Discovery of an ancient wall on the northern slope--Discovery of a
Tower on the south side--Its position and construction--It is
Homer’s _Great Tower of Ilium_--Manner of building with stones and
earth--A Greek inscription--Remarkable medal of the age of
Commodus--Whorls found just below the surface--Terra-cottas found
at small depths--Various objects found at the various depths--A
skeleton, with ornaments of gold, which have been exposed to a
great heat--Paucity of human remains, as the Trojans burnt their
dead--No trace of pillars--Naming of the site as “Ilium” and the
“Pergamus of Troy.”
Pergamus of Troy, August 4th, 1872.
[Illustration: PLATE VIII.
_Page 200._
THE GREAT TOWER OF ILIUM.
Seen from the S.E.
The top is 8 M. (26 ft.) below the surface of the Hill: the foundation
is on the rock 14 M. (46 ft.) deep: the height of the Tower is 20 feet.]
Referring to my report of the 13th of last month, I am glad now to be
able to mention that, in excavating the depths of the temple, I found a
wall 10 feet high and 6½ feet thick, which, however, has at one time
been much higher, as the quantity of stones lying beside it seem to
prove. It is at a distance of 131 feet from the declivity of the hill,
and at a perpendicular depth of 34 feet.[199] This wall is composed of
large stones joined with earth, and, as is attested by the layers of
_débris_ which extend in an oblique direction below it, it was built
originally upon the steep slope of the hill. Hence, since the erection
of the wall, the hill at this point has increased 131 feet in breadth
and 44¼ feet in height by the accumulation of _débris_. I have not
yet been able to ascertain whether this wall was the foundation of an
ancient Trojan temple, or whether it belongs to the enclosing wall
which, says Homer,[200] was built by Poseidon and Apollo. In the latter
case, it would appear strange that it is only 6½ feet thick, and was
never higher than 16½ feet, for it must be remembered that the hill
has a steep incline on the north side, and that it is very precipitous
at this part especially.
Below the wall I found five of those splendid, brilliant black flat
Trojan terra-cottas, which are so like a wheel, that they can be
distinguished at a glance from all the others. One has six suns in the
circle round the central sun; another has four stars forming a cross
round the sun; a third has three double rising suns in the circle round
the central sun; a fourth has four rising suns with five lines, forming
a cross round the sun; a fifth has three triple rising suns round the
sun. I also found below the wall a number of fragments of black Trojan
vessels which are directly recognised by their fineness, and by the long
single or double rings on the sides.
The wall proceeds from west to east, and consequently obstructs my path,
and I cannot remove the _débris_ from behind it without considerably
widening my trench, which would be a gigantic piece of work between the
enormous earthen walls. In continuing my trench in a horizontal
direction I have arrived at exactly 6½ feet below this wall. It is
very interesting from a perpendicular depth of 15½ meters, or 51-1/3
feet, to see this mass of primeval Trojan masonry in a depth of 13½
to 10½ meters (44¼ to 34 feet), and the wall beside it which was
built by Lysimachus, and is almost immediately below the surface,
standing as it were in mid air.
On the south side of the hill where, on account of the slight natural
slope, I had to make my great trench with an inclination of 14 degrees,
I discovered, at a distance of 197 feet from the declivity, a Tower, 12
meters or 40 feet thick, which likewise obstructs my path, and appears
to extend to a great length.[201] I am busily engaged in making large
excavations to the right and left of it, in order to lay bare the whole;
for, independently of the mighty interest attached to this Tower, I must
necessarily dig a channel to allow the waters of the winter rains to run
off, as they would otherwise rush violently down from my platform (197
feet in length, and with a considerable slope) against the Tower and
injure it. I have uncovered the Tower on the north and south sides along
the whole breadth of my trench, and have convinced myself that it is
built on the rock at a depth of 14 meters or 46½ feet.
An elevated mass of calcareous earth, 65½ feet broad and 16½ feet
high, rests upon the north side of the Tower, and is evidently composed
of the rubbish which had to be removed in order to level the rock for
building the Tower upon it. I have of course pierced this hillock, and
have convinced myself that the north side of the Tower, 16½ feet
above the rock, does not consist of masonry, but of large blocks of
stone lying loosely one upon another, and that only the upper part,
about a yard high, consists of actual masonry. This hillock, having the
form of a rampart, thus serves to consolidate the north side of the
Tower, and renders it possible to ascend to the top without steps. The
south side of the Tower, looking out upon the Plain, consists of very
solid masonry, composed of blocks of limestone joined with earth, some
of the stones being hewn, others not. This south side of the Tower rises
from the rock at an angle of 75 degrees.
None but those who have been present at these works can have any idea of
the enormous difficulties connected with making excavations 46½ feet
deep on the right and left of the Tower, where the _débris_ has to be
carried off to a distance of more than 262 feet. At this great distance
it is very fatiguing to work with wheel-barrows and man-carts; so I now
keep seven carts drawn by horses, which I find a very great relief.
The Tower is at present only 6 meters (20 feet high), but the nature of
its surface, and the masses of stones lying on both sides, seem to prove
that it was at one time much higher.[202] For the preservation of what
remains we have only to thank the ruins of Troy, which entirely covered
the Tower as it now stands. It is probable that after the destruction of
Troy much more of it remained standing, and that the part which rose
above the ruins of the town was destroyed by the successors of the
Trojans, who possessed neither walls nor fortifications. The western
part of the Tower, so far as it is yet uncovered, is only from 121 to
124 feet distant from the steep western slope of the hill; and,
considering the enormous accumulation of _débris_, I believe that the
Tower once stood on the western edge of the Acropolis, where its
situation would be most interesting and imposing; for its top would have
commanded, not only a view of the whole Plain of Troy, but of the sea
with the islands of Tenedos, Imbros, and Samothrace. There is not a more
sublime situation in the area of Troy than this, and I therefore presume
that it is the “Great Tower of Ilium” which Andromache ascended because
“she had heard that the Trojans were hard pressed and that the power of
the Achæans was great.”[203] After having been buried for thirty-one
centuries, and after successive nations have built their houses and
palaces high above its summit during thousands of years, this Tower has
now again been brought to light, and commands a view, if not of the
whole Plain, at least of the northern part and of the Hellespont. May
this sacred and sublime monument of Greek heroism for ever attract the
eyes of those who sail through the Hellespont! May it become a place to
which the enquiring youth of all future generations shall make
pilgrimage and fan their enthusiasm for knowledge, and above all for the
noble language and literature of Greece! May it be an inducement
speedily and completely to lay bare the walls of Troy, which must
necessarily be connected with this Tower and most probably also with the
wall laid open by me on the north side, to uncover which is now a very
easy matter.
The expenses of excavating Ilium are, however, too great for private
means, and I hope that a company will be formed, or that some government
will decide to continue my excavations, so that I may proceed to the
excavation of the acropolis of Mycenæ. Meanwhile I shall continue the
excavations at my own expense, but I shall in future confine myself to
gradually uncovering the large surrounding walls, which are sure to be
in a more or less good state of preservation at a great depth below the
city wall built by Lysimachus.
Before I had seen even the smallest ruins of walls belonging to Ilium, I
repeatedly maintained in my reports that the whole city was built, as it
is now proved by the Wall and the Tower to have been, of stones joined
with earth. That this style of building, if not more ancient, is at
least just as ancient as the so-called cyclopean, is proved by the walls
and houses of Thera (Santorin) and Therassia, which are built in the
same way, and which, as is well known, were discovered beneath three
layers of volcanic ashes 68 feet thick. These ashes were, however,
thrown up by a central volcano, which must have been at least 3800 feet
high, and which, as is generally supposed, sank into the sea at latest
1500 years before Christ.
Upon the site of the temple I found, at a depth of 6½ feet, a block
of marble 5¼ feet high, and 2¾ feet both in breadth and thickness;
it weighs about 50 tons, and contains the following inscription:--
ΗΒΟΥΛΗΚΑΙΟΔΗΜΟ
ΙΛΙΕΩΝΕΤΙΜΗΣΑΝΑΥ
ΚΛΑΥΔΙΟΝΚΑΙΚΙΝΑΙ
ΑΙΟΝΚΥΖΙΚΗΝΟΝΑ
ΤΑΛΟΓΙΣΤΗΝΥΠΟΤΟ 5
ΟΤΑΤΟΥΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΟΡΟ
ΣΑΡΟΣΤΙΤΟΥΑΙΛΙΟΥΑΔ
ΝΟΥΑΝΤΩΝΙΟΥΣΕΒΑ
ΕΥΣΕΒΟΥΣΚ..ΙΠΟΛΛ
ΜΕΓΑΛΑΤΗΙΠ..ΛΕΙΚΑΤΟ 10
ΣΑΝΤΑΚΑΙΠ..ΡΑΣΧΟΝΤ
ΤΕΤΗΛΟΓΙΣΤ..ΙΑΚΑΙΣΥ
ΓΟΡΙΑΙΣΑΝΔ...ΠΑΣΗΣΤ
ΑΞΙΟΝΑΡΕΤΗ..ΕΝΕΚΕΝΚ
ΕΥΝΟΙΑΣΤΗΣΠΡΟΣΤΗ 15
ΠΟΛΙΝ
The first name occurring in this inscription, of which the syllable =ΑΥ=
is preserved, is probably =ΑΥΛΟΣ=. =ΚΑΙΚΙΝΑΙ=, must certainly be the
family-name, and must indicate the Latin ablative. Whether the other
name, of which =ΑΙΟΝ= remains, is intended for =ΓΑΙΟΝ=, I do not venture
positively to maintain, but I consider it to be probable. For the
inscription, which I read as follows, is written in bad Greek,
especially towards the end: Ἡ βουλὴ καὶ ὁ δῆμος Ἰλιέων ἐτίμησαν Αὖλον
Κλαύδιον Καικινᾷ Γάϊον Κυζικηνὸν ἄρχοντα λογιστὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ θειοτάτου
αὐτοκράτορος Καίσαρος Τίτου Αἰλίου Ἀδριανοῦ Ἀντωνίου Σεβαστοῦ Εὐσεβοὺς
καὶ πολλὰ καὶ μεγάλα τῇ πόλει κατορθώσαντα καὶ παράσχοντά τε τῇ
λογιστείᾳ καὶ συνηγορίαις ἄνδρα πάσης τιμῆς ἄξιον ἀρετῆς ἕνεκεν καὶ
εὐνοίας τῆς πρὸς τὴν πόλιν.
The Emperor mentioned in this inscription is of course Antoninus Pius,
whose reign began in the year 138 A.D., and who died in 161 A.D.; it is
merely by an error that he is here called Antonius. He got the name of
Hadrian from his adoptive father, the Emperor Hadrian, and took the
name of Ælius after the death of Hadrian’s first adopted son, Ælius
Cæsar.
Upon the upper end of the block of marble there are two foot-marks, the
one considerably in advance of the other. Each of them being 15-1/3
inches long, they leave no doubt that upon this block the colossal
statue of the Cyzicene, who is praised in the inscription, stood in the
attitude of an orator. In the hinder foot there is a square hole, 1-4/5
inch square, in which was placed the iron rod for fixing the statue. To
judge from the size of the footmarks, the statue must have been more
than 8 feet high, and, as the marble block is 5¼ feet in height, the
whole must have been at least 13¼ feet high, and hence we may
conclude that the temple in which this work of art stood was very
spacious.
The excavations to the right and left of the Tower have unfortunately to
be made from above, which makes the work slower, but gives me the
advantage of being able again to state with great accuracy at what
depths the various objects are found. Generally the ruins of the Greek
period extend to a depth of 2 meters (6½ feet), but there are places
where the remains of the pre-Hellenic period commence at less than 1
meter (3¼ feet), and this is the case on the east of the Tower, where
at even 3¼ feet below the surface I found a seal made of clay with a
tree and two stars. At the same depth I found one straight and three
crooked copper knives, as well as a large double-edged axe and several
other instruments of the same metal. Almost immediately on the surface I
found, among other coins, an exceedingly remarkable medal, such as I
believe has never before been met with; on one side it has the portrait
of the Emperor Commodus (here written ΚΟΜΟΔΟΣ); upon the other there is
a figure in armour, armed with two lances (probably Minerva) standing
upon the fore part of a ship, which ends in an extremely well-wrought
head of a gazelle; in a semicircle round it is the word ΕΛΑΙΟΥΣΙΩΝ. The
medal therefore comes from the very small island of Elæusa, on the
coast of Cilicia, and it proves the remarkable fact that this small
island, which now scarcely possesses any inhabitants, was anciently so
populous that it struck its own coins.
[Illustration: No. 150. Terra-cotta Vase (7 M.).]
[Illustration: No. 151. Terra-cotta Vase in the form of an Animal, from
the Trojan Stratum (10 M.).]
The frequently discussed whorls of terra-cotta, bearing simple or double
crosses with the marks of four nails, or having three, four, or five
double rising suns in the circle round the central sun, are met with to
the east of the Tower quite close below the surface, that is, at a depth
of not quite a foot. At a depth of 1 meter (3¼ feet) I found a small
whorl, upon which the _Rosa mystica_, with its four petals, forms a
cross round the sun. At as small a depth as 2 meters (6½ feet) I
discovered a small and coarsely made cup, with the owl’s face of the
Ilian tutelary goddess, also very clumsy goblets in the form of
champagne-glasses with two handles; at a depth of 3 meters (10 feet)
small saucers with three little feet, which are adorned with 卐 and trees
of life. I also found at the same depth small terra-cotta volcanoes and
tops with the 卐, and a great number of them at a depth of 4 meters (13
feet). At the latter depth I found, when excavating the west side of the
Tower, an extremely curious cup, nearly 8 inches high, in the form of a
Mecklenburg roll (_Plutensemmel_), with four divisions, but round and
furnished with two enormous handles; it has a rounded foot, so that it
can only stand on its mouth. In the same place I found a curious vase,
with little rings on the sides for suspension by strings, and a little
spout in the bulge, so that the fluid poured into the vase would run out
again directly. Vases with such tubes in the bulge, but without rings at
the sides, are very frequently met with. Further, at a depth of 4 meters
(13 feet) I found goblets in the form of champagne-glasses, with two
large handles; also a curious little terra-cotta volcano with four 卐,
the symbol of lightning, and two sacrificial altars covered with flames.
At a depth of 5 meters (16½ feet) I found several such pieces with
extremely interesting symbolical signs; one of them had a very fine
engraving of the flaming altar and the tree of life. In the same stratum
I found a neat little vase with three feet, two handles, and prettily
engraved decorations; lastly, a number of small knives made of silex, in
the form of saws. At a depth of 6 meters (20 feet) we found a vessel, a
little more than 9 inches long, which is exactly in the shape of an
animal; it has three feet, a tail, and an upright neck, which is
connected with the back by a large handle. At a depth of 7 meters (23
feet) I found a very pretty vase, with the owl’s head of the tutelary
goddess of Troy, her two female breasts and navel; the two arms are
raised by the side of the head, and served as handles. From the same
depth we brought out a curious saw made of bone; from a depth of 8
meters (26 feet), idols with the image of the Ilian Athena, with her
girdle, made of very fine marble; at the same depth some of those
earthen funnels which I have already frequently mentioned, also several
terra-cotta balls covered with engravings of little stars. I also
discovered during the last few days, at depths of from 8 to 11 meters
(26 to 36 feet) a number of large vases and vessels of various forms,
with two, three, and four handles, and, besides these, at 10 meters (33
feet) deep, a vessel in the form of an animal, with three feet and a
tail; a horn, which projects from the upright neck and serves as a
handle, connects the head with the end of the back. This vessel is not
unlike a locomotive engine.
[Illustration: No. 152. Terra-cotta Vessel in the shape of a Pig, from
the Lowest Stratum (14 M.).]
[Illustration: No. 153. Skull of a Woman, found near some gold ornaments
in the Lowest Stratum (13 M.).]
The day before yesterday, at the depth of 14 meters (46 feet), we met
with a great number of interesting things; for instance, the neck of a
brilliant red vase with the owl’s head, which has two enormously large
eyes; then a brilliant brown vessel, 8-2/3 inches long, 7 inches high,
and nearly 6 inches thick, in the form of a sow, with a projecting but
closed head of excellent workmanship, and with three feet; the orifice
of the vessel is in the tail, which is connected with the back by a
handle. Further, a lance and several instruments, as well as a number of
copper nails, and needles of ivory for embroidering. In the ashes of the
same house, which has evidently been burnt, I also found, at a depth of
13 meters (42½ feet), a tolerably well preserved skeleton of a woman,
of which I think I have collected nearly all the bones; the skull
especially is in a good state of preservation, but has unfortunately
been broken in our excavations; however, I can easily put it together
again; the mouth is somewhat protruding, and shows good but
astonishingly small teeth. By the side of the skeleton I found a
finger-ring, three ear-rings, and a dress-pin of pure gold. The latter
is perfectly simple, and has a round head; two of the ear-rings are of
quite a primitive kind, and consist of simple gold wire 0.058 of an inch
thick; as does also the third ear-ring, which, however, is much more
finely wrought and ends in a leaf, which is formed of six gold wires of
equal thickness, riveted together.[204] The finger-ring is made of three
gold wires 0.115 of an inch thick. All of these objects bear evidence of
having been exposed to great heat. The Trojan woman must, however, have
also worn other ornaments, for by the side of the skeleton I collected
several gold beads only 0.039 of an inch large, and also a very thin
oval ring only a quarter of an inch in length. Even the colour of the
bones leaves no doubt that the lady was overtaken by fire and burnt
alive. With the exception of the skeleton of the embryo of six months
which was found in a vase upon the primary soil, this is the only human
skeleton I have ever met with in any of the pre-Hellenic strata on this
hill.[205] As we know from Homer, all corpses were burnt, and the ashes
were placed in urns, of which I have found great numbers in the ruins of
all the nations which inhabited this hill before the time of the Greek
colony. The bones, however, were always burnt to ashes; at most I have
occasionally discovered a whole tooth, in no case have I ever met with
another entire bone in the urns.
Among the remains of the same Trojan house, and not far from the
skeleton, I found the fragment of a yellow cup (vase-cover), with a very
expressive man’s face; the nose is long and somewhat aquiline. In
addition to this I found there seven of the round terra-cottas in the
shape of a flat top. Among these was one 2-1/3 inches in diameter, which
has the exact form of a wheel; in the circle round the nave it has five
rising suns. As usual, these decorations are engraved and filled with a
white substance.
Of pillars I have as yet found no trace in Troy; hence if there existed
real pillars, they must in all cases have been of wood. Moreover, the
word “κίων” is never met with in the Iliad, and only in the Odyssey. In
a house at a depth of 39¼ feet, I found a prettily carved and very
hard piece of limestone in the form of a crescent, with a round hole
1½ inch deep, and I conjecture that it may have been used as the
support for a door.
In conclusion, I flatter myself with the hope that, as a reward for my
enormous expenses and all my privations, annoyances, and sufferings in
this wilderness, but above all for my important discoveries, the
civilized world will acknowledge my right to re-christen this sacred
locality; and in the name of the divine Homer I baptize it with that
name of immortal renown, which fills the heart of everyone with joy and
enthusiasm: I give it the name of “TROY” and “ILIUM,” and I call the
Acropolis, where I am writing these lines, by the name of the “_Pergamus
of Troy_.”[206]
[Illustration: No. 154. Block of Limestone, with a socket, in which the
pivot of a door may have turned (12 M.).]