Interruptions through festivals--Opening of the tumulus of
Batiea--Pottery like that of the Trojan stratum at Hissarlik, and
nothing else--No trace of burial--Its age--Further discoveries of
burnt Trojan houses--Proof of their successive ages--Their
construction--Discovery of a double gateway, with the copper bolts
of the gates--The “SCÆAN GATE” of Homer--Tests of the extent of
ancient Troy--The place where Priam sat to view the Greek
forces--Homer’s knowledge of the heroic Troy only
traditional--Description of the gates, the walls, and the “PALACE
OF PRIAM."--Vases, &c., found in Priam’s house--Copper, ivory, and
other implements--The δέπα ἀμφικύπελλα--Houses discovered on the
north platform--Further excavations of the city walls--Statuettes
and vessels of the Greek period--Top of the Tower of Ilium
uncovered, and its height determined--A curious trench in it,
probably for the archers--Further excavations at Bunarbashi: only a
few fragments of Greek pottery--The site of Ilium uninhabited since
the end of the fourth century--The place confused with Alexandria
Troas--No Byzantine remains at Hissarlik--Freshness of the Greek
sculptures.
Pergamus of Troy, May 10th, 1873.
Since my report of the 16th of last month I have had many interruptions,
for the Greek Easter festival lasts six days, then the feast of Saint
George and its after celebrations again took away several days, so that
during all this time I have had only four days of actual work; however,
on these days, with on an average 150 men, I have continued the works
with great energy.
As we have had continual fine weather since the beginning of April, my
men no longer go to the neighbouring villages for the night as they have
hitherto done; but they sleep in the open air and even in the
excavations, which is very convenient for me, as I now have them always
at hand. Besides this, the long days are of great advantage to me, for I
can continue work from a quarter to five till a quarter past seven in
the evening.
On the top of the tumulus, which is half an hour distant from the
Pergamus, and which, according to the Iliad (II. 811-815), was called by
men the tomb of Batiea, and by the gods the tomb of Myrina, I have had a
shaft sunk, 10¾ feet broad and 17½ feet long; and I find that the
layer of soil there is scarcely more than ¾ of an inch thick, and then
follows brown earth as hard as stone, which alternates with strata of
calcareous earth. In the brown earth I found a mass of fragments of
brilliant black, green, and brown vases, of the same description as
those which I find here in the Pergamus at a depth of from 8 to 10
meters (26 to 33 feet); also many fragments of jars (πίθοι). Beyond
these I discovered nothing at all, and at a depth of 4½ meters
(13¾ feet) I came upon the white limestone rock. What is most
surprising to me is that I did not even find any charcoal, much less the
bones of the burnt corpse. That I should have missed the traces of the
funeral pile, if such really existed, is inconceivable to me, when I
consider the size of my cutting and of its perpendicular walls.
Now, although I have failed in the actual object of this excavation,
still it has this important result for archæology, that, by means of all
the fragments of pottery discovered there, it enables us to determine
with some degree of certainty the date of the erection of this mound;
for it evidently belongs to a time when the surface of the Pergamus was
from 26 to 33 feet lower than it is now. It is therefore of the same
date as the Tower-road already described, which is paved with large
flags of stone, and above which I have carried on the excavations with
the greatest industry. I finished these excavations to-day. They have
brought to light two large buildings of different ages, the more recent
of which is erected upon the ruins of the more ancient one. Both have
been destroyed by terrible fires, of which the walls bear distinct
traces; moreover all the rooms of both houses are filled with black,
red, and yellow wood-ashes and with charred remains. The more recent
house was erected when the ruins of the more ancient house were
perfectly covered with ashes and with burnt _débris_, as is obvious from
the fact that the more recent walls run in all directions above the more
ancient ones, never standing directly upon them, and are frequently
separated from them by a layer of calcined _débris_, from 6½ to 10
feet high. The lower, as well as the upper house, is built of stones
joined with earth, but the walls of the lower house are much thicker and
much more solidly built than those of the upper one. The Tower-road can
only have been used when the more ancient house was still inhabited, for
it leads directly into it, and the more recent house was not built till
the street was covered to a height of 10 feet by the ruins of the more
ancient house.
[Illustration: No. 218. Copper Bolts, found exactly in the middle (_a_)
of the first (_b_) of the second Scæan Gates.]
[Illustration:
PLATE XII.
Tower of Ilium.
Wall of Débris.
Scæan Gate and Paved Road.
Wall of Troy.
Ruins of the Palace of Priam.
_Page 303._
THE DOUBLE SCÆAN GATE, PALACE OF PRIAM, AND TOWER OF ILIUM.
From the North-West.]
I was firmly convinced that this splendid street, paved with large flags
of stone, must proceed from the principal building of the Pergamus, and
I therefore confidently carried on the excavation in order to bring that
edifice to light. To accomplish this, I was most unfortunately compelled
to break down three of the large walls of the more recent house. The
result has, however, far surpassed my expectations, for I not only found
two large gates, standing 20 feet apart, but also the two large copper
bolts belonging to them, of which I give drawings. The first gate is
12¼ feet broad, and is formed by two projections of the wall, one of
which stands out 2½ feet, the other 2¾ feet; both are 3¼ feet
high, and 3¾ feet broad. The street paved with the large flags of
stone ends at the first gate, and the road from this to the second gate,
which is situated a little more than 20 feet further to the north-east,
is very roughly paved with large unhewn stones. The pavement has
probably become uneven through the walls of the more ancient house
having fallen upon it. (_See Plan II., and Plates XII. and XIII._)
The second gate is likewise formed by two projections in the wall, which
are 2 feet high, above 3 feet broad, and project about 2½ feet.
I have cleared the street as far as 5 feet to the north-east of the
second gate, but I have not ventured to proceed further, as this could
not be done without breaking down more of the walls of the second house,
the preservation of which is of the greatest interest to archæology.
For, although it must be of a much more recent date than the lower one
upon the ruins of which it stands, yet, as is proved by the terra-cottas
and the idols with owls’ heads, as well as by its position at a depth of
from 6 to 7 meters (20 to 23 feet) below the surface, it was built
centuries before the time of the Greek settlement, the ruins of which
extend only to a depth of 6½ feet. This upper and later house is
therefore certainly older than the Homeric poems.
In my last report I expressed the firm conviction that the Tower-road,
which inclines abruptly towards the Plain to the south-west, must lead
to the Scæan Gate, which I thought could at most be 492 feet distant. I
now venture positively to assert that the great double gate which I have
brought to light must necessarily be the SCÆAN GATE. For in the mound,
which runs out for to the south-west from the foot of the Pergamus and
in a straight line with the Tower-road--which mound I had supposed to
contain the great city wall of Ilium and the Scæan Gate,--in this
mound, close to the main hill, I have sunk a shaft, nearly 6 feet broad
and 11 feet long. Here I found exclusively Greek fragments of pottery,
and I came upon the rock at the small depth of 7½ feet; thus I
convinced myself that ancient Troy can never have extended so far
towards the Plain. A second excavation, 11¼ feet long and 6½ feet
broad, which I made exactly 443 feet further to the east up the plateau,
had a similar result, for I came upon the rock at a depth of 16½
feet, and here also I found exclusively fragments of Hellenic pottery
(which in the Pergamus I meet with only at a depth of 6½ feet), and
no trace of Trojan pottery.
This sufficiently proves that the ancient city cannot even have extended
as far as this point, and its area must have been connected with the
Pergamus still further eastwards.[258] I am at present occupied in
making fifteen other shafts in this direction, and I hope, in spite of
the great depth I have to sink them, that I shall succeed, at least to
some extent, in determining the topography of Troy. I shall leave all
the shafts open, so that every visitor may convince himself about the
truth of my statements.
Meanwhile the two shafts described above have gained this much for
archæology, that the street which runs down abruptly at an angle of 65
degrees towards the Plain, in a south-western direction from the double
gate and the Great Tower, cannot possibly have led to a second gate, so
that the double gate which I have laid bare must necessarily have been
the Scæan Gate; it is in an excellent state of preservation, not a stone
of it is wanting.
Here, therefore, by the side of the double gate, upon Ilium’s Great
Tower, at the edge of the very abrupt western declivity of the Pergamus,
sat Priam, the seven elders of the city, and Helen; and this is the
scene of the most splendid passage in the Iliad.[259] From this spot
the company surveyed the whole Plain, and saw at the foot of the
Pergamus the Trojan and the Achæan armies face to face about to settle
their agreement to let the war be decided by a single combat between
Paris and Menelaus.
When Homer[260] makes Hector descend from the Pergamus and rush through
the city in order to arrive at the Scæan Gate, this can only have arisen
from the fact that, after the destruction of Troy, the gate, as well as
the street which led down from it to the Plain, were covered with a
layer of _débris_ 10 feet thick, so that the names only were known from
tradition, and their actual site was unknown.
In order not to weary the reader with a detailed description of the
Scæan Gate, I give an exact plan of it, where all the details may be
seen. (Plan III., p. 306.) This gate, as well as the large ancient
building, stands upon the wall or buttress already mentioned as leaning
on the north side of the Tower. At this place the buttress appears to be
about 79 feet thick, and to be made of the _débris_ which was broken off
the primary soil when the Tower was erected. The site of this building,
upon an artificial elevation directly above the gate, together with its
solid structure, leave no doubt that it was the grandest building in
Troy; nay, that it must have been the PALACE OF PRIAM.[261] I am having
an accurate plan made, so far as I can, of the portion that has been
laid bare; I cannot, however, bring to light the whole of it, for in
order to do this I should have to pull down both my stone and my wooden
house, beneath which it extends; and even if I did pull down my own
houses, I should still be unable to make a complete plan of the house
till I had removed the building which stands upon it, and this I cannot
at once make up my mind to do.
[Illustration: PLAN III.--THE TOWER AND THE SCÆAN GATE.
_a a._ The Great Tower of Ilium. _b._ Depression to shelter archers.
_c._ Steps. _d._ The Double Scæan Gate. _e._ Steep paved road leading to
the Plain. _f._ The City Wall. _g._ Place where the Treasure was found.
_h h._ The Palace of Priam.]
Anyone may convince himself that the elevation, upon which stands the
Palace of King Priam above the Scæan Gate, is in reality an artificial
one, by examining my last year’s great cutting, which pierces through a
portion of this elevation. The walls of that cutting, from the shaft as
far as the gate, show that the mound consists of the native earth which
has been thrown up, mixed with fragments of rare pottery and shells.
[Illustration: No. 219. Wonderful Vase of Terra-cotta from the Palace of
Priam (8 M.).[262]]
Now, with regard to the objects found in these houses, I must first of
all mention having discovered, at a depth of 26 feet, in the palace of
Priam, a splendid and brilliant brown vase, 24¼ inches high, with a
figure of the tutelar goddess of Troy, that is, with her owl’s head, two
breasts, a splendid necklace, indicated by an engraved pattern, a very
broad and beautifully engraved girdle, and other very artistic
decorations; there are no arms, nor are there any indications of them.
Unfortunately this exquisite vase has suffered from the weight of stones
which lay upon it, and although I myself cut it with a knife from among
the stones and the stone-hard _débris_ with the greatest care, I did not
succeed in getting it out without breaking it to pieces. I have,
however, carefully collected all the fragments and sent them to Athens
to be put together, that I may give a drawing of it. (This is No. 219.)
[Illustration: No. 220. Terra-cotta Vase from the House of Priam, with
remarkable Decorations (9 M.).]
Among the very remarkable vases discovered in this palace, I must also
mention one nearly a foot high, with two handles, and an encircling row
of cuneiform engravings, above which, on both sides, there is a very
prominent decoration, in the form of spectacles, which is connected with
a kind of necklace by an engraved tree. I must further draw special
attention to an exceedingly remarkable vase, which was found in the same
house, and upon which there are actual letters in a circle round it.
One piece of the vase is wanting, and with it a portion of the
inscription; but, in order to lay before the reader all that has been
preserved of it, I give the inscription separately, for it would be
impossible to give it accurately on the drawing of the vase. (See No. 3,
p. 23.) It would please me immensely if anyone could decipher the Trojan
writing, and thus throw some light upon the great people to whom it
belonged, and upon the epoch at which it was written.[263] I must also
draw attention to a vase, upon which at first sight it seems as if there
were a row of letters; at a closer examination, however, it appears not
to be writing, but symbolical signs, as the cross is conspicuous in
almost every figure.[264]
[Illustration: No. 221. A Terra-cotta Vase with two little Ears, and two
large perforated Handles, marked with eleven strange characters (5½
M.).
The _depth_ must refer to the _upper house_ above the Palace. it is
given as 8½ M. in the Photograph, but corrected in the descriptive
letter-press to 5½ M.; and a like correction seems to have been
neglected in the Book.--{ED.}]
[Illustration: No. 222. A splendidly-decorated Vase of Terra-cotta, with
three Feet and two Ears. From the Palace (7½ M.).]
[Illustration: No. 223. A Terra-cotta Vase, with two Ears and covered
with dots. From the Palace (7 M.).]
In the same house I found three brilliant red vases, with two handles, a
prominent decoration on either side in the form of spectacles, and two
mighty wings, standing erect by the side of the neck;--half-a-dozen
vases of various sizes, with uncommonly long tubes at the sides and with
holes in the mouth for suspending them by strings;--a very large and
brilliant black vase, with two handles and two ornaments in the form of
large ears;--likewise a smaller vase, with large perforated ears for the
string by which it was hung up;--a vase with three feet, rings for
hanging it up, and beautiful engraved decorations, namely, two
encircling stripes with zigzag lines, and five lines round the neck.
(No. 222.) Further, I found a vase rounded at the bottom, with
perforated handles, and completely covered with dots (No. 223);--also
two covers with pretty owls’ heads, one of which has remarkably large
eyes;--also a fragment of the fore part of a vase with a sheep’s
head;--a curious small but very broad vase, with three feet and long
tubes for hanging it up by strings;--a peculiar terra-cotta lamp, with a
perforated handle in the form of a crescent, and two other projecting
handles, with tubes for suspension;--a red jug with a handle, a neck
completely bent back, a beak-shaped mouth, and two eyes;[265]--a small
vase, covered with dots and possessing two handles and two immense erect
ears;--a jug, with two female breasts;--a vase, with the owl’s face and
the body of the Ilian Athena, and two upraised arms;--also the upper
portion of another vase, upon which may be seen a mouth below the beak
of the Trojan tutelary goddess; and a vase, with a large hollow foot,
very long tubes at the sides for hanging it up, and two prominent
decorations in the form of spectacles.
[Illustration: No. 224. Fine decorated Vase of Terra-Cotta, with two
Handles and two great upright Wings. From the Palace (7½ M.).]
Among the smaller terra-cottas found in the palace of Priam, I have
particularly to mention a vessel 2¾ inches long, in a human form,
with the owl’s head of the Ilian Athena and unusually large eyes: two
lines on the temples appear to indicate the helmet, three horizontal
lines on the neck her armour.[266] The body is covered with an arched
shield 1½ inch long, upon which there are ten rows of dots, which are
probably intended to represent the heads of the small nails with which
the layers (πτύχες) were fastened together; the shield of Ajax, for
instance, consisted of seven layers of hides and an outer case of
copper.[267] The Trojan goddess carries on both sides a large wing, in
the form of a bottle, which is decorated with horizontal lines. The long
hair at the back of the goddess’s head is very distinct; it is gathered
into a plait, and falls down almost as far as her ankles, and is wrought
with great care, reminding one extremely of the very similar plaits of
the Caryatides in the Erechtheum of the Acropolis of Athens. Not only is
the idol hollow, but so also are the wings; the latter must positively
have some symbolical significance.
In the palace of Priam I further met with four marble and three bone
idols, with the owl’s head of the tutelar goddess of Troy: one of the
bone idols is painted with a white colour. I likewise discovered there
ten marble idols, without the owl’s head; also the fragment of a sword,
as well as of a lance, a knife, and some copper implements; further, a
dozen long, thin copper nails, which must have served as hair or dress
pins; besides these, a packet of five dress pins, which have been molten
together in the heat of the conflagration: one of the pins has two
heads, one above the other, the lower head being perfectly round. I also
discovered here a perforated cylinder, 1¾ inch long, made of blue
felspar, and ornamented all round with extremely remarkable engraved
symbols. I there also discovered an extremely curious ivory article,
which must be part of a musical instrument;[268] six sling bullets of
loadstone and an arrow-head.
[Illustration: No. 225. Five Copper Dress Pins, molten together by the
conflagration. From the Palace (8 M.).]
[Illustration: No. 226. Engraved Cylinder of blue Felspar. From the
Palace (9 M.).[269]]
[Illustration: No. 227. Terra-cotta, engraved with ten rude Owls’ Faces.
From the Palace (8 M.).]
Of 210 whorls found in the Palace adorned with Aryan religious symbols,
there are 60 with engravings that I have not hitherto met with, and
three terra-cotta balls with symbolical signs. One of these is
especially remarkable[270]: it has ten roughly-engraved owls’ faces, so
coarsely drawn that I should not even know them to be owls’ faces, were
it not that I have occasionally found just as rude representations of
the owl’s head upon idols. I also discovered in the same house six
beautifully-polished axes of diorite; also one of those round
twice-perforated terra-cottas, arched on both sides and flattened on the
edge of one side, the whole of this flat side being filled with a stamp
bearing the impression of an eagle and a stag or an antelope; further,
four of those frequently-described large red goblets, round below and
with two large handles, which can only stand on the mouth. These four
goblets are, unfortunately, all broken, and I shall not be able to have
them repaired till I return to Athens.
I now venture positively to maintain that these goblets, which, from my
former reports and drawings are known to be from 5 to nearly 16 inches
high, must necessarily be the Homeric “δέπα ἀμφικύπελλα,” and that the
usual interpretation of these words by “_double cups, with a common
bottom in the centre_,” is entirely erroneous. It really appears as if
this wrong translation arose solely through Aristotle; for, as is clear
from his _Hist. Anim._ (9, 40), there were in his time double cups with
a common bottom in the centre; and, in fact, many years ago it is said
that such a cup was discovered in Attica, and bought by the Museum in
Copenhagen. But in the Homeric Troy there were no such cups, otherwise I
should have found them. As already remarked in one of my previous
reports (p. 129), I found on the primary soil, at a depth of from 46 to
52½ feet, several fragments of brilliant black goblets, which I then
considered to be fragments of double cups, because there was a hollow
upon both sides of the bottom; but the one hollow was in all cases quite
small in comparison with the other, and must, therefore, have been in
the foot of the cup. If δέπας ἀμφικύπελλον means _double cup_, then
ἀμφιφορεύς must mean _double urn_, which is not possible either in the
Iliad (XIII. 92), the Odyssey (XXIV. 74), or elsewhere in Homer;
moreover, it has never occurred to anyone to translate it otherwise than
“urn with two handles;” consequently, δέπας ἀμφικύπελλον cannot be
translated otherwise than by “cup with two handles.” As an actual double
cup can, of course, only be filled on one side at a time, Homer would
certainly never have constantly described the filled cup as a double
cup, for there would have been no sense in the name. By the term
ἀμφικύπελλον, however, he wished to signify that the filled cup was
presented by one handle and accepted by the other handle. Interpreted in
this manner, there is a great deal of meaning in the name.[271]
The palace of King Priam furnished me also with two large fragments of a
large brilliant yellow urn, adorned in the most beautiful manner with
engraved decorations. Among others, it has several rows of circles
running round it, in each of which there is a triple cross. The elegance
of the vessel is enhanced by the broad handles, which also have circles
with triple crosses. In the king’s palace I also discovered the handle
of a vessel, broken off; it is 4¼ inches long, and in the form of a
serpent.
In the upper and more recent house, above the Scæan Gate, I found the
vase here represented, which is pointed below, has two handles and
decorations in the form of spectacles (No. 228); also the beautiful
vase, with four handles and a lid (No. 229); the large jug, with one
large and two small handles (No. 230); and a number of other vases and
jugs which I shall not describe, as they have already been frequently
met with. Of idols with owls’ faces I have found only one. There also I
discovered many fragments of those large red goblets with two handles,
which I now recognise to be the Homeric δέπας ἀμφικύπελλον.
[Illustration: No. 228. Terra-cotta Vase, with a curious Decoration.
From the upper and later House above the Scæan Gate (6 M.).]
[Illustration: No. 229. Terra-cotta Vase, with four Handles and a Lid.
From the upper House above the Scæan Gate (6 M.).]
[Illustration: No. 230. A great Jug, with Handle and two Ears. From the
upper House above the Scæan Gate (6 M.).]
As the excavation above the Scæan Gate is finished, I am now again
vigorously at work on the great platform on the north side, which I have
lately had worked whenever I had workmen to spare. We now come upon
several houses there at a depth of from 33 to 20 feet; also, as it
seems, upon a great wall of fortification in the lower strata.
As it is extremely important to know what were the fortifications on the
west and north-west of the Pergamus at the time of the Trojan war, and
as I see another wall, 11½ feet thick, running in a north-western
direction from the Scæan Gate, which however it is impossible to follow
from this side,--during the last eight days I have been making a
cutting, 33 feet broad and 141 long, on the north-west side of the hill,
at the point where, in April 1870, I made the first cutting, which
therefore my men call ἡ μάμμη τῶν ἀνασκαφῶν ("the grandmother of the
excavations”). I am having the _débris_ removed simultaneously by a
small platform, made at a depth of 34¼ feet on the declivity of the
hill, and by three galleries. The distance is not great, and the
wheel-barrows proceed across level ground, and moreover the _débris_
here is very light, and only requires to be thrown down the declivity;
so the work advances very rapidly. Upon the lower platform I came upon
the surrounding wall built by Lysimachus, which is 13 feet high and 10
feet thick, and is composed of large hewn blocks of limestone laid upon
one another without any kind of cement. I have just finished breaking
through this wall. Directly behind it I came upon an older wall, 8¾
feet high and 6 feet thick, which is composed of large hewn stones
joined with earth, and which of course I am also having broken through.
This second wall is immediately followed by that wall of large hewn
stones which I laid bare three years ago, and which I have hitherto
regarded as a bastion; it is, however, probable that it will prove to be
something else, and I shall describe it in detail in my next report.
This part of the Pergamus was evidently much lower in ancient times; as
seems to be proved not only by the surrounding wall, which must at one
time have risen to a considerable height above the surface of the hill,
whereas it is now covered with 16½ feet of _débris_, but also by the
remains of the Hellenic period, which here extend down to a great depth.
It appears, in fact, as if the rubbish and refuse of habitations had
been thrown down here for centuries, in order to increase the height of
the place. This also explains how it is that I find here a quantity of
small but interesting objects from the Greek period. Among others are 24
heads of terra-cotta figures, 17 of which are of great beauty; also a
great number of other fragments of statuettes of the same description,
which display skilful workmanship; a terra-cotta slab 5½ inches in
length, upon which is a representation of a woman; also eight small
terra-cotta slabs, nearly 2 inches in length, upon which I find very
curious and to me utterly unknown objects in high relief.[272] I also
found here the fragments of some vessels of exquisite workmanship; two
beautifully decorated lamps; and a leaden plate, 2¾ inches long and
broad, with a pig’s head in bas-relief, which, as I conjecture, may have
been a coin. We also discovered here a vessel 28¾ inches long, of an
extremely fanciful shape, with a long and very thin foot, a long thin
neck, and two enormous handles.
[Illustration: No. 231. A remarkable Terra-cotta Cup (4 M.).]
Upon the great platform, at a depth of 4 meters (13 feet), we found a
very remarkable cup, which has a handle, and in its hollow foot four
oval holes, pierced opposite to one another. Last year I repeatedly
found the feet of cups of this sort at a depth of from 46 to 52½
feet, but hitherto I have never met with an entire goblet of this form.
As I no longer require the surface of the Tower for removing the
_débris_, I have had it quite cleared, and I find in the centre of it a
depression, 45¼ feet long, from 8¼ to 14¾ feet broad, and
barely 3 feet deep, which may have been used for the archers.[273] It
has now become evident to me that what I last year considered to be the
ruins of a second storey of the Great Tower are only benches made of
stones joined with earth, three of which may be seen rising behind one
another like steps.[274] From this, as well as from the walls of the
Tower and those of the Scæan Gate, I perceive that the Tower never can
have been higher than it now is.
The excavations of the north side of the field belonging to Mr. Calvert,
which I opened to discover other sculptures, have been stopped for some
time, as I can no longer come to terms with him. At present, I have only
two foremen, for I was obliged to dismiss Georgios Photidas, three weeks
ago, for urgent reasons.
In conclusion, I have to mention that, during the Greek Easter festival,
accompanied by my esteemed friend, Judge Schells of Ratisbon, and my
wife, I visited Bunarbashi and the neighbouring heights. In their
presence, I made some small excavations, and I have proved that even in
the village the accumulation of _débris_ amounts only to 1¾ foot in
the court-yards of the buildings, and that upon and beside the street
there is nothing but the virgin earth; further, that upon the small site
of Gergis, at the end of the heights, which was formerly regarded as
identical with Troy, the naked rock projects everywhere; and besides, in
the accumulation of _débris_, which nowhere amounts to 1¾ foot in the
town itself, and to only a little more in the Acropolis, I found nothing
but fragments of pottery from the Hellenic period, that is, from the
third and fifth centuries B.C.
I must also add that I now positively retract my former opinion, that
Ilium was inhabited up to the ninth century after Christ, and I must
distinctly maintain that its site has been desolate and uninhabited
since the end of the fourth century. I had allowed myself to be deceived
by the statements of my esteemed friend, Mr. Frank Calvert, of the
Dardanelles, who maintained that there were documents to prove that the
place had been inhabited up to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries
after Christ. Such documents, if they really do exist, must necessarily
refer to Alexandria Troas, which is always, as for instance in the New
Testament, simply called Troas; for on its site quantities of Byzantine
antiquities are found even on the surface, which seem to prove that the
city was inhabited up to the fourteenth century, or still longer. Here
in Ilium, on the other hand, there is no trace of Byzantine
architecture, of Byzantine sculpture, of Byzantine pottery, or of
Byzantine coins. Altogether I found only two copper medals of Byzantine
monasteries, which may have been lost by shepherds. I found hundreds of
coins belonging to the time of Constantine the Great, Constans II., but
no medals whatever of the later emperors.
As hitherto it was in the Pergamus alone that I found no trace of the
Byzantine period, I thought that it was only the fortress that was
uninhabited during that period, but that the region of the city had been
occupied. But my fifteen shafts, which I am having made on the most
various points of the site of Ilium, as well as the two shafts made upon
the primary soil, prove, as anyone may convince himself, that below the
surface there is no trace of the Byzantine period, nay that, beyond a
very thin layer of earth, which however only exists in some parts, the
ruins of the Greek period extend up to the very surface, and that in
several of the shafts I came upon the walls of Greek houses even on the
surface.
It is impossible that a Byzantine town or a Byzantine village, nay, that
even a single Byzantine house, can have stood upon this hilly and
stone-hard ground, which covers the ruins of a primeval city, without
leaving the most distinct traces of its existence, for here, where for
nine or ten months of the year it never rains, except during rare
thunderstorms, the productions of human industry do not become
weather-beaten and destroyed, as in other countries where there is
frequent rain. The very fragments of sculptures and inscriptions, which
I find here in the Pergamus and in the other districts of the city, upon
the surface, and which have lain exposed to the open air for at least
1500 years, are still almost as fresh as if they had been made
yesterday.
Trusting to the statements of Mr. Frank Calvert, and under the
impression that Ilium had been inhabited for a long time under the
Byzantine dominion, I described the wall, composed of Corinthian pillars
and cement, 10 feet thick, and which gave me so much trouble to break
through at the south-east corner of the Pergamus, as of Byzantine
architecture. (Pp. 230, 250.) I am now, however, forced to believe that
the Temple of Athena, to which these pillars belong, was destroyed by
the religious zeal of the first Christians as early as the reign of
Constantine the Great, or at latest during that of Constantine II., and
that this wall was built of its ruins about the same time.
[Illustration:
No. 232 (8 M.). No. 233 (7 M.).
Curious Terra-cottas from the Trojan Stratum. Dr. Schliemann takes No.
232 for a pair of pegs for hanging up clothes. No. 233 is a strange
animal figure, solid, except for a tube passing through the body and
open at both ends, so that it cannot have been a vessel. Dr. Schliemann
thinks it may represent the _chimæra_ (_Iliad_, VI. 179, foll., “In
front a lion, behind a serpent, and in the middle a chimæra”). In one
sense, certainly, the name seems appropriate.]
[Illustration:
PLATE XIII.
Samothrace.
Imbros.
Dr. Schliemann’s Houses.
Plain of Troy, seen through the great Trench.
Later but Pre-Hellenic Buildings, partly over the Ruins of Priam’s Palace.
TOWER OF ILIUM.
Paved Road.
Wall of Troy, Scæan Gate, and Paved Road to the Plain.
_a_ Place where the Treasure was found.
Greek Tower (where the man stands).
Scamander.
Plain of Troy.
Hellespont.
_Page 321._
THE SCÆAN GATE AND PAVED ROAD, THE TOWER OF ILIUM, CITY WALL, PALACE OF
PRIAM, AND THE WALLS OF A TOWER OF THE GREEK AGE.
From the South-East.]