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,
Recently we travelled to Canakkale home to the fabled Trojan Horse of Troy of course. For those that travel here for the Horse it's 20th century version is under wrap and under repair. If you are interested in the ruins and the enormous history of this site the excavations are not complete and some of the walkways are in need…
The site is wonderful and the route is well laid out and signposted.
The only blemish was the poor maintenance. Wooden stair treads were missing, some floor boards were rotten leaving gaps and many of the handrails were either poor or missing.
If you are into ancient history then you should see Troy. It is a large circle to tour with stops showing the various levels of excavation. Some of the wooden walkways were a bit decayed with some missing parts.
Nicely laid out, with clear walkways and well-translated English descriptions. However, so many of the finds have been carted away from Troy that it feels a bit "robbed." After experiencing Ephesus and Pergamon, Troy is a bit of a let-down, as you don't have the same feeling of understanding the way of life as it once was. The city's placement…
There is not much to see here. There are mainly ruins, which in my opinion are not very well preserved. There is the opportunity to have an audio tour, guided one or simply to read on the panels.
It is impressive the historical value of the place, and there are specific locations (like the main gate) which are still recognizable….
Our trip to Troy was the second day of a 2 day tour from Istanbul (first day was Anzac Cove with an overnight stay in Canakkale). Istanbul is approximately 5 hours away by bus.
The 30 min bus trip to Troy was interesting and accomplished easily. Several hundred people had arrived at the gates before or at the same time…
As a lover of anything historical, I really enjoyed the trip to Troy. First of all we climbed inside the replica horse near the entrance. Our guide then gave us a long talk all about Troy and what had happened there. Wandering around the ruins was fabulous, and the views from the top were breathtaking. You could just see the…
was believed as Troy city, if you go to Canakkale you must visit this site. Rich with value of history. Better to have tour guide, so you can get a whole story and picture of this site. I also recommend to visit at autumn or winter (nice to walk and take best picture).
There are a number of ruins here in various states of excavation but really nothing outstanding. The replica of the Trojan horse is just silly. If you've seen other ruins give this a miss.
This is not a self explanatory site. We had read quite a bit but needed a better guide than we got. A good guide could make the site come alive by telling some of the stories of the Illiad in connection with the tour. If you are near Canakkale, it is definitely worth a visit.