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Chapter 22 (part A) (p.300)
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 (p.301) 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 (p????). 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. (p.302) 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.
 No. 218. Copper Bolts, found exactly in the middle (a) of the first (b) of the second Scæan Gates.
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 (p.303) 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.
PLATE XII.
Page 303.
THE DOUBLE SCÆAN GATE, PALACE OF PRIAM, AND TOWER OF ILIUM.
From the North-West.
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,—(p.304) 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{305}
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 (p.306) 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.
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 (p.307) 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.
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,{308} 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.)
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{309} 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]
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.}
No. 222. A splendidly-decorated Vase of Terra-cotta, with three Feet and two Ears. From the Palace (7½ M.).
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 (p.310) 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 (p.311) 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.
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 (pt??e?) 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.
Footnotes:
[258] It will be seen presently that Dr. Schliemann ultimately limited the ancient city of Troy to the “Pergamus” itself.—[Ed.]
[259] Iliad, III. 146-244:—
“Attending there on aged Priam, sat
The Elders of the city; . . . .
All these were gathered at the Scæan Gates.
. . . . . so on Ilion’s Tower
Sat the sage chiefs and councillors of Troy.
Helen they saw, as to the Tower she came.”
[260] Iliad, VI. 390-393:—
? ?a ???? taµ??? ? d’ ?p?ss?t? d?µat?? ??t??
??? a?t?? ?d?? a?t?? ???t?µ??a? ?at’ ??????.
??te p??a? ??a?e d?e???µe??? µ??a ?st?
S?a???, t? ??? ?µe??e d?e??µe?a? ped???de——
“So spoke the ancient dame; and Hector straight
Through the wide streets his rapid steps retraced.
But when at last the mighty city’s length
Was traversed, and the Scæan Gates were reached,
Whence was the outlet to the plain——”
[261]
This edifice, now first laid open from beneath the ashes which covered
it in the burning of the city, was found by Dr. Schliemann in the very
state to which, in Homer, Agamemnon threatens to reduce it: “The house
of Priam blackened with fire” (Iliad, II. 414, 415):
???? µe ?at? p????? ßa??e??
????µ??? µ??a???? ???a??e?, p??sa? d? p???? d????? ???et?a.
[262] In the letter-press to the Atlas of Photographs
this object is described as “a brilliant dark-red Vase, 62 centimeters
(above 2 feet) high, with the owl-face of Troy’s tutelar goddess, her
two breasts, a necklace, and a royal scarf round the whole body. It is
remarkable that this vase has not the two uplifted arms of the goddess,
which are wanting in no other case, and that it has only two handles.”
[263]
The Inscription on this Vase has been discussed by Professor Gomperz,
who also pronounces the characters on it as well as on the other vase
(No. 221) to be Cyprian writing. (See Appendix.)
[264] Compare the Introduction, p. 50.
[265] See Cut, No. 54, p. 87.
[266] This most curious vase is engraved in the Introduction, No. 31, p. 37.
[267] See the passage quoted below to illustrate the shield found among the Treasure (Chapter XXIII., p. 324).
[Continue to Chapter 22, part B]
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