offending Greeks.
II ia moro likely, however, that they
were parts Of elaborate drinking sets,
which were In possession Of every
Trojan OF any rank. They are made
entirely Of kind Of terra Gotta, the
chief constituent OF which is red clay
The double.handled goblets, OF which
there are three, are oil curious con-
struction. They stand about six inches
high and have on either side long, slen.
der handles, reaching from top to bot
top. They hold about the same guam
tity as goblets Of the present day
A broad, shallow bowl in the collec-
ton may have been used in the sacrifices
to hold the sacred meal which it was
tho custom Of Greeks and Troans to
throw over the animal about to BIO sac
rihced.
Besides the drinking vessels there are
many interesting vases. One OF these
is tripod vase about ten inches high,
which was nude to stand upon three
short legs. Another is vase OF mythic
style, and third is ornamented with
strange lines that portray the likeness
OF woman's face.
Not single piece Of pottery from
this old and buried city has survived
the 5000 years intact, Nearly ull are
restored from the fragments and their
lost parts have been nicely fitted in with
new material. There are other objects
Of terra Gotta, OF which three balls, OBJ.
long and pyramidal weights, ono idol,
one head, and one ring are the most i'm
portant.
There are many curious pieces OF
very essential In the ceremony OF the
Trojan religion. These aro us thin as
waters and grotesquoly shaped. The
Irojans were very religious and wor.
shipped many gods. Since these gods
were supposed to take part in the bat
ties as well as the every day affairs OF
men, II was necessary to keep sacrificing
TO them continually. Small fortunes
were spent by prominent people in sac.
ritices to insure q kindly disposition in
their divinities.
The little idols Of marble are marked
not unlike inscriptions which the In
dians put upon stones. They arc OF
about the right size TO carry in ones
vest pocket and wero certainly handy
for those to carry about who believed
in their potency.
The bronze relics comprise weapons,
nails, pins and sinkers. The nails nro
from four TO six inches long, and al.
though covered with viCtriol Colored
rust, would do to nail with to-day as
well as when they were driven into tho
beams Of q Trojan house 200 years ago.
II should be remembered that tho uses
OF iron were not thOn known. Shields,
swordS, charlots, und cutlery were mado
OF hardened compound into which
copper largely entered
Some OF tho ivory relics arc OF 70.
markublO nniah and execution. One
little ball the size and shape OF a robins
egg Is, perhaps, to most noteworthy.
II Is doubtful what It's use was. There
arc also several ivory needles, oxqui.
Bitoly finished, which must have boon
part Of tho equipment for some wo-