For many centuries this city and its history haunt archaeologists and ordinary adventurers. A century and a half ago, Heinrich Schliemann managed to discover the place where Troy is located, and in 1988 the interest of scientists in this legendary city increased again. To date, many studies have been carried out here and several cultural layers have been discovered.
General information
This settlement of the Luvian civilization, also known as Ilion, is an ancient city located in the north-west of Asia Minor, near the coast of the Aegean Sea. This is where Troy was located on the world map. The city became famous thanks to the epics of the ancient Greek writer Homer and many legends and myths, and was found by the archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann.
The main reason why the ancient city managed to gain such popularity is the Trojan War and all its attendant events. According to the descriptions of the Iliad, it was a ten-year war that led to the fall ofsettlements.
First ditch
There is a hypothesis according to which the area of Troy was much larger than previously thought. In 1992, excavations were carried out, which resulted in the discovery of a moat encircling the city. This ditch runs far enough from the walls of the city, surrounding an area of about 200 thousand m22, although the city itself covered only about 20 thousand m2. The German scientist Manfred Korfman believes that the Lower City was located on this territory, and until 1700 BC. e. people still lived here.
Second ditch
Two years later, in 1994, during excavations, a second artificially created ditch was discovered, which ran five hundred meters from the fortress. Both moats were a system of fortifications designed to protect the fortress, since they could not be overcome on war chariots. Archaeologists believe that sharpened stakes or a wooden wall were also located here. Such fasteners are described in the immortal Iliad, although it can hardly be relied on today as a historical treatise.
Luwians or Crete-Mycenaeans?
Archaeologist Korfman believes that Troy is the direct heir of the Anatolian civilization, and not, as is commonly believed, Crete-Mycenaean. The modern territory of Troy contains many finds confirming this. But in 1995, a special discovery was made: a seal was found here with hieroglyphs in the Luwian language, which had previously been common in Asia Minor. But so far, unfortunately, no new finds have been made that could clearly indicate that this language was spoken in Troy.
However, Korfman was absolutely sure that the ancient Trojans were direct descendants of the Indo-European peoples and were of Luwian origin. This is a people who around the II millennium BC. e. moved to Anatolia. Many of the objects that were found during excavations in Troy most likely belong to this civilization, and not to the Greek. There are several other factors supporting the possibility of this assumption. In the territory where Troy used to be, the walls are reminiscent of Mycenaean ones, and the appearance of the dwellings is quite typical of Anatolian architecture.
Religion
During many excavations, Hitto-Luvian cult objects were also found here. Near the southern gate were four stelae, which in Hittite culture symbolized the deity. In addition, the cemetery, which was located not far from the city walls, retained signs of cremation. Considering that this method of burial is uncharacteristic for Western peoples, but the Hittites resorted to it, this is another plus in favor of Korfman's theory. However, today it is very difficult to determine how it really was.
Troy on the world map
Since Troy was between two fires - between the Greeks and the Hittites - she often had to become a participant in the massacres. Wars occurred regularly here, and the settlement was attacked by more and more new enemies. This is scientifically proven, since traces of conflagrations were found at the place where Troy is located, that is, on the territory of modern Turkey. But around 1180n. e. a catastrophe occurred here, which marked the beginning of a difficult period in the history of not only Troy, but the whole world.
Trojan War
If anything concrete can be said about specific artifacts found during excavations, then the events that took place in the political arena, as well as their true background, remain a big question. The lack of information and many theories, often illogical, are taken at face value by some, which has given rise to many myths and legends. The same applies to the epic of the great ancient Greek singer Homer, which some scholars, due to lack of evidence, are ready to consider eyewitness evidence, although this war took place long before the birth of the author of the poem himself, and he knew about its progress only from the lips of others.
Elena and Paris
According to the legend described in the Iliad, the cause of the war was a woman, the wife of King Menelaus - Helen. Troy, whose history knew many troubles, was repeatedly attacked by the Greeks even before the start of the war, since the Trojans managed to control trade relations in the Dardanelles region. According to myths, the war began because one of the sons of the Trojan king Priam - Paris - kidnapped the wife of the Greek ruler, and the Greeks, in turn, decided to return her.
Most likely, such an event actually took place in history, but not only it was the cause of the war. This incident was the climax, after which the war began.
Trojan horse
Another legend concerning the death of Ilion tells ofhow the Greeks managed to win the battle. According to literary sources, this became possible thanks to the so-called Trojan horse, but this version has many contradictions. In his first poem, the Iliad, entirely devoted to Troy, Homer does not mention this episode of the war, but in the Odyssey he describes it in detail. From this we can conclude that, most likely, it is fiction, especially since no archaeological evidence has been found at the place where Troy is located.
There is also an assumption that by the Trojan horse Homer had in mind a ram, or in this way he demonstrated the symbol of the ships that went to massacre the city.
Why Troy was destroyed
The history of the city, written by Homer, claims that it was the Trojan horse that caused the death of the city - this non-trivial gift of the Greeks. According to legend, the Greeks claimed that if the horse was within the walls of the city, then he would be able to defend himself from raids.
Most of the city's residents agreed with this, even though the priest Laocoön threw a spear at the horse, after which it became clear that he was hollow. But, apparently, the logic of the Trojans suffered, and they decided to bring an enemy present into the city, for which they paid dearly. However, this is just an assumption by Homer, it is unlikely that this actually happened.
Multilayer Troy
On a modern map, this city-state is located on the territory of the Hissarlik hill in Turkey. During numerousexcavations in this area revealed several settlements that were located here in antiquity. Archaeologists managed to find nine different layers that belong to different years, and the totality of these periods is called Troy.
Only two towers remained intact from the first settlement. It was Heinrich Schliemann who was engaged in the study of the second layer, believing that this was precisely the Troy in which the glorified King Priam lived. Considerable development, judging by the finds, was achieved by the inhabitants of the sixth settlement in this territory. According to the results of the excavations, it was possible to establish that during this period there was an active trade with the Greeks. The city itself was destroyed by earthquakes.
Modern archaeologists believe that the seventh layer found is the Homeric Ilion. Historians claim that the city died from a fire initiated by Greek troops. The eighth layer is a settlement of Greek colonists who lived here after Troy was destroyed. They, according to the assurances of archaeologists, built a temple of Athena here. The last of the layers, the ninth, already belongs to the era of the Roman Empire.
Modern Troy is a huge territory, which is still being excavated. Their goal is to find any evidence of the story described in the great Homeric epic. Over the centuries, many legends and myths have encouraged scientists, archaeologists and adventurous adventurers to make their own - albeit small - contribution to the discovery of the mysteries of this majestic city, which was once oneof the main trading arteries of the ancient world.
In the place where Troy is located, many discoveries were made that were extremely important for modern science. But no less mysteries were excavated by a huge number of professional archaeologists. To date, it remains only to wait until new, more solid evidence of the events described in the Odyssey and the Iliad is found. In the meantime, we will only have to guess about the true events that took place in the great ancient city of Troy.
