Arizona republican., 1907-09-01
THE LAND OF TROY
 SEYMOUR'S NEW BOOK

Boston, Mass, Aug. 1S.-Prof. Thomas Day Seymour of Yale univer- sity. one cf the highest authorities on the Greek language and literature in this country and son of the late Prof. Nathan Seymour of Western Reserve gollege. who taught Greek. has written a book on Life in the Homeric Age" !, which is nov in Macmillan's press. IL will be equally interesting to lay men and scholars and of special value to Greek students throughout the world. It brings the "Iliad" down to the present time. being a commentary upon that poem from the standpoint of our every day life and modern condi- tons.
 No one is better qualified to con- tribute such an important volume to classic literature than Prof. Seymour, because he has spent a considerable part of his life among the scenes des- c-ibed b- the Greek blind poet and has a familiar knowledge of the topo- graphy. the archaeology and the eth nology Of the races of whom Homer sang. He was one of the founders and flr long time director of the Ameri- can school at Athens and is still presi- dent O. tie board of trustees of the school of Classical Studies at Rome.
 Prof. Seymour describes in a fasci- ] sting way the scenes of the battles =. the "Iliad." in the extreme north- western corner of Asia Minor, and the explorations that have been made to determine the location of Troy.
 It was a plain about nine miles long. beginning at the opening of the Hell leSpont 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 II1 feet in height, affording no anchor age for ships. to the entrance of the Hellespont.
 The ships of the Achaeans of the time of the siege of Troy were drawn up on the sloping shore of marrow bay which curves slightly to the south of the two promontories Sigeup and Rhoeteum. which probably remain aoout as they were at that time. There .Eere 1,0S6 Achaean ships. which must u have required at least two miles of ' beach.
 The current of the Hellespont which is said to be two or three miles an
 
 brought into its waters by the rivers of the plain. so that the coast line has not been materially changed, although the bay might have been a trifie deep CT 5000 years ago than now.
 The highest peak among the moun- talns back of the plain is Mount Ida, which rises 5.74O feet above the sea and well above the timber line.
 
 plain is the Scamander. which has it's sources near one of the summits of Mount Ida, and after a coudse of only fitty miles. empties into the Helles- point Pliny calls it a navigable stream, but Prof. Seymour says that during the winter its current would seem too violent for boats and in the sumner its waters too low for naviga- ton
 However. large rafts of timber are brought down from Mount Ida bv the spring floods, which attacked Achilles and in which Julia, daughter of the Emperor Augustus. had a narrow es- Cape from drowning when she made a visit 10 Hum.
 Homer's special landmarks, the wild fig tree the oak of Zeus, and others. cannot. of course, be identified; the re- !" mains Of the wall of Troy were re- moved ages ago; the tomb of Achilles, -nized and honored by Alexander , The Great, lost its Identification long aga. the tomb of Ajax was washed open h,- the sea and the bones were uansfered to another sepulcher by order of Emperor Hadrian.
 4 mound has been assigned to King F-au and another to his queen, but Pro- seymour says that nothing has