There are also theoretical possibilities of DNA work on the treasure if a micro-excavation of the nooks and crannies hidden under bronze corrosion (and archaeologists have confirmed that there is corrosion) produced even tiny fragments of human dandruff, then DNA genetic material may be extractable. Metallurgical examination, specifically trace metal analysis, would be likely to reveal where ancient Troy’s gold actually came from, a discovery which would shed light on the city’s trading patterns. Particular finger-print traits occur with different frequencies in different races.
Finger-prints are sometimes preserved within ancient corrosion on silver or bronze, and if several prints were discovered they could yield clues as to probable ethnic identity. Different types of textile: wool, linen or silk, for instance, are believed to produce different microscopic patterns on gold.įinger-print analysis may be used to try to obtain clues as to the ethnic identity of the ancient priest kings who ruled Troy. A technique known as use-ware analysis may enable scientists to determine what sort of textiles Trojan clothes were made of. The jewellery which forms part of the hoard could also yield clues. Microscopic examination of earth on the objects could produce tiny traces of charred plant material another hint as to possible use. Tiny blood stains (perhaps from temple sacrifices) would theoretically be detectable, using a new haemoglobin testing technique called ELISA. This could indicate function, specifically if vessels were used for carrying honey or poorly processed wine. Pollen analysis of any remaining grains contained in the earth residues. In some cases one-millionth of a gramme of a particular carbon compound can indicate what a cup or bowl was used for. This might show whether vessels were used for aromatic herbs, for example. This would stand a reasonable chance of revealing whether the bowls and cups once held milk, olive oil or animal fat. Speaking to The Art Newspaper, senior Bradford lecturer Dr Terry O’Connor said, “We are telling the Pushkin Museum that we would be delighted to assist them in a research programme using the latest scientific techniques to extract new information from the treasure”.Īccording to Dr O’Connor and other archaeological scientists, a number of new techniques could cast startling new light on the use of the vessels, and even on the people who used them. Bradford ranks with the Smithsonian, Tokyo and Philadelphia as an archaeological science institution with a wide range of equipment and expertise.
The possibility of an international scientific committee is now being mooted, while specific offers of help have been made by one of the leading institutions in the field of forensic archaeology, Bradford University’s Department of Archaeological Sciences. Around one-quarter of the items appear to retain small traces of the original red earth of Troy. One of the most interesting aspects of this event is the possibility of new scientific techniques being applied to the gold objects, which, fortunately, do not appear to have been polished or comprehensively cleaned since they were discovered. Then followed visits by archaeologists from the universities of Tübingen (who are heading the present day excavations in Troy), Istanbul, Bryn Mawr College, Philadelphia, and the director-designate of the British School of Archaeology at Ankara, Donald Easton.
Menghin, and one of the museum’s conservators, were the first to be allowed in. In early November a group comprising Dr Klaus Goldmann, curator at the Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte, his director Professor W. It was only last year that the Russian authorities confirmed its existence. Its recent history is now well known: installed in the Berlin Museum für Vor- und Früh-geschichte by the early years of this century, it was siezed by the Red Army the end of World War II. The treasure comprises around 200 gold, silver and bronze objects excavated from Troy by the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann 121 years ago. Few archaeological stories have excited the public imagination recently more than the announcement that Western archaeologists and museum curators were to be allowed to view the so-called “Priam’s treasure” in the Pushkin Museum, Moscow (see The Art Newspaper, No.