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 is a surprisingly small place, given its reputation. It is a large mound that a German archeologist decimated leaving confusion as to whether it is really Troy or not. It is more of a theme park than an interesting site. Troy's history goes back thousands of years and it is worthwhile visitng on the way to/ from Pergammon or…
it takes at least 2-3 hours to visit this place. It is really impressive. another funny activity: there is a model trojan horse and it is possible to see inside the horse
We visited Troy ourselves without a guide, and I think learnt about it all. It was a hot day so sitting on the benches put under trees while walking the site helped alot. Great historical site to visit.
I saw this site in May of 2009. I really enjoyed the tour we were given but I wish that it was a little more of an insightful tour, meaning, I would have liked more things to be labeled, more references to Greek life, culture, and their writings.
Throughout the area places are labeled according to each different Troy that…
As others have stated, Troy is not spectacularly visual. The place does not appear to attract as much government support as other sites in Turkey and suffers because of the level of resources committed to discovery and restoration.
However if you are in the area it is not to be missed! It provides an introduction into how different successive civilisations…
We needed more time here, it was very hot and there was not any shade, would we go again here no sure
If you like Bronze age ruins this is the place for you. Unless you are an expert you need a guide to explain the interesting but jumbled ruins.
There is not much left of this ancient sight, but just walking on the same ground that Menelaus and Helen and Paris did is amazing. So much history in these ruins. I would suggest reading the Iliad before you come. The Trojan Horse is fun for Children of all ages to climb on.
one of the must visit places at your travel to Turkey..I read Homeros books and I wanted to see Troy very much. 2 hours is enough to spend at that area.
Troy has plenty of historical significance, especially after reading the information boards explaining that Troy existed long before Homer's Iliad. In fact there are 8 different Troy settlements, most of them built upon the ruins of the previous city. Given the earthquakes, floods and fires that would periodically destroy the city, it's a wonder that anyone would want to build…