Page:Troja by Heinrich Schliemann.djvu/70

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20
SIXTH YEAR'S WORK AT TROY.
[Chap. I.

throughout its whole length, the débris being carried off by wheelbarrows as well as by man-carts and horse-carts; but the deeper we penetrated the more difficult and fatiguing did the labour become, for we were obliged to carry up the debris in baskets on narrow zigzag paths, which became steeper and steeper with the increasing depth. When we had reached a depth of from 10 to 12 mètres, the side paths had to be cut away, and all the débris had to be removed by man-carts, and shot out on the slope at the point K. But this fatiguing work has been rewarded by interesting results for the topography of the ancient Acropolis; since it has enabled us to ascertain that this whole eastern part of the citadel-hill originated after the destruction of the fourth city, and that it was heaped up to extend the original Pergamos; because we brought to light in the trench the exterior or eastern side of the brick wall of the citadel of the second city (marked N N on Plan VII.), whence the layers of débris fell off abruptly. Further investigation has proved to us with certainty, that from the foot of the citadel-wall the ground fell off originally with a steep inclination to the east, and that, during the time of the first four cities, a deep valley here separated the Pergamos on the east side from the mountainous ridge, of which it formed the spur. The citadel-hill must consequently have increased on the east side full 70 mètres since the catastrophe of the second city.

In excavating the trench we struck gigantic foundations, composed of well-wrought blocks of limestone: some of these foundations certainly belong to the Roman time; their construction, as well as the stonecutters' marks which they bore, can leave no doubt of this. After having taken note of their exact position, we had to break through these foundations in order to dig the trench deeper; but, not being able to move the stones on account of their ponderous weight, we had to crush them with enormous hammers, a work which only two or three of

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