Russia (bbabo.net), - In the Pushkin Museum im. Pushkin completed the first stage of the study of the famous Trojan gold. The project started last summer. Surprisingly, never before have these one-of-a-kind treasures of the ancient world been carefully studied, and therefore they still keep many secrets. But all the secret becomes clear if specialists take up the matter, and they have the most modern equipment in their hands.

This is the anniversary year for Heinrich Schliemann - the archaeologist who found the legendary Troy turns 200 years old. And therefore - important, without exaggeration, for the entire world history, the study acquires another beautiful subtext. Looking ahead, the Pushkin Museum plans to open a large exhibition dedicated to Schliemann, where exhibits will be collected from museums in which the collection of the German scientist is scattered. This is not only the Pushkin Museum im. Pushkin and the Hermitage (in the capital - products mainly from gold and silver, in St. Petersburg - from bronze and ceramics), but also the Berlin Museum of Prehistory and Early History, and the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. First, the exhibition will be seen in Berlin, and in December it will be presented in Moscow.

The most important event - again, it is difficult to imagine, but these ancient masterpieces, which are more than four thousand years old, have not been shown to the public so often in their entire history. In the Soviet Union (the country received a collection from Germany after the Great Patriotic War), they were classified as a "special fund", which made it difficult even for scientists to access. Moreover, the collection was considered forever lost.

“For the first time, our museum showed these items in 1996,” recalls the turning point, head of the department of art and archeology of the ancient world of the Pushkin Museum im. Pushkin Vladimir Tolstikov. “Back then, we could only dream that someday we would have the opportunity to explore these treasures using modern methods, because at that time the museum did not have such devices.

Now the device is there. And such that you can study each Trojan exhibit, as they say, without leaving the cash desk - a powerful digital microscope stands right in the exhibition hall. There is no need to disturb the valuables and transport them anywhere; visitors can continue to admire them right at the time when scientific work is in full swing.

For the first stage, 65 artifacts were selected - both individual exhibits and groups of objects. Rings, beads, diadems, earrings, goblets... Experts deliberately selected treasures from different treasures (Heinrich Schliemann found 19 of them in total) in order to compare the data obtained.

- The fact is that all these items were not created in one year - the treasures cover a whole cultural period of 200-300 years. Troy perished, the bearers of its culture perished, they never revived again. The more valuable are these exhibits, which exist in a single copy, - says Vladimir Tolstikov.

And he warns - science does not tolerate sensations, so any data that can be obtained in the process of studying the priceless world heritage is important. But the veil of secrecy is already fading away. So, for example, it was possible to find out that at the beginning of the 20th century, some items from the Schliemann collection were restored by German colleagues - not entirely, however, successfully. Justice is being restored in the Pushkin Museum - for example, its specialists brought an elegant golden earring in the form of a basket into a decent look. But the main thing is that all the exhibits received passports, with detailed information on each. The database is one of the main tasks of the first stage of the study. Very soon, museum workers will begin to study the next 65 artifacts and select exhibits that will go to the anniversary exhibition of Heinrich Schliemann.

The Pushkin Museum is happy to emphasize that the project is turning into an international one. Colleagues from the Berlin Museum of Prehistory and Early History have already visited Moscow - it is planned to sign an agreement with them on joint research work. And also - with the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and the University of Eberhard and Karl (also Germany).

You can follow the study of the gold of Troy on a special website, which is constantly updated.

Direct speech

Marina Loshak, director of the Pushkin Museum im. Pushkin:

- In the fall, colleagues from the Museum of Prehistory and Early History visited us, and they were delighted that we can work with such modern devices - they are all highly qualified specialists, but even in Germany there is nothing like that. They have to send exhibits to Munich for study, where they have the necessary microscope. While we have it on display, work is being done right there. Both the joint study of the Heinrich Schliemann collection and the joint large exhibition are all incredibly important steps. How important right now, when it seems that only oil binds us, to demonstrate such a scientific and human partnership! An important stage of work has already been completed, but this is only the beginning of a journey that will be quite long.

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