Priam's Treasure
- Gold, copper, and bronze artifacts
- Circa 1260 – 1180 BCE, possibly earlier
- Attributed to King Priam of Troy
- Current Location: Pushkin Museum, Moscow
- Ownership disputed by: Germany
Priam, according to Greek Mythology, was the last King of Troy before it was sieged by the Greeks in The Trojan War circa 1260 – 1180 BCE. Troy was believed to be a place of fiction in the literature of Homer, but it is now universally believed that it did exist and is located near present day Hisarlik, Turkey.
In 1871, German archeologist Heinrich Schliemann, discovered what he believed was the ruins of the ancient city of Troy, near Hisarlik. In this discovery, Schliemann found a treasure trove of gold and copper artifacts, including jewelry, weapons, shields, platters, and caldrons. Schliemann was convinced he had found Troy and the treasure was dubbed Priam’s Treasure after the king. Soon after the discovery, fearing the Ottomans would seize it, Schliemann smuggled the treasure to Germany. When the Ottomans were informed of the smuggling Schliemann paid a small fine, as well as gave back a small amount of the treasure, to be able to return to the area to continue excavations.
Priam’s Treasure was loaned to London’s South Kensington Museum in 1877 where is made its first public display. Soon after, it was acquired by the Royal Museums of Berlin where it went on permanent display in 1881. At the end of World Word II, the treasure disappeared from a protective bunker it had been moved to during the war. The Germans suspected that the Russians had looted a considerable amount of art and artifacts, including Priam’s treasure, but they denied it.
Fast-forward to 1993, where Priam’s Treasure magically appears in an exhibit at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, Russia. Germany immediately demanded the return of all looted items. Russia responded that they intended to keep the items as compensation for the destruction of Russian cities by Nazi Germany.
In 2010, there appeared to be an agreement where Russia agreed to return part or all of Priam’s Treasure to the Germans, but as of 2017 they are still residing in Moscow.
In 1871, German archeologist Heinrich Schliemann, discovered what he believed was the ruins of the ancient city of Troy, near Hisarlik. In this discovery, Schliemann found a treasure trove of gold and copper artifacts, including jewelry, weapons, shields, platters, and caldrons. Schliemann was convinced he had found Troy and the treasure was dubbed Priam’s Treasure after the king. Soon after the discovery, fearing the Ottomans would seize it, Schliemann smuggled the treasure to Germany. When the Ottomans were informed of the smuggling Schliemann paid a small fine, as well as gave back a small amount of the treasure, to be able to return to the area to continue excavations.
Priam’s Treasure was loaned to London’s South Kensington Museum in 1877 where is made its first public display. Soon after, it was acquired by the Royal Museums of Berlin where it went on permanent display in 1881. At the end of World Word II, the treasure disappeared from a protective bunker it had been moved to during the war. The Germans suspected that the Russians had looted a considerable amount of art and artifacts, including Priam’s treasure, but they denied it.
Fast-forward to 1993, where Priam’s Treasure magically appears in an exhibit at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, Russia. Germany immediately demanded the return of all looted items. Russia responded that they intended to keep the items as compensation for the destruction of Russian cities by Nazi Germany.
In 2010, there appeared to be an agreement where Russia agreed to return part or all of Priam’s Treasure to the Germans, but as of 2017 they are still residing in Moscow.