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Chapter 23 part B
 No. 261. Trojan battle-axe.—TR.
There
were also seven large double-edged copper daggers, with a handle from
about 2 to 2¾ inches long, the end of which is bent round at a right
angle. These handles must at one time have been encased in wood, for if
the cases had been made of bone they would still have been wholly or
partially preserved. The pointed handle was inserted into a piece of
wood, so that the end projected about half an inch beyond it, and this
end was simply bent round. (See page 332.) The largest of these daggers
is 10-2/3 inches in length and above 2 inches broad at the broadest
part; a second dagger, which is above 1¾ inch broad, has the point
broken off, and is now less than 9 inches long, but appears to have
been 11 inches; a third dagger is 8-2/3 inches long, and measures above
1¼ inch at the broadest point; a fourth has become completely curled up
in the conflagration, but appears to have been above 11 inches long. Of
the fifth, sixth, and seventh daggers I only discovered the fragments;
these are from nearly 4 to 5-1/3 inches in length. But in a packet of
four{332} lances and battle-axes, which have been welded together in
the heat of the fire, I believe I can recognise another dagger.
Of
common one-edged knives I only found one in the Treasure; it is above 6
inches in length. I also found a piece of a sword which is 8-2/3 inches
long and nearly 2 inches broad: also a four-cornered copper bar ending
in an edge; it is nearly 15 inches long, and also appears to have
served as a weapon.
Nos. 262, 263, 264, 266, Trojan Two-edged Copper
Daggers, with hooked Stems that have been fastened into Wooden Handles;
No. 264 is doubled up by the Conflagration. No. 265, Weapons molten
together. No. 267, a Copper Sword-Blade, with a sharp edge at the end.
No. 268, a Four-sided Copper Bar, ending in a sharp edge.—TR.
As
I found all these articles together, forming a rectangular mass, or
packed into one another, it seems to be certain that they were placed
on the city wall in a wooden chest (f???aµ??), such as those mentioned
by{333} Homer as being in the palace of King Priam.[291] This appears
to be the more certain, as close by the side of these articles I found
a copper key above 4 inches long, the head of which (about 2 inches
long and broad) greatly resembles a large safe-key of a bank. Curiously
enough this key has had a wooden handle; there can be no doubt of this
from the fact that the end of the stalk of the key is bent round at a
right angle, as in the case of the daggers.
No 269. Copper Key, supposed to have belonged to the Treasure-chest.—TR.
It
is probable that some member of the family of King Priam hurriedly
packed the Treasure into the chest and carried it off without having
time to pull out the key; that when he reached the wall, however, the
hand of an enemy or the fire overtook him, and he was obliged to
abandon the chest, which was immediately covered to a height of from 5
to 6 feet with the red ashes and the stones of the adjoining royal
palace.
Perhaps the articles found a few days previously in a
room of the royal palace, close to the place where the Treasure was
discovered, belonged to this unfortunate person. These articles were a
helmet, and a silver vase{334} 7 inches high and 5½ inches broad,
containing an elegant cup of electrum 4-1/3 inches high and 3½ inches
broad. The helmet was broken in being taken out, but I can have it
mended, as I have all the pieces of it. The two upper portions,
composing the crest (f????), are uninjured. Beside the helmet, as
before, I found a curved copper pin, nearly 6 inches in length, which
must have been in some way attached to it, and have served some
purpose. (Compare No. 192, p. 281.)
.
No. 270. No. 271.
Cups of Electrum and Silver. Found in the Palace, near the Treasure, 270 inside 271.
Nos. 272-275. Pieces of Helmet-crests found in a Room of the Palace.
At
5 or 6 feet above the Treasure, the successors of the Trojans erected a
fortification wall 20 feet high and 6 feet broad, composed of large
hewn and unhewn stones and earth; this wall extends to within 3¼ feet
of the surface of the hill.
PLATE XIX.
Nos. 276 and 277.—THE TWO GOLDEN DIADEMS (p?e?ta? ??ad?sµa?).
THE TREASURE OF PRIAM.
Page 335.
That
the Treasure was packed together at terrible risk of life, and in the
greatest anxiety, is proved among other things also by the contents of
the largest silver vase,{335} at the bottom of which I found two
splendid gold diadems (???deµ?a)[292]; a fillet, and four beautiful
gold ear-rings of most exquisite workmanship: upon these lay 56 gold
ear-rings of exceedingly curious form and 8750 small gold rings,
perforated prisms and dice, gold buttons, and similar jewels, which
obviously belonged to other ornaments; then followed six gold
bracelets, and on the top of all the two small gold goblets.[293]
The
one diadem consists of a gold fillet, 21-2/3 inches long and nearly ½
an inch broad, from which there hang on either side seven little chains
to cover the temples, each of which has eleven square leaves with a
groove; these chains are joined to one another by four little cross
chains, at the end of which hangs a glittering golden idol of the
tutelar goddess of Troy, nearly an inch long. The entire length of each
of these chains, with the idols, amounts to 10¼ inches. Almost all
these idols have something of the human form, but the owl’s head with
the two large eyes cannot be mistaken; their breadth at the lower end
is about 9/10 of an inch. Between these ornaments for the temples there
are 47 little{336} pendant chains adorned with square leaves; at the
end of each little chain is an idol of the tutelary goddess of Ilium,
about ¾ of an inch long; the length of these little chains with the
idols is not quite 4 inches.
The other diadem is 20 inches long,
and consists of a gold chain, from which are suspended on each side
eight chains completely covered with small gold leaves, to hang down
over the temples, and at the end of every one of the sixteen chains
there hangs a golden idol 1¼ inch long, with the owl’s head of the
Ilian tutelary goddess. Between these ornaments for the temples there
are likewise 74 little chains, about 4 inches long, covered with gold
leaves, to hang down over the forehead; at the end of these chains
there hangs a double leaf about ¾ of an inch long.
The fillet
?µp?? is above 18 inches long and 2/5 of an inch broad, and has three
perforations at each end. Eight quadruple rows of dots divide it into
nine compartments, in each of which there are two large dots; and an
uninterrupted row of dots adorns the whole edge. Of the four ear-rings
only two are exactly alike. From the upper part, which is almost in the
shape of a basket, and is ornamented with two rows of decorations in
the form of beads, there hang six small chains on which are three
little cylinders; attached to the end of the chains are small idols of
the tutelar goddess of Troy. The length of each ear-ring is 3½ inches.
The upper part of the other two ear-rings is larger and thicker, but
likewise almost in the shape of a basket, from it are suspended five
little chains entirely covered with small round leaves, on which are
likewise fastened small but more imposing idols of the Ilian tutelar
divinity; the length of one of these pendants is 3½ inches, that of the
other a little over 3 inches.[294]
{337}
PLATE XX.
No. 278.—Selection from the small Golden Jewels found in the Silver Jug.
No. 279.—Golden Fillet (?µp??), above 18 inches long.
No. 280.—Four Golden Ear-rings, or Tassels (??sa???), each 3½ inches long.
JEWELS OF GOLD.
THE TREASURE OF PRIAM.
Page 336.
Of
the six gold bracelets, two are quite simple and closed, and are about
1/5 of an inch thick; a third is likewise closed, but consists of an
ornamented band 1/25 of an inch thick, and ¼ of an inch broad. The
other three are double, and the ends are turned round and furnished
with a head. The princesses who wore these bracelets must have had
unusually small hands, for they are so small that a girl of ten would
have difficulty in putting them on.
No. 281. Six golden Bracelets welded together by the conflagration.—[TR.]
The
56 other gold ear-rings are of various sizes, and three of them appear
to have also been used by the princesses of the royal family as
finger-rings.[295] Not one of the ear-rings has any resemblance in form
to the Hellenic, Roman, Egyptian, or Assyrian ear-rings; 20 of them end
in four leaves, ten in three leaves, lying beside one another and
soldered together, and they are thus extremely like those ear-rings of
gold and electrum which I found last year at a depth of 9 and 13 meters
(29½ and 42½ feet). Eighteen other ear-rings end in six leaves; at the
commencement of these there are two small studs,{338} in the centre two
rows of five small studs each, and at the end three small studs. Two of
the largest rings, which, owing to the thickness of the one end,
certainly cannot have been used as ear-rings, and appear to have been
finger-rings only, terminate in four leaves, and at the commencement of
these there are two, in the middle three, and at the end again two
small studs. Of the remaining ear-rings two have the form of three, and
four the form of two, beautifully ornamented serpents lying beside one
another.
Footnotes:
[149]
Some
[Continue to Chapter 23, part C]
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