Limited Edition

Even though the city of Troy mentioned in Homer’s Iliad was assumed to be a fictitious place, a zealous German archaeologist and adventurer Heinrich Schliemann, who believed such a place existed, decided to go after the traces laid in the epic poem. Directing his excavations to the mound found in Hisarlık, Schliemann initiated excavations and stumbled across nine archaeological layers which were dated as early as the Early Bronze Age. He eventually discovered some priceless finds and these treasures declared by Schliemann to be from Troy, are called “Priam’s Treasure”, referring to the legendary king mentioned in Iliad. Unfortunately, Troy’s five thousand years of history together with some other artifacts were plundered when Heinrich Schliemann took Priam’s Treasure out of Turkey in 1873. These exquisite finds were first donated to the Berlin Museum, but after the Second World War, they taken to Russia by the Red Army as spoils of war. Although modern scholars consider its accounts legendary, later excavations in the ancient city of Troy coincide with the events depicted in Homer’s epic poem. The ancient city of Troy was now included in the UNESCO’s ‘World Cultural Heritage List’ since 1998. As a result of special efforts and endeavors, some artifacts from Troy were returned to the homeland to where they belong, while others are still being on displays at the Hermitage and Pushkin Museums in Russia, Pennsylvania Museum in the USA, Schmuckmuseum Pforzeim in Germany, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the British Museum in the UK. Efforts are still being pursued for the return of Priam’s Treasure to Turkey which were smuggled out of the country between 1871-1890 and taken possession by illegal excavations that destroyed the historic site of Troy. The design of the Trojan Jugs draws its inspiration from jugs with handles found in Troy belonging to 2600-2450 BC. Original artifacts are exhibited at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology of Oxford University in the UK. They were presented to the museum as a gift by Schliemann personally. Trojan Jugs are produced from handmade caramel glass and all relief patterns are decorated with 24-carat gold and gilt.