DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.959#0186
1872.] ETYMOLOGY OF IAIOT. 125
the latter; for one of my greatest troubles here is the con-
tinual high wind, and it cannot possibly have been other-
wise in Homer's time. It is assuredly time that the
Bunarbashi theory, which stands in direct contradiction
with all the statements of the Iliad, should now at last come
to an end. The theory, in fact, would never have arisen
had its advocates, instead of spending one hour, remained a
whole day on the heights, and made investigations even
with the aid of a single workman.
As I observed in my last report, I here find the sun
represented in the centre of all the innumerable round
ornamented terra-cottas in the form of the volcano and top
(carrousel), and yesterday I even found one upon which the
central sun was surrounded by five other suns, each of
them with twelve rays.*
I know very well that some would derive the name of
the town of Ilium (TXios or "Ikiov) from the Sanscrit word
vilu, " fortress," and "HXtos from a lost masculine form
of XeX-qvrj, probably Seipuos, and the thought involun-
tarily forces itself upon me, when looking at the above-
mentioned terra-cottas with the five suns in a circle round
the central sun, that the image of the Sun which occurs
thousands and thousands of times must be connected with
the name of Troy, namely TXcos, for "lXcov only occurs once
in Homer(Iliad,XV.7i); he always elsewhere speaks oPlXios,
and always uses this word as a feminine. Homer, it is true,
always says 'HeXios instead of "HX109, but in my opinion the
root of both is e\.r] or elXr), from the verb alpe<o, the aorist
of which is etXov. In Germany, according to the Eras-
mian pronunciation elXrj is certainly pronounced keila, and
tlXov, heilon ; but in the modern Greek pronunciation dX-q
is z/z; elXov, Hon; and "HXios, ilios. There are a number
ot proofs that the Erasmian pronunciation is radically wrong,
and that the modern Greek is the correct one. Among these
See Plate XXII., No. 327.
the latter; for one of my greatest troubles here is the con-
tinual high wind, and it cannot possibly have been other-
wise in Homer's time. It is assuredly time that the
Bunarbashi theory, which stands in direct contradiction
with all the statements of the Iliad, should now at last come
to an end. The theory, in fact, would never have arisen
had its advocates, instead of spending one hour, remained a
whole day on the heights, and made investigations even
with the aid of a single workman.
As I observed in my last report, I here find the sun
represented in the centre of all the innumerable round
ornamented terra-cottas in the form of the volcano and top
(carrousel), and yesterday I even found one upon which the
central sun was surrounded by five other suns, each of
them with twelve rays.*
I know very well that some would derive the name of
the town of Ilium (TXios or "Ikiov) from the Sanscrit word
vilu, " fortress," and "HXtos from a lost masculine form
of XeX-qvrj, probably Seipuos, and the thought involun-
tarily forces itself upon me, when looking at the above-
mentioned terra-cottas with the five suns in a circle round
the central sun, that the image of the Sun which occurs
thousands and thousands of times must be connected with
the name of Troy, namely TXcos, for "lXcov only occurs once
in Homer(Iliad,XV.7i); he always elsewhere speaks oPlXios,
and always uses this word as a feminine. Homer, it is true,
always says 'HeXios instead of "HX109, but in my opinion the
root of both is e\.r] or elXr), from the verb alpe<o, the aorist
of which is etXov. In Germany, according to the Eras-
mian pronunciation elXrj is certainly pronounced keila, and
tlXov, heilon ; but in the modern Greek pronunciation dX-q
is z/z; elXov, Hon; and "HXios, ilios. There are a number
ot proofs that the Erasmian pronunciation is radically wrong,
and that the modern Greek is the correct one. Among these
See Plate XXII., No. 327.