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What objects were included in Priamâs Treasure?
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Heinrich Schliemann
Heinrich Schliemann, detail of an engraving by A. Weger, after a photograph.
Priamâs Treasure, discovered by Heinrich Schliemann in the burnt layer of Troy II, is a significant collection of Early Bronze Age metalwork and jewelry.123
The treasure, which was found packed inside a large silver cup, includes a variety of gold and silver objects:4
- Gold Ornaments: These consist of elaborate diadems or pectorals, six bracelets, and nearly 9,000 beads.4
- Hair Rings and Earrings: The collection contains approximately 60 of these items.4
- Vessels: The hoard includes various vessels made of bronze, gold, and silver. These items often feature bold, simple forms, with some being lightly fluted or wrought from single sheets of metal. Notable examples include an oddly shaped gold vesselâan oval bowl or cup with a broad lip at each end and two large roll handles in the middleâand other plain, spouted bowls.14
While Schliemann famously attributed these findings to the Homeric King Priam, modern archaeological analysis has determined that the treasure predates the era of the Trojan War described in the Iliad by many centuries.12