DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.959#0087
INTRODUCTION.
29
(13 to 6i feet), many new types of terra-cotta vessels, but I
no longer find any remains of house-walls; nay, even single
stones are scarcely ever met with. At all events, directly
after its destruction, the town was rebuilt of wood by
another tribe of the Aryan race; for the small terra-cottas,
adorned with Aryan religious symbols, although frequently
of new types, occur in numbers in these layers of dibris.
Walls of fortification are indeed met with in these depths,
but they had been built by the preceding people; as, for
instance, the wall 194 feet in height, whose base is at a
depth of 5 to 6i feet above the treasure, and which reached
to within i| ft. of the surface. This wooden Ilium was, to
all appearance, still less fortunate than the stone town of its
predecessors; for, as is proved by the numerous calcined
layers of dSbris, it was frequently desolated by fire.
Whether these fires broke out accidentally, or were kindled
by the hands of enemies, must for ever remain a riddle to
us; but thus much is certain and evident from the terra-
cottas found at these depths, that the civilization of the
people, which had been but slight from the beginning,
continued to decrease during the perpetual misfortunes
of their town. I find, among the ruins of this nation,
lances, battle-axes, and implements, of pure copper, and
moulds for casting them; likewise a number of copper
nails, which, however—as in the case of the preceding
peoples who have inhabited this hill—are too long and thin
to have been employed for fastening wood together, and
must in all probability have been used as brooches: this
seems to be proved by two nails of this kind on the
top of which I found rows of perforated beads of gold
or electrum soldered upon them. These two copper
nails were, it is true, found immediately below the surface,
but they must in any case belong to the pre-Hellenic
time.
In the ruins of this people, at a depth of from 13 to
6i feet, we also meet with stone implements, such as
29
(13 to 6i feet), many new types of terra-cotta vessels, but I
no longer find any remains of house-walls; nay, even single
stones are scarcely ever met with. At all events, directly
after its destruction, the town was rebuilt of wood by
another tribe of the Aryan race; for the small terra-cottas,
adorned with Aryan religious symbols, although frequently
of new types, occur in numbers in these layers of dibris.
Walls of fortification are indeed met with in these depths,
but they had been built by the preceding people; as, for
instance, the wall 194 feet in height, whose base is at a
depth of 5 to 6i feet above the treasure, and which reached
to within i| ft. of the surface. This wooden Ilium was, to
all appearance, still less fortunate than the stone town of its
predecessors; for, as is proved by the numerous calcined
layers of dSbris, it was frequently desolated by fire.
Whether these fires broke out accidentally, or were kindled
by the hands of enemies, must for ever remain a riddle to
us; but thus much is certain and evident from the terra-
cottas found at these depths, that the civilization of the
people, which had been but slight from the beginning,
continued to decrease during the perpetual misfortunes
of their town. I find, among the ruins of this nation,
lances, battle-axes, and implements, of pure copper, and
moulds for casting them; likewise a number of copper
nails, which, however—as in the case of the preceding
peoples who have inhabited this hill—are too long and thin
to have been employed for fastening wood together, and
must in all probability have been used as brooches: this
seems to be proved by two nails of this kind on the
top of which I found rows of perforated beads of gold
or electrum soldered upon them. These two copper
nails were, it is true, found immediately below the surface,
but they must in any case belong to the pre-Hellenic
time.
In the ruins of this people, at a depth of from 13 to
6i feet, we also meet with stone implements, such as