Troy, Greek Troia, also called Ilios or Ilion, Latin Troia, Troja, or Ilium, ancient city in northwestern Anatolia that holds an enduring place in both literature and archaeology. The legend of the Trojan War is the most notable theme from ancient Greek literature and forms the basis of Homer’s Iliad. Although the actual nature and size of the historical settlement remain matters of scholarly debate, the ruins of Troy at Hisarlık, Turkey, are a key archaeological site whose many layers illustrate the gradual development of civilization in northwestern Asia Minor.
Geography
Ancient Troy commanded a strategic point at the southern entrance to the Dardanelles (Hellespont), a narrow strait linking the Black Sea with the Aegean Sea via the Sea of Marmara. The city also commanded a land route that ran north along the west Anatolian coast and crossed the narrowest point of the Dardanelles to the European shore. In theory, Troy would have been able to use its site astride these two lines of communication to exact tolls from trading vessels and other travelers using them; the actual extent to which this took place, however, remains unclear.
The Troad (Greek Troias; “Land of Troy”) is the district formed by the northwestern projection of Asia Minor into the Aegean Sea. The present-day ruins of Troy itself occupy the western end of a low descending ridge in the extreme northwest corner of the Troad. Less than 4 miles (6 km) to the west, across the plain of the Scamander (Küçük Menderes) River, is the Aegean Sea, and toward the north are the narrows of the Dardanelles.
Archaeology
The search for Troy at Hisarlık
The approximate location of Troy was well known from references in works by ancient Greek and Latin authors. But the exact site of the city remained unidentified until modern times. A large mound, known locally as Hisarlık, had long been understood to hold the ruins of a city named Ilion or Ilium that had flourished in Hellenistic and Roman times. In 1822 Charles Maclaren suggested that this was the site of Homeric Troy, but for the next 50 years his suggestion received little attention from Classical scholars, most of whom regarded the Trojan legend as a mere fictional creation based on myth, not history. The German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann deserves full credit for adopting Maclaren’s identification and demonstrating to the world that it was correct. In seven major and two minor campaigns between 1870 and 1890, Schliemann conducted excavations on a large scale mainly in the central area of the Hisarlık mound, where he exposed the remains of a walled citadel. After Schliemann’s death in 1890, the excavations were continued (1893–94) by his colleague Wilhelm Dörpfeld and later (1932–38) by an expedition from the University of Cincinnati headed by Carl W. Blegen. After a lapse of some 50 years, excavations resumed (1988–2005) under the leadership of University of Tübingen archaeologist Manfred Korfmann and continued after his death.
Questions of Troy’s physical size, population, and stature as a trade entrepôt and regional power became subjects of intense scholarly dispute following the resumption of excavations at Hisarlık in the late 1980s. Although Homeric Troy was described as a wealthy and populous city, by this time some scholars had come to accept the probability of a lesser Troy a relatively minor settlement, perhaps a princely seat. Beginning in 1988, Korfmann’s team investigated the terrain surrounding the citadel site in search of wider settlement. Korfmann’s findings at Hisarlık, drawn from geomagnetic surveying and isolated excavations, led him to conclude in favour of a greater Troy that is, a settlement of some size and prosperity. His presentation of this perspective in a 2001 exhibition, accompanied by a controversial model reconstruction of the city, sparked especially intense scholarly debate over the city’s true nature.
Trojan War
Helen of Troy
Troy,
Troy exceeded my expectations. The countryside is beautiful and the site has such atmosphere. The 9 levels of Troy are well documented and easy to see. Such history in one location- you can almost feel the sea breeze. The Roman amphitheatre is very well preserved but what I really liked wast the landscape and ruins/ evidence of all 9 Troys.
We went there by local minibus and spent a bit of time. The ruins are fairly rubbly but atmospheric none the less. Don't bother with the wooden horse though.
We have just visited the ruins of Troy. Interesting but have to be done early in Turkey as easily eclipsed by Pergamum and Ephesus.
The horse is a replica of the original hence does not give an authentic feel of the place.Most of the things you have to imagine. There are just few walls which look original.
The ruins of Troy were very impressive, and after seeing the artifacts removed from here (to the archeological museum in Istanbul) I wanted to see the ruins themselves. This was the first ruins that we visited on our trip, and I was happy that we went here first as there are much more impressive sites elsewhere in Turkey. There is…
With such a famous name I was really excited about a day out visiting the infamous Troy only to be disappointed. The only redeeming feature is the massive wooden horse that has been built at the entrance. The site made no sense to myself or my travelling companions (nor others that I have spoken to since) It seemed to me,…
It was really interesting to wander around amongst so many ruins and see the foundations of each city, though I took more delight in the wooden horse out the front where you can take a multitude of cheesy photos.
Signage available to give an over view of the site at Troy, however it is more helpful to have a guide with you.
I read some reviews of how great a site this is, and others saying not so great. So it was a stop on our tour group, I didn't have a chance to pick. It is a long drive on the bus to get to this site. The excavations for the 9 levels are far from complete. You do have to…
The site of the ancient city of Troy is very disappointing. The site while very interesting is not well maintained. If possible put it early in your tour as you will sonn see much better sites. The layers of the different cities was very interesting . A visit you should make if you are close by but do not worry…