Ancient Troy or the legendary Ilion Turkey photo history how to get where the city of Troy is located. Where is Troy located? Troy city - history

Troy (Truva, Troy) - a city located in the northwestern part of Anatolia, near the Dardanelles and Mount Ida, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Troy is known for the most part because of the Trojan War (and that very horse), described in many works of the ancient epic, including the famous Odyssey and Iliad by Homer.

The ancient world and the date of the formation of Troy
Before the advent of the legendary Troy, the ancient permanent settlement of Kumtepe was located on the Troad peninsula. Its founding date is generally considered to be around 4800 BC. The inhabitants of the ancient settlement were mainly engaged in fishing. Oysters were also included in the diet of the settlers. In Kumtepe, the dead were interred, but without any funeral gifts.
In the region of 4500 BC, the settlement was abandoned, but around 3700 BC it was revived again thanks to new colonists. The new population of Kumtepe was engaged in cattle breeding and agriculture, and also lived in large houses with several rooms. Goats and sheep were bred by the inhabitants of the settlement not only for meat, but also for milk and wool. The history of Troy dates back to 3000 BC. The fortified settlement was located in Asia Minor on the Troad peninsula. The city was located in a fertile hilly country.
In the place where Troy was located, the rivers Simois and Scamander flowed on both sides of the city. There was also free access to the Aegean Sea. Thus, throughout its existence, Troy occupied a very advantageous geographical position, not only in the economic sphere, but also in terms of defense in the event of a possible invasion of enemies. It is no coincidence that the city in the Ancient World, in the Bronze Age, for this reason became a key center of trade between East and West.


The legend of the origin of Troy
You can learn about the appearance of the legendary city from an old legend. Long before the construction of Troy, the Tevkrian people lived on the territory of the Troad peninsula (the place where Troy was located). The character of ancient Greek mythology, Tros, called the country he ruled Troy. Consequently, all the inhabitants began to be called Trojans.
One legend tells about the origin of the city of Troy. The eldest son of Tros was Il, who, after the death of his father, inherited part of his kingdom. One day he came to Phrygia, having managed to successfully defeat all rivals in the competition. The Phrygian king generously rewarded Il by giving him 50 young men and the same number of maidens. Also, according to legend, the ruler of Phrygia gave the hero a motley cow and ordered to found a city in the place where she wants to rest. On Ata Hill, the animal had a desire to lie down. It was there that Troy was founded, which was also called Ilion.
Before building the city, Il asked Zeus for a good sign. The next morning, a wooden image of Pallas Athena appeared in front of the tent of the founder of the legendary city. Thus, Zeus provided Ilu with a pledge of divine help, a stronghold and protection for the people of Troy. Subsequently, a temple appeared on the site of the appearance of the wooden image of Pallas Athena, and the built Troy was reliably protected from enemies by high walls with loopholes. Il's son, King Laomedont, continued his father's work, fortifying the lower part of the city with a wall.

The early layers of Troy belong to the original Western Anatolian civilization. Gradually, Troy is increasingly influenced by central Anatolia (the Hattians, later the Hittites).
The name "Troy" appears in the Hittite cuneiform tablets of the Bogazkoy archive as Taruisha. An Egyptian stele from the time of Ramses III mentions his victory over the Tursha sea people. This name is often compared with the Teresh people, mentioned a little earlier on the famous Merneptah Stele. There is no unanimity in opinions about whether these aliens were Trojans in the scientific world. Names with this root are found in Mycenaean texts, for example, the commander of the detachment to-ro-o.

Previously, considerations were expressed that the terms "Troy" and "Ilion" could designate different cities of the same ancient state, or one of these terms could designate the capital, and the other - the state itself, and "merged" into one term only in the Iliad (according to Gindin and Tsymbursky, Troy is the designation of the country, and Ilion - the city). Such a point of view is not without foundation, since in the Iliad, in turn, fragments with parallel plots are distinguished, that is, possibly ascending to different retellings of the same plot; moreover, the Iliad arose many centuries after the events of the Trojan War, when many details could have been forgotten.

Excavations of Troy
Among historians contemporary to Heinrich Schliemann, the hypothesis was widespread that Troy was located on the site of the village of Bunarbashi. The identity of the Hisarlik hill with Homer's Troy was suggested in 1822 by Charles MacLaren. A supporter of his ideas was Frank Calvert, who began excavations in Hisarlik 7 years before Schliemann. Ironically, Calvert's section of the Hissarlik hill was aloof from Homer's Troy. Heinrich Schliemann, who was familiar with Calvert, began a focused exploration of the second half of the Hissarlik Hill at the end of the 19th century. Most of Schliemann's finds are now kept in the Pushkin Museum (Moscow), as well as in the State Hermitage. To date, archaeologists have found traces of nine fortresses-settlements that existed in different eras on the territory of the excavations in Hisarlik.

The first settlement found at Hissarlik (the so-called Troy I) was a fortress less than 100 m in diameter and apparently existed for a long period. The seventh layer belongs to the era described in the Iliad. During this period, Troy was a vast (with an area of ​​over 200 thousand m²) settlement, surrounded by strong walls with nine-meter towers. Major excavations in 1988 showed that the population of the city in the Homeric era was from six to ten thousand inhabitants - at that time, a very impressive number. According to the data of Manfred Korfman's expedition, the area of ​​the lower town was approximately 170,000 m2, the citadel - 23,000 m2.

The nine main layers of ancient Troy
Troy I (3000-2600 BC): The first Trojan settlement, 100 m in diameter, was built up with very primitive mud-brick dwellings. Judging by the remaining traces, it died during a fire. The pottery bears a resemblance to that of the Lake culture in Bulgaria.
Troy II (2600-2300 BC): The next settlement looks more developed and wealthy. In 1873, the German archaeologist Schliemann discovered the famous Trojan treasure in this layer, which consisted of numerous weapons, copper trinkets, pieces of precious jewelry, gold vessels, tombstones of the prehistoric and early historical period. In the III millennium BC. e. this highly developed culture was also destroyed by fire.
Troy III-IV-V (2300-1900 BC): These layers testify to a period of decline in the history of the ancient city.
Troy VI (1900-1300 BC): The city increased in diameter to 200 meters. The settlement was the victim of a strong earthquake in 1300 BC. e.
Troy VII-A (1300-1200 BC): The famous Trojan War dates from this period. Later, the Athenians plundered and destroyed the settlement.
Troy VII-B (1200-900 B.C.): The dilapidated Troy was captured by the Phrygians.
Troy VIII (900-350 BC): At this time, the city was inhabited by the Alean Greeks. King Xerxes then visited Troy and sacrificed more than 1,000 heads of cattle here.
Troy IX (350 BC - 400 AD): Quite a major center of the Hellenistic era.

Where is. How to get to Troy
Troy is located 2 km from the Canakkale-Izmir highway (D550/E87), from which you need to turn off at the Troy or Truva sign.
The nearest city to Troya, Canakkale, is located 30 km north of it. From there, buses run every hour to Troy, departing from a stop under the bridge over the Sari River. The bus ride will take about half an hour. A taxi ride will cost 60-70 TRY. Prices on the page are for January 2017.
Buses leave regularly during the summer, but otherwise it's best to arrive early so you don't miss the last bus back.

Troy Hotels
Most of the hotels are located in Canakkale, so tourists most often stay there and come to Troy for one day. In Troy itself, you can stay at the Varol Pansiyon, located in the center of the neighboring village of Tevfikiye.
Opposite the entrance to Troy is the Hisarlik Hotel, owned by local guide Mustafa Askin.

Restaurants
There are not many restaurants in Troy either. The Hisarlik Hotel mentioned above has a cozy restaurant with home cooking, open from 8:00 to 23:00. If you opt for it, be sure to try guvec - meat stew in a pot.
In addition, you can dine in the Priamos or Wilusa eateries also located in the village. Both restaurants serve Turkish cuisine, while the latter is well known for its meatballs and tomato salad.

Entertainment and attractions of Troy
Near the entrance to the city there is a wooden copy of the Trojan horse, inside of which there is an opportunity to go. But it is better to do it on weekdays, because on weekends it is filled with tourists and it will be quite difficult to climb or look around inside. But, when visiting Troy in winter, it is quite possible to get a horse for sole use.
Next to it is the Museum of Excavations, which exhibits models and photographs that tell how the city looked like in different periods. Opposite the museum is the Pithos garden with water tubes and earthenware pots from that time.
But the main attraction of Troy, of course, are the ruins. For visitors, the city is open daily from 8:00 to 19:00 from May to September and from 8:00 to 17:00 from October to April.

Having a guide would be of great help in getting to know Troy, as the ruins of many buildings are quite difficult to identify on their own, and due to different historical layers, they are all mixed up.
Troy was destroyed and rebuilt 9 times - and from each of the restorations in the city, something remains to this day, although amateur excavations in the 19th century. turned out to be extremely destructive.
To see the city, it is most convenient to use the road that surrounds it in a circle. To the right of the entrance you can see the walls and tower of the period of Troy VII (that is, the city as it became after it was rebuilt 7 times), belonging to the period when the city most closely matched the descriptions of Homer in the Iliad. There you can go down the stairs and walk along the walls.

Then the road will lead to brick walls, partially restored, and partially preserved in their original form. Above them is the ruined altar of the temple of Athena, along which the walls of the early and middle periods run, and opposite - the houses of the rich inhabitants of the city.
Further, the path passes by the trenches left from the excavations of Schliemann, to the palace complex, also belonging to the period most likely described in the Iliad. To the right of the palace are parts of the sanctuary of the ancient gods.
Finally, the path leads to the Odeon Concert Hall and the city council chambers, from where you can return along the stone road to the place where the tour started.

Around Troy
30 km south of ancient Troy is the no less ancient Alexandria of Troy - a city founded by the commander of Alexander the Great Antigonus in 300 BC. e. However, this vast archaeological site, unlike the popular Troy, is almost unmarked. Accordingly, it is hardly possible to figure it out on your own, without deep knowledge of ancient history.

Noteworthy are the outskirts of the village of Gulpinar, where the picturesque ruins of the temple of Apollo, which was built in the 5th century BC, are located. BC e. colonists from Crete. The westernmost point of Asia - Cape Baba - is interesting for its fishing port Babakalekoy (Babakale, Babakale, "Baba Fortress"), where there is a charming Ottoman castle of the 18th century. Here you can also refresh yourself by swimming either right among the boulders framing the harbor on both sides, or by driving another 3 km to the north to a nice equipped beach.

Another highlight of these places is the town of Ayvacik, 30 km east of Troy. At the end of the week, merchants from all over the country flock to the local market, the best souvenir from here is a colorful carpet. If you are lucky enough to get to Ayvadzhik at the end of April, you can catch the traditional annual gathering of the nomadic peoples Paniyr. At this time, bright dance and musical performances, noisy bazaars, where thoroughbred horses are exhibited, are arranged around the city. In addition, 25 km to the south lies the ancient Assos, the name of which caresses the ears of more than one admirer of antiquity.

LEGEND ABOUT THE TROJAN HORSE
The war between the Trojans and the Danaans began because the Trojan prince Paris stole the beautiful Helen from Menelaus. Her husband, the king of Sparta, with his brother gathered the army of Achaea and went to Paris. During the war with Troy, the Achaeans, after a long and unsuccessful siege, resorted to a trick: they built a huge wooden horse, left it at the walls of Troy, and pretended to swim away from the coast of the Troad (the invention of this trick is attributed to Odysseus, the most cunning of the leaders of the Danaans, and the horse was made by Epey). The horse was an offering to the goddess Athena of Ilion. On the side of the horse was written "This gift is brought to Athena the Warrior by the departing Danaans." To build the horse, the Hellenes cut down the dogwood trees (kranei) that grew in the sacred grove of Apollo, appeased Apollo with sacrifices and gave him the name Karney (for the horse was made of maple).
The priest Laocoönt, seeing this horse and knowing the tricks of the Danaans, exclaimed: “Whatever it is, beware of the Danaans, even those who bring gifts!” (Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentes!) and threw a spear at the horse. However, at that moment, 2 huge snakes crawled out of the sea, killed Laocoont and his two sons, since the god Poseidon himself wanted the death of Troy. The Trojans, not listening to the warnings of Laocoönt and the prophetess Cassandra, dragged the horse into the city. Virgil's half-line "Fear the Danaans, even those who bring gifts", often quoted in Latin ("Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes"), has become a proverb. From here arose the phraseological unit “Trojan horse”, used in the meaning: a secret, insidious plan, disguised as a gift.

Inside the horse sat 50 of the best warriors (according to the Little Iliad, 3000). According to Stesichorus, 100 warriors, according to others - 20, according to Tsetsu - 23, or only 9 warriors: Menelaus, Odysseus, Diomedes, Thesander, Sthenelus, Acamant, Foant, Machaon and Neoptolem. The names of all were listed by the poet Sakad of Argos. Athena gave the heroes ambrosia.
At night, the Greeks, who were hiding inside the horse, got out of it, killed the guards, opened the city gates, let in their comrades who returned on ships, and thus captured Troy (Homer's Odyssey, 8, 493 et ​​seq.; Virgil's Aeneid, 2, 15 et seq.).


Interpretations
According to Polybius, “almost all barbarian peoples, in any case most of them, kill and sacrifice a horse either at the very beginning of the war, or before a decisive battle, in order to discover a sign of the near future in the fall of an animal.”

According to the euhemeristic interpretation, in order to drag him in, the Trojans dismantled part of the wall, and the Hellenes took the city. According to the assumptions of some historians (already met with Pausanias), the Trojan horse was actually a wall-beating machine, it served to destroy walls. According to Dareth, a horse's head was simply carved on the Skean Gate.
There were the tragedy of Jophon "The Destruction of Ilion", the tragedy of an unknown author "Departure", the tragedy of Livy Andronicus and Nevius "The Trojan Horse", as well as the poem of Nero "The Collapse of Troy".

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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO:
Team Nomads
Ivik O. Troy. Five thousand years of reality and myth. M., 2017.
Gindin L. A. Population of Homer's Troy, 1993.
Gindin L. A., Tsymbursky V. L. Homer and the history of the Eastern Mediterranean. M., 1996.
Blegen K. Troy and the Trojans. M., 2002.
Schliemann G. Ilion. City and country of the Trojans. M., 2009, vol. I-II.
Schliemann G. Troy. M., 2010.
Treasures of Troy. From the excavations of Heinrich Schliemann. M., 2007.
History of the Ancient East, part 2. M., 1988.
Virkhov R. The ruins of Troy // Historical Bulletin, 1880. - T. 1. - No. 2. - S. 415-430.
Stone Irving, Greek Treasure. Biographical novel about Heinrich and Sophia Schliemann, 1975
Dictionary of geographical names of foreign countries / ed. ed. A. M. Komkov. - 3rd ed., revised. and additional - M .: Nedra, 1986. - S. 350.
Landmarks of Turkey.
Frolova N. Ephesus and Troy. - LitRes, 2013. - ISBN 9785457217829.

Troy ruins

Many of us at least once in our lives have heard the name of the ancient city of Troy, or Ilion. The city was located on the territory of Asia Minor on the coast of the Aegean Sea. Today, lovers of travel and old cities are looking for information about where Troy was located and where its ruins can now be seen.

Troy in the past

The oldest archaeological traces of Troy date back to 2900-2500 BC. The ancient state of Troy was located near the Dardanelles (Hellespont) in the Aegean Sea, it was founded at the mouth of the bay of the same name. The ancient sea route connecting the Marmara, Black and Aegean seas was under the control of the Trojan state in those days. Troy was one of the important trading states.

For a long time it was believed that Troy is just a mythical state that was invented in antiquity. But everything changed after the famous self-taught archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann found a treasure in the northwestern part of the Hissarlik hill (near the city of Canakkale in modern Turkey) in 1870. During further excavations, the ancient city was found.

Troy today

The ruins of Troy are located in Turkey, near the city of Canakkale, about 30 km. The closest settlement is the village of Tevfikiye. You can quickly get to the museum from the city of Canakkale, buses make regular flights, the minimum ticket price is 3 lira.

The ruins of the city are of particular interest. They consist of 10 main layers. This is due to the fact that the city was destroyed and rebuilt several times during various military invasions.

It is worth noting that the city-museum of Troy is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Troy- probably, there are few in the world who have not heard the name of this legendary city at least once in their lives, who have not heard about the famous Trojan horse, which drastically changed the course Trojan War. Starting from The Iliad by Homer, which describes the fifty-one days of the last year Trojan War, O Troy much has been said and written. Troy has always interested and continues to interest a wide variety of scientists: archaeologists, historians, writers and local historians. And do you know that Troy is in ?

Trojan horse - a symbol of Troy

Where is Troy located? Troy on the map

“Troy" And " Ilion“Two different names for the same mighty city in Asia Minor, at the entrance to the strait. The city was located on an ancient maritime trade route that connected the Aegean Sea with the Sea of ​​Marmara and the Black Sea. Troy occupied a dominant position over the strait and this allowed the city to become a key center of trade between East and West in the Bronze Age.

Location of Troy

According to Homer, a river flowed near the city Scamander and Simois. The Scamander River (tur. Karamenderes) originates on the slopes of the mountains Ida, which are now called Kaz-Dag. When Troy was first founded, it was located on the shores of the bay of the same name. But what we see today is no longer a bay, but a large plain, because the alluvial sediments of the rivers Scamander and Simois gradually accumulated and for many centuries these river sediments practically filled the bay. Today, the ruins of ancient Troy are located in, 30 km from the city Canakkale, near the village of Tevfikiye.

Excavations of Troy and the “Priam Treasure”

For a long time existence itself Troy was considered a myth or fabrication by Homer and the exact location Troy No one knew. Geographic descriptions given in The Iliad by Homer, led some scholars to suggest that the ruins Troy may be in the north-west of Asia Minor, somewhere at the entrance to (on the territory of modern Turkey). In 1870, the famous self-taught archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, having received permission from the then Ottoman authorities, began excavation in the northwestern part of the hill Hissarlik(near the city Canakkale). May 31, 1873 Schliemann a treasure was discovered, which he hastily called the "Priam Treasure". Later it turned out that it was not "Priam's Treasure", because the age of the treasure was a thousand years older than the times described by the blind poet Homer.

According to the permission of the Ottoman government for the right to excavate Hissarlik, Schliemann was obliged to transfer half of the finds to . But he, having hidden the treasures from the Turkish authorities, smuggled them to Greece. In 1881, after unsuccessful attempts to sell the treasures to the largest museums in the world, Schliemann donated them to the city of Berlin, and this allowed him to become an honorary citizen of Berlin. Since 1945 Trojan treasure, taken as a trophy during the Second World War, is located in Moscow in the Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin.

Many still doubt that Schliemann discovered the very Troy, but one way or another, most scientists today are inclined to believe that Schliemann was still right, "Troy has been excavated, and there is no second."

Sights of Troy

Due to its strategic location, after every devastating war or devastating earthquake, the city was rebuilt and life in Three started again. That is why these days archaeological site represents nine main cultural layers that belong to different eras. Troy is one of the most famous archaeological sites in Turkey both in the world and included in.

Cultural layers of Troy

Troy I

The oldest archaeological traces of Troy date back to 2900-2500 BC. BC e. Troy I was a small settlement and even in the prime of its existence was only 100 m in diameter. Despite its modest size, Troy I had a fortress with massive walls, gates and towers built of unhewn stone. This settlement existed for almost five centuries and, most likely, was destroyed by fire.

Troy II

Despite the fact that Troy I was destroyed by fire, which arose on the site of the ashes Troy II represents the revival of the lost city. The second cultural layer of Troy (2500-2300 BC) is one of the most impressive archaeological sites of the Early Bronze Age. Many treasures were discovered in this layer, including the treasure discovered by Schliemann, which he hastily called the “Priam Treasure”. All these treasures of gold, silver, bronze and copper speak of active trading activity in the city. However, Troy II also collapsed, but as a result of a sudden attack, as evidenced by the discovered traces of intentional destruction.

Troy III, IV and V

Troy III, IV and V are already larger settlements that existed from 2300-1800. BC e. Over the centuries, the citadel of the city has grown, but there are no concrete traces of the development of the city, on the contrary, traces of the decline of the city were found. In these settlements, groups of small houses are already observed, standing right next to each other, separated by small streets. Troy V again destroyed by fire.

Troy VI and VII

During this period, a new royal palace-citadel was built in Troy. In size, the new citadel surpassed not only the old one, but any other in western Asia Minor. Built of hewn stone and reinforced with massive towers, the new fortress walls of the city had a thickness of 4 to 5 m. All this testifies to wealth, prosperity and power Troy in this period. But large vertical faults on the fortress wall in the VIth cultural layer of Troy(1800-1250 BC) , indicate that there was a strong earthquake. After the earthquake, on the site of the destroyed settlement, life began to emerge again. The Trojan War and the events mentioned by Homer in the Iliad refer to either Troy VI or Troy VII (1250-1025 BC).

Troy VIII and IX

According to modern scientists, the Greeks settled Troy, abandoned after the war, 250 years later, that is, during the life of Homer. At first, a small settlement arose on the site of old Troy, then the city grew. On the territory of Troy there was a temple of Athena, as well as a sanctuary for sacrifices (900-85 BC). According to Arrian (ancient Greek historian and geographer), he made a pilgrimage to Troy and visited the temple of Athena. From the temple of Athena, only a few fragments of altars and marble fragments have come down to us. With the growth of the power of the Roman state, a legend arose that it was the descendants of the Trojan Aeneas who founded Rome. Therefore, the Romans honored Troy. Gaius Julius Caesar ordered the expansion of the Temple of Athena after his visit there in 48 BC. Augustus, who replaced him, also ordered the construction of a boulevterion (council hall) and an odion for musical performances in the “sacred Ilion”.

Hotels near National Park

Troy Photos

Troy is the scene of the legendary Trojan War, which is reflected in the ancient Greek oral and literary traditions.

Historians are still debating the existence of Troy. Most are inclined to believe that Troy really existed, as this is confirmed by the archaeological finds found on the ground: some of them fit the description of Troy by Homer in the Iliad.

Troy is also called Hisarlika (Turkish name), Ilios or Elijah, as well as Ilium (as Homer called the city).

Mythological Troy

Troy is the main setting in Homer's Iliad; Recall that the work is dedicated to the last year of the Trojan War, which took place in the 13th century BC. The war lasted 10 years: King Agamemnon of Mycenae, together with his allies, the Greek troops, literally laid siege to the city. The purpose of the capture was to return Helen the Beautiful, wife of Menelaus, king of Argos and brother of Agamemnon.

The girl was kidnapped by the Trojan prince Paris, as she was honored at the beauty contest herself, who recognized Elena as the most beautiful woman living on earth.

References to the Trojan War are also found in other literary sources: for example, in the poems of several authors, as well as in Homer's Odyssey. Troy and later became one of the most popular subjects in mythology and classical literature.

Homer describes Troy as a city surrounded by a strong, invincible wall. In the Iliad, there are also references to the fact that the city was fortified with high and steep walls with battlements at the ends.

The walls must have been unusually strong, as Troy was able to withstand a 10-year siege by the Greeks. The city could have been saved if the cunning Greeks hadn’t come up with a horse’s move - and in a literal sense: the Danaans built a huge horse, which seemed to be donated to the Trojans, but in fact the soldiers hid in it, and later were able to break into the city, defeating the enemy forces.

It was known from Greek myths that the walls of Troy were so impressive that people believed that they were built by Poseidon and Apollo.

Archaeological finds of Troy

Existing from the Early Bronze Age (3000 BC) until the 12th century AD. the city, which is commonly called Troy, is located 5 km from the coast, but once it was located near the sea.

The territory of Troy was limited by a bay created by the mouth of the Scamanda River, and the city occupied a strategically important position between the Aegean and Eastern civilizations, and also controlled access to the Black Sea, Anatolia and the Balkans - both on land and at sea.

The remains of the city of Troy were first found by Frank Calvert in 1863 AD, then the study of archaeological artifacts was continued by Heinrich Schliemann in 1870.

The scientist studied Troy for 20 years, until his death in 1890. Thus, Schliemann managed to discover an artificial hill 20 m high, which had remained untouched since antiquity. Schliemann's finds contained jewelry and vessels made of gold and silver, which, according to descriptions, were similar to those described by Homer in the Iliad.

However, all the artifacts were dated earlier and probably belonged to the period of the life of the Greeks before the Trojan War.

Excavations continued throughout the 20th century AD. and are ongoing to this day.

According to the latest data, nine different cities could be located on the territory of the proposed city of Troy. Scientists have created a special classification, designating these cities with Roman numerals: from Troy I to Troy IX.

The history of Troy, according to historians, began with a small village. Then large buildings and fortification walls made of stone and brick appeared in it, later steep walls 8 meters high and 5 meters thick appeared (apparently, Homer mentioned them in the Iliad), the city occupied an area of ​​270,000 square meters.

The further fate of Troy is connected with fires and some major destruction - this is confirmed by the finds of archaeologists.

The centuries-old existence of Troy influenced the development of arts and various crafts in neighboring cities: archaeologists often find replicas of jewelry, ceramics and military supplies created by masters of other cities in the image and likeness of those that the Trojans once created.

More is known about this city of the ancient civilization of the Greeks according to the legends of Homer. He mentions this policy in his Iliad. However, archaeological excavations confirm the existence of the once powerful city-state in Greece. However, some sources refute these claims. It is officially known that Troy (Ilion) was a small settlement on the territory of Asia Minor. It is located on the coast of the Aegean Sea, on the Troad peninsula. It was within easy reach of the Dardanelles. Now it is the Turkish province of Canakkale.

How did Troy begin?

Historians have studied the descriptions and life of this city by Homer well, and have concluded that Troy existed in the era of Crete-Mycenae. The people who inhabited the polis were called "Tevkry". Comparing the data given by Homer with other sources, scientists came to the conclusion that the Trojans bravely fought against any conquerors and made campaigns themselves. Troy is mentioned in Egyptian chronicles. Allegedly, some Teresh came to the country of the pyramids in order to enslave the most prosperous territories. But some historians are not sure that they were Trojans.
Historians argue about the name. It is believed that the state was called Troy, and Ilion was its capital. But there are opinions of scientists that everything was the other way around. It is known that Homer wrote the Iliad, decades later, many sources testifying to Troy could be lost, and people who knew something about Troy departed to another world. Therefore, the data cited by Homer have been disputed for a long time. Since the same plot is described differently in the Iliad and other sources.
Historians also find a connection between the Trojans and mythical subjects and heroes. Appear here:

1. Aphrodite.
2. Gera.
3. Athena.
4. Zeus.
5. Odysseus.
6. Paris.

Everyone knows the myths about Troy and its fall. But the reasons for this decline are not known for certain, whether there was a Trojan horse, whether there was a war. According to legend, it was in Troy that Paris and Helen came, taking considerable wealth. Her husband organized the chase, gathering a significant army. It is believed that this conflict was the start of the Trojan War.

Significant battles

Skirmishes lasted for a decade, and not once during this period was Troy taken. The Greeks brought under its walls the best ships, using advanced weapons. Many great commanders perished during the period of a series of fierce battles. But the walls of the city were still impregnable.
It is known that Odysseus participated in the skirmishes. The idea to build a huge wooden horse belonged to him. The warriors, along with their leader Odysseus, hid inside the horse. At this time, the naval commanders took the ships away from Troy, which could indicate a retreat. This is exactly what the Trojans thought when they saw how the ships go far into the sea.
The Trojans rolled their horse behind the once impregnable gates and set off to celebrate the victory. At the same time, the Greeks waited until night fell, got out of their shelter and opened the gates to the rest of the representatives of Odysseus's army. The warriors who entered the city killed most of the Trojans to death and began to celebrate the victory. The deceived husband Menelaus was going to put Elena to death, but again fell under her spell and pardoned.

Romans and Greeks - about Troy

Not only Homer told in his works about the legendary city and its inhabitants. The Romans talked about Troy in no less detail. Virgil and Ovid especially succeeded in this.
The scientists of ancient Greece were in full confidence that the Trojan War was not a myth, it took place. Herodotus and Thucydides said that there is historical evidence of a war with Troy. They said that Troy was quite majestic. She stood on a small hill. Below is the Dardanelles. Troy was known not only as a militant city, but also as an important strategic object in terms of trade and crafts. After all, the most important trade routes passed by it along the strait connecting the Aegean and Black Seas. Ships arrived here from different countries, among which were the very rich.

The area where Troy was located was called "Troad". Historians have studied these territories for many years. Now they belong to Turkey. Heinrich Schliemann, a popular businessman from Germany, was the first to show the world the place where Troy was located a long time ago. It is known that Heinrich studied the Iliad very thoroughly, which allowed him to assert that the place was located near the Dardanelles. The hill was called Hisarlyk in ancient times. It was on it that Troy towered.
Excavations began at the end of the 19th century. They lasted for 20 years. During this period, the researcher discovered the remains of not one, but several once settlements. All of them existed until the late Roman period. Believing that Troy existed much earlier than these times and even before the 3rd millennium BC, Schliemann dug deeper. At the same time, he destroyed a lot of important historical monuments, without even knowing it.
Many objects made of gold fell into Schliemann's hands. He called them "Priam Treasures". At the same time, he told everyone that Troy was located here in Antiquity. Not the entire scientific world took this at face value. The researchers claimed that the place on Mount Hisarlik was first found not by Schliemann, but by Briton Frank Calvert. This archaeologist allegedly carried out excavations before Schliemann and even helped the German at the initial stage. Calvert was also sure that Troy was located near the Dardanelles.
However, Schliemann, having gained worldwide fame thanks to 20 years of excavations, claimed that Calvert never helped him. Today, the descendants of Calvert, living in America and England, are fighting for part of the treasure found by Schliemann. And some researchers claim that Schliemann himself brought gold jewelry and utensils to Mount Hisarlik in order to pass them off as the treasures of Troy.
Modern scholars hastened to reassure Schliemann of his conjectures, saying that the city he found existed about 1000 years before Troy and the events associated with the war. Schliemann's excavations can be dated at times to 2000 BC.

It is worth believing that Schliemann brought to the world very useful discoveries. Despite the fact that he did not discover Troy, and completely destroyed the priceless sources of cultural heritage, he drew the attention of the world to the Hissarlik hill. After Schliemann lost interest in excavations, other researchers came to Mount Hisarlik. Among them: Karl Blegen, Wilhelm Dörpfeld, scientists from different universities around the world. Excavations continued into the 20th century.
The result of these studies was the assertion that at least 9 settlements existed on this site in different years and centuries. The first of them were here in the Bronze Age (3rd millennium BC). Life in Troy dates back to the 3rd century. BC. The one that was described by Homer, archaeologists designated "Troy-8". It existed in 1100. BC. This period includes finds that testify to the rampage of the fire element in the settlement. So, there was a war, the scientists concluded.
In Troy, not only military affairs developed, but also handicrafts. Pottery handicrafts have been found. But, perhaps, they were not produced here, but were imported and bought from merchants. Bronze arrowheads, it seems, were forged right in the fortress.
"Troy-8" is considered the most developed and largest city, in comparison with the rest of the settlements that were on the hill. There is a lot of evidence that there was a Troy on Hissarlik and remained in the ground. The hypothesis about the destruction of the city during the war was confirmed.
And how do contemporaries represent that same Trojan horse? This is not at all a sculpture of an animal carved from wood, as they draw in books about the legends of Ancient Greece for children. This horse was more like a ram, like a horse. This is evidenced by British archaeologists.
The Trojan horse is the prototype of an earthquake in mythology, another legend says. But during excavations, scientists did not find traces of a riot of forces of nature, therefore they tend to believe in the version of military operations in Troy. Turkish sources also speak about this. Troy is now Turkish territory. The scientists of this country found written sources about the pra-Greek tribes living in the regions of the Dardanelles. It is said about the people and the state of Ahiyava, which also took place in Homer.
Troy, of course, a real once existing state or city in which the tribes that once inhabited Greece lived. A huge number of scientists have spent years of their work to find out exactly where Troy was located, whether there was a Trojan War, and what the Trojan horse looked like. Historians compared archaeological evidence with the stories of Homer, who embodied them in the Iliad. So the modern world is almost 100% sure that Troy was located on the territory of the Hisarlik hill, near the Dardanelles.