CUltural propert - The Treasures of Priam - Essay Example

As per the recorded modern critical history, Troy and the Trojan War were treated as legends. “In the 1870s (in two campaigns, 1871-73 and 1878-79) Schliemann excavated a hill called Hissarlik in the Ottoman Empire, near the town of Chanak (Çanakkale) in north-western Anatolia. Here he discovered the ruins of a series of ancient cities, dating from the Bronze Age to the Roman period. Schliemann declared one of these cities—at first Troy I, later Troy II—to be the city of Troy, and this identification was widely accepted at that time.

” (Priams Treasure….) Schliemann recounts what happened on the eventful day of May 31, 1873. When the excavation was in progress, he noticed a large copper article and saw gold behind it. With a flash of intuition, he understood importance of the delicate situation and with great presence of mind, announced the lunch break to the large posse of works involved in the job of excavation. He collected the treasure when the workers were lunching. With the help of his wife, he packed the findings in her shawl.

The Treasure mainly consisted of A copper shield, a copper cauldron with handles, an unknown copper artifact, perhaps the hasp of a chest, a silver vase containing two gold diadems--the “Jewels of Helen” --8750 gold rings, buttons and other small objects, six gold bracelets, two gold goblets ,a copper vase, a wrought gold bottle, two gold cups, one wrought, one cast, a number of red terra cotta goblets, an electrum cup (mixture of gold and silver),six wrought silver knife blades (which Schliemann put forward as money), three silver vases with fused copper parts, more silver goblets and vases, thirteen copper lance head, fourteen copper axes, seven copper daggers, other copper artifacts with the key to a chest, The treasure as an art collection.

Schliemann smuggled the Treasure out of Anatolia. The Ottoman government revoked the permission granted earlier to dig and put forth claims by suing him for the share of