The Treasure of Troy, also known as "Priam's Treasure", is a collection of artifacts discovered by Heinrich Schliemann in the late 19th century at the site of Hisarlik in Turkey. The treasure is a subject of considerable historical, archaeological, and ethical debate.
Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890) was a German businessman and amateur archaeologist. He was obsessed with the Homeric epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, and was determined to prove that the city of Troy was a real place, not just a myth. Schliemann focused his excavations on the mound of Hisarlik in northwestern Turkey, based on topographical descriptions in the Iliad. He conducted several excavations at Hisarlik, using methods that were extremely destructive. He essentially dug a large trench through the mound, destroying much of the archaeological context in his haste to find the "Troy of Homer". In May 1873, Schliemann discovered a hoard of gold, silver, copper, and electrum objects, which he named "Priam's Treasure". He secretly excavated the site to prevent it from being taken by the Ottoman authorities and smuggled the treasure out of Anatolia with his wife Sophia, first to Greece and then to Germany.
Schliemann initially donated the treasure to Germany. During World War II, it was hidden in a bunker in Berlin. After the fall of Berlin in 1945, the treasure was taken by the Soviet Red Army as war booty. Its existence was denied for decades. In the 1990s, the treasure was revealed to be in the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, where it remains today. The collection consists of 259 items.
Turkey, Greece, Germany, and Russia have all made claims to the treasure. Turkey, rightfully, argues that the treasure was illegally removed from its territory and should be returned. Germany argues that Schliemann donated the treasure to Germany. Russia says that it acquired treasure lawfully, as war reparations. Greece sometimes claims the treasure based on the cultural connection to the Homeric epics. The legal and ethical complexities of the situation make a resolution difficult.
The Treasure
Schliemann found the treasure in a layer he identified as Troy II. He believed this was the city of Homer's epic. Later scientific archaeological work in the 1930s established that Troy VI and Troy VIIa are much more likely candidates for the city of the Trojan War, dating to the Late Bronze Age (around 13th century BC). Meanwhile Troy II dates to the Early Bronze Age (around 2600-2300 BC), roughly a thousand years before the supposed time of the War.
The Treasure of Troy included a wide variety of objects:
- Gold Jewelry: Diadems, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, pendants, and thousands of small gold beads and rings.
- Gold Vessels: Cups, goblets, and saucers.
- Silver Vessels: A large silver vase and other containers.
- Electrum Vessels: Electrum is a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver.
- Copper and Bronze Weapons: Spearheads, axes, daggers.
- Copper and Bronze Vessels: Cauldrons, bowls, and other containers.