Archaeological Journal

Justin Sandelin
History 134
Professor Errin Stegich
3 November 2014

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1871: Heinrich Schliemann has begun work on what he believes is the site of ancient
Troy, as written by Homer in the Iliad. He has yet to find anything, but going off the word of
archaeologist Frank Calvert, he believes it is only a matter of time.
May, 1873: Schliemann has discovered a collection of gold and priceless jewels, which
he has dubbed Priams Treasure. Amongst this treasure is an old headdress. Given the location
and the history behind this site, he believes it to be a headdress that once belonged to the famed
Helen of Troy. He plans to allow this jewelry to be worn by his wife, Sophia.
1876: Schliemann made a grand discovery today. Digging at a site we have named
Grave Circle A, an ancient tomb was discovered. This grand tomb was filled with swords that
can only be of Agamemnons army, the gold of the royal court, and, perhaps most impressively,
several golden burial masks, one of which Mr. Schliemann believes to have belonged to
Agamemnon himself. Based on this discovery, we can only assume that we have found the site
of the ancient city of Mycenae.
1876: Amongst the treasure we found earlier in the year was a ring adorned with the
images of an octopus. This only raises questions for us. Mycenae was a land-locked city; why
would the people of such a city use sea-based art for their jewelry? Could this attributed to trade
or is it possible that what we have believed is wrong and another, older civilization existed
before the Mycenaean?
March 23, 1900: I have joined another excavation on the island of Crete, this one headed
by Sir Arthur Evans. Sir Evans believes another civilization did exist and that it flourished on
this island. In 1892, Sir Evans discovered tiny engraved stones with art similar to the mermaid
ring. With that, he was led to this island. Excavation begins today.
April 5, 1900: We have successfully unburied what Sir Evans believes to be the palace of

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Knossos. It appears that the palace is made up of an intricate labyrinth, described in the
mythological story of Theseus and the Minotaur, which gives credence to Sir Evans theory and
the story itself. This palace having been the palace of King Minos, Sir Evans has named the
people of this ancient civilization Minoan.
April 13, 1900: An elegant chamber has been discovered in the heart of the Knossos
palace. Frescoes on the walls have revealed more about the lives of this ancient people; many
seem to depict man and bull in a sport, which Sir Evans has concluded is a Minoan sport called
bull-jumping. This has also led us to believe the Minotaur may be more than just a myth; if they
did indeed participate in this sport, it is easy to believe that a man wearing bull horns could have
been kept within this labyrinth and given reality to a half-man, half-bull.
May, 1901: We have unearthed many giant stone blocks; Sir Evans believes these to be
part of a giant staircase. We tried to put them together to the best of our ability. Based on this
discovery, as well as the intricacies of the palace of Knossos and the extensive ruins we have
found in the area, it can be said with certainty that the Minoan was a very sophisticated culture.