Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-21
THE SEARCH Al !! ] FOR / TROY
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Prof. Seymour's Story of the
Excavations at IIium.
LABORS OF DR.. SCHLIEMANN
Nine Cities Buried on One Site Re-
vealed to View.
HOME OF KING PRIAM FOUND
Interest Of Scholars in the Work Of
Uncovering the Abiding Places Of
the Heroes Praised by Homer.
HOME OF KING PRIAM FOUN1
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.

L
versity. one of the highest authorities on
the Greek language and literature in this
country and son OF the late Prof Nathan
Seymour of Western Reserve College, who
thought Greek has written book on life
in the Houeric Age" which is now in press
1t will be equally interesting to laymen and
scholars and of special value to Greek STU
dents throughout the world. 1t brings the
Had down to the present time, being a
commentary upon that poem from the
standpoint of our everyday life and modern
conditions. No one is better qualified to
contribute such an important volume to
classic literature than Prof. Seymour. be-
cause he has spent a considerable part of
his life among the scenes described by the
Great Blind Poet. and has a familiar
knowledge of the topography. the arch
Geology and the ethnology of the races Of
whom Homer sang. He was one or the
founders and for long time director
of the American School at Athens, and Is
still president of the board of trustees or
the School of Classical Studies at Rome
Prof. Seymour describes in a fascinating
way the scenes OF the battles of the Had
in the extreme northwestern corner or ASIA
Minor and the explorations that have been
made to determine the location OF Troy.
1t was a plain about nine miles long. be-
ginning at the opening of the Hellespont
and extending back into the mountains
The western shore stretches northward
from the mouth of the Bunarbashi river
for about eight miles. with limestone cliffs
more than a hundred feet in height. at
fording no anchorage for ships TO the en-
trance of the HelleSpont. The ships or the
Achaeans at the time of the siege OF Troy
were drawn I'D on the sloping shore Of
narrow bay which curves slightly to the
south ofzthe Two. prorpontogies. Sigeum
and .Rhoeteum. which probably remain
about as they were at that time. mere
were Lose Achaean ships. which must nave
required at least two miles of beach.
The current of the Heilespont which Is
said to be two or three miles an hour,
bears away most of the alluvium brought
into its waters by the rivers of the plain,
so that the coast line has not been mate
rally changed. although the bay might have
been a trif1e deeper 5000 years ago than
now<
The Land Of the Trojans.
The highest peak among the mountains
back of the plain Is Mount Ida, which rises
$40 feet above the sea and we'll above the
timber line. The principal river OF the
Trojan plain Is the Scamander, which has
it's sources near one of the submits or
Mount Ida, and. after a course of only fifty
miles empties into the Hellespont. Pltny
calls it a navigable stream. but Prof. Sey-
mOur says that during the winter us cur
rent would seem too violent FOR boats, ana
in the summer its waters too low for navi-
CATION. However large RATS of timber are
brought down from Mount Ida by the spring
floods which attacked Achilles and in which
Julia. daughter of the Emperor Augustus,
had a narrow escape from drowning when
she made visit to Ilium.
Homer's special landmarks, the wild fig
tree, the oak of Zeur and others. cannot, OF
course, be identified: the remains of the
wall of Troy were removed ages ago; the
tomb of Achilles, recognized and hOnored
I,, he
ton long ago; the tomb of Ajax was washed
open by the sea and the bones were trans
ferred to another sepulcher by order or
Emperor Hadrian. A mound has been as
signed to King Priam and another to his
queen, but Prof. Seymour says that moth
ing has ever been found to prove that they
were built In the Homeric period or that
they ever contained the bones of these par
ticular heroes The tomb assigned to Hec-
tor was excavated BY Sir John Lubbock
but contained nothing.
The main features of the Trojan land
scape agree with the descriptions in the
poem. mo one who has not seen the mag
nificent outline which bounds the horizon of
the plain of Troy" Prof. Seymour remarks
"can bring home to his mind the stirring
and marvellous narrative of the poet. as
Homer meant it, to affect his readers, or
rather. hearers.
Site of Ancient Ilium.
Ancient Ilium lay trifie more than three
L
the citadel was 1872 feet above the level of
the sea and so feet above the plain. 1t was
sacked. but the more substantial buildings
and the city walls were not RACED to the
ground A passage in the twentieth book
of the Iliad-the prediction by Poseidon that
the mighty AeneaS and his sons sons should
rule over the Trojans-was accepted by the
Romans as the basis of the story which is
familiar to all from Virgils Aeneid-that
AeneaS was saved from the conflict and led
a company of Trojans to Italy, where they
became the founders of Rome and the IA
theirs of the Romans.
However scholars may explain the various
stories of the wanderings of Aeneas and his
Trojans. Prof. Seymour says the ancient
site of Hum was not long abandoned and
that the traditions of it We're never forgot
ten. HerXeS IN the spring of $50 b. &. WIS.,
tied the place and sacrificed thousand cat
tie to the heroes of the Siege of Troy. Alex
ander the Great In 1874 B. c. did the same.
He offered splendid sacrifices to Athena,
left some of his armor in her temple and
took in exchange some OF the armor which
had been saved from the Trojan war and
had ii borne before him In his battles. He
propltiated the spirit of Priam. placed a
garland of flowers upon the tomb Of
Achilles, adorned the temple with votive
offerings and promised after the overthrow
of Persia to make the city large and the
| temple renowned and have sacred games
held there. Twelve years later 1lium be-
came the head of a confederacy which held
a great festival there, with games and sac
rifces to Athena
The great Gen. Gaius Livus, in the year
100 B. C.,> was the first Roman to offer
sacrifice and to recognize Ilium as the
cradle OF his race. Julius Caesar visited
Ilium in the next century, and Is reported
to have thought of making 1t the capital
| of the Roman empire. He claimed not only
| descent. hut also name. from Iulus. son Of
Aeneas. The Emperor Augustus restored
and beautified the Temple of Athens. and
| built theater which would seat 5000 peo-
| pie. Nero addressed the Roman senate In
| behalf of Ilium when he was only sixteen
years old -Claudius extended the privileges
| OF the town. Hadrian visited Ilium, re-
| stored the shrine of Ajax and caused mile
| stones to be set up on the roads, at least
| one of which is still preserved. Marcus
| Aurelius and the later Roman emperors
! nearly all visited the place and paid it
| honor The Emperor Constantine revived
| the plans of Julius Caesar to make Ilium
| the capital of the Roman empire He even
| drew plan of the proposed city and be-
| gan the erection of its walls. After the
| Christian era and up to the time of the in
| vasion of the Turks in 1906 Ilium was the
| seat of a bishopric, and down to the pres
| ent day 1t has been visited by scholars and
| ordinary travellers in large numbers every
year. - ~ res -.a
| Schliemann's Excavations.
To DR.. Heinrich Schliemann Prof Sey-
mour gives the honor of Determining msnv