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 (tur. Truva), the second name is Ilion, an ancient city in the north-west of Asia Minor, off the coast of the Aegean Sea. It was known thanks to the ancient Greek epics, discovered in 1870. during the excavations by G. Schliemann of the Hisarlyk hill. The city gained particular fame thanks to the myths about the Trojan War and the events described in Homer's poem "The Iliad", according to which the 10-year war of the coalition of Achaean kings led by Agamemnon - the king of Mycenae against Troy ended with the fall of the city - fortress. The people who inhabited Troy are called Tevkras in ancient Greek sources.

Troy is a mythical city. For many centuries, the reality of the existence of Troy was questioned - it existed like a city from a legend. But there have always been people looking for a reflection of real history in the events of the Iliad. However, serious attempts to search for the ancient city were made only in the 19th century. In 1870, Heinrich Schliemann, during excavations of the mountain village of Gissrlyk on the Turkish coast, stumbled upon the ruins of an ancient city. Continuing to excavate to a depth of 15 meters, he unearthed treasures belonging to an ancient and highly developed civilization. These were the ruins of the famous Homeric Troy. It is worth noting that Schliemann unearthed a city that was built earlier (1000 years before the Trojan War), further research showed that he simply went through Troy, since it was erected on the ruins of the ancient city he found.

Troy and Atlantis are one and the same. In 1992, Eberhard Zangger suggested that Troy and Atlantis are the same city. He built a theory on the similarity of the description of cities in ancient legends. However, there was no distribution and scientific basis for this assumption. This hypothesis has not received wide support.

The Trojan War broke out because of a woman. According to Greek legend, the Trojan War broke out because one of the 50 sons of King Priam, Paris, kidnapped the beautiful Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus. The Greeks sent troops precisely to take Helen. However, according to some historians, this is most likely only the pinnacle of the conflict, that is, the last straw that gave rise to the war. Prior to this, presumably, there were many trade wars between the Greeks and the Trojans, who controlled trade along the entire coast in the area of ​​the Dardanelles.

Troy held out for 10 years thanks to outside help. According to available sources, the army of Agamemnon encamped in front of the city on the seashore, without besieging the fortress from all sides. The king of Troy, Priam, took advantage of this, establishing close ties with Caria, Lydia and other regions of Asia Minor, which during the war provided him with assistance. As a result, the war turned out to be very protracted.

The Trojan horse really existed. This is one of the few episodes of that war that has not found its archaeological and historical confirmation. Moreover, there is not a word about the horse in the Iliad, but Homer describes it in detail in his Odyssey. And all the events associated with the Trojan horse and their details were described by the Roman poet Virgil in the Aeneid, 1st century BC. BC, i.e. almost 1200 years later. Some historians suggest that the Trojan horse meant some kind of weapon, such as a battering ram. Others claim that this is how Homer called the Greek sea vessels. It is possible that there was no horse at all, and Homer used it in his poem as a symbol of the death of gullible Trojans.

The Trojan horse got into the city thanks to a cunning trick of the Greeks. According to legend, the Greeks spread a rumor that there was a prophecy that if a wooden horse were to stand within the walls of Troy, he could forever protect the city from Greek raids. Most of the inhabitants of the city were inclined to believe that the horse should be brought into the city. However, there were also opponents. The priest Laocoön offered to burn the horse or throw it off a cliff. He even threw a spear at the horse, and everyone heard that the horse was empty inside. Soon a Greek named Sinon was captured, telling Priam that the Greeks built a horse in honor of the goddess Athena in order to atone for many years of bloodshed. This was followed by tragic events: during the sacrifice to the god of the sea Poseidon, two huge snakes swam out of the water, which strangled the priest and his sons. Seeing this as an omen from above, the Trojans decided to roll the horse into the city. It was so huge that it did not fit through the gate and had to dismantle part of the wall.

The Trojan horse caused the fall of Troy. According to legend, on the night after the horse entered the city, Sinon released from its womb the warriors hiding inside, who quickly killed the guards and flung open the city gates. The city, which fell asleep after violent festivities, did not even put up strong resistance. Several Trojan warriors, led by Aeneas, tried to save the palace and the king. According to ancient Greek myths, the palace fell thanks to the giant Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles, who broke the front door with his ax and killed King Priam.

Heinrich Schliemann, who found Troy and accumulated a huge fortune during his life, was born into a poor family. He was born in 1822 in the family of a country pastor. His homeland is a small German village near the Polish border. His mother died when he was 9 years old. The father was a harsh, unpredictable and self-centered man who loved women very much (for which he lost his position). At the age of 14, Heinrich was separated from his first love, the girl Minna. When Heinrich was 25 years old and already becoming a famous businessman, he finally asked in a letter for Minna's hand in marriage with her father. The answer was that Minna had married a farmer. This message completely broke his heart. Passion for Ancient Greece appeared in the soul of the boy thanks to his father, who read the Iliad to children in the evenings, and then presented his son with a book on world history with illustrations. In 1840, after a long and exhausting job in a grocery store that nearly cost him his life, Heinrich boards a ship bound for Venezuela. On December 12, 1841, the ship fell into a storm and Schliemann was thrown into the icy sea, a barrel saved him from death, by which he held on until he was rescued. During his life, he learned 17 languages ​​and made a large fortune. However, the peak of his career was the excavation of the great Troy.

Heinrich Schliemann undertook the excavations of Troy because of the disorder in his personal life. This is not out of the question. In 1852, Heinrich Schliemann, who had a lot of business in St. Petersburg, married Ekaterina Lyzhina. This marriage lasted 17 years and turned out to be absolutely empty for him. Being a passionate man by nature, he married a sensible woman who was cold to him. As a result, he was almost on the verge of insanity. The unhappy couple had three children, but this did not bring happiness to Schliemann. Out of desperation, he made another fortune selling indigo paint. In addition, he came to grips with the Greek language. He had an inexorable desire for travel. In 1668 he decided to go to Ithaca and organize his first expedition. Then he went towards Constantinople, to those places where, according to the Iliad, Troy was located and began excavations on the hill of Gissarlik. This was his first step on the way to the great Troy.

Schliemann tried on the jewelry of Helen of Troy for his second wife. Heinrich was introduced to his second wife by his old friend, it was the 17-year-old Greek Sophia Engastromenos. According to some sources, when in 1873 Schliemann found the famous treasures of Troy (10,000 gold objects), he brought them upstairs with the help of his second wife, whom he loved immensely. Among them were two luxurious diadems. Putting one of them on Sophia's head, Heinrich said: "The jewel worn by Helen of Troy now adorns my wife." In one of the photographs, she is indeed depicted in magnificent ancient jewelry.

Trojan treasures were lost. There is a deal of truth in it. The Schliemanns donated 12,000 items to the Berlin Museum. During World War II, this priceless treasure was moved to a bunker from which it disappeared in 1945. Part of the treasury unexpectedly showed up in 1993 in Moscow. There is still no answer to the question: "Was it really the gold of Troy?".

During excavations at Hissarlik, several layers-cities of different times were discovered. Archaeologists have identified 9 layers that refer to different years. They are all called Troy.

Only two towers remain from Troy I. Troy II was explored by Schliemann, considering it to be the true Troy of King Priam. Troy VI was the highest point of the development of the city, its inhabitants traded profitably with the Greeks, but this city seems to have been badly damaged by an earthquake. Modern scientists believe that the found Troy VII is the true city of Homer's Iliad. According to historians, the city fell in 1184 BC, being burned by the Greeks. Troy VIII was restored by the Greek colonists, who also erected the Temple of Athena here. Troy IX belongs to the Roman Empire. I would like to note that the excavations have shown that Homeric descriptions very accurately describe the city.

Popular myths.

Popular facts.

Troy, Turkey: description, photo, where it is on the map, how to get

Troy- an ancient settlement in Turkey near the coast of the Aegean Sea. This landmark was sung in his "Iliad" by Homer. Troy was most famous for the Trojan War. This ancient Greek city is included in the 1000 best places in the world according to our website.

Many tourists are interested in this archaeological site of modern Turkey. In order to get to Troy, you must first get to Chanakalle. Buses to Troy leave every hour from there. The journey will take about half an hour. In turn, you can come to Canakalle by bus from Izmir or Istanbul. In both cases, the distance is about 320 km.

The German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann was the first to become interested in the excavations of Troy in the second half of the 19th century. It was under his leadership that the ruins of nine cities around the Hissarlik hill were found. Moreover, many ancient artifacts and one very ancient fortress were found. Schliemann's many years of work was continued by one of his colleagues, who unearthed a vast area dating back to the Mycenaean era.

Excavations are still ongoing at this site.

Today in Troy, there is little that can attract the traveler's eye. However, the atmosphere of the greatest fairy tale in the world invariably hovers in this city. At the moment, the restoration of the famous Trojan horse is fully completed. This attraction is located on a panoramic platform.

Photo attraction: Troy

Troy on the map:

Where is Troy located? - monument on the map

Troy is located in present-day Turkey, on the east coast of the Aegean Sea, southwest of Istanbul. In ancient times, Troy, apparently, was a powerful fortified city, the inhabitants of which became most famous for letting into their city a wooden horse left by the Greeks. Inside the souvenir, according to legend, Greek soldiers were hiding, who killed the guards of the Trojans and opened the gates of the city for the Greek army.

Coordinates:
39.9573326 northern latitude
26.2387447 east longitude

Troy on the interactive map which can be controlled:

Troy is in the lists: cities, monuments

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Troy

Troy is an ancient Greek city on the western tip of Asia Minor. In the 8th century BC, Homer spoke about him in his poems. It was a blind wandering singer. He sang the Trojan War, which took place in the XIII century BC. e. That is, this event happened 500 years before Homer.

For a long time it was believed that both Troy and the Trojan War were invented by the singer. Until now, it is not even known whether the ancient poet actually existed or whether it was a collective image. Therefore, many historians were skeptical about the events sung in the Iliad.

Troy on the map of Turkey, marked with a blue circle

In 1865, the English archaeologist Frank Calvert began excavations on the Hissarlik hill, located 7 km from the Dardanelles. In 1868, the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann also began excavations at the other end of the same hill, after a chance meeting with Calvert at Canakkale.

Lucky for the German. He unearthed several fortified cities that were built in different eras. To date, 9 main settlements located one above the other have been excavated. They were built in a time period that covers 3.5 thousand years.

Model of the city of Troy on the eve of the Trojan War

The excavations are located in northwestern Anatolia at the southwestern tip of the Dardanelles (in ancient times the Hellespont) northwest of Mount Ida. It is about 30 km southwest of the city of Canakkale (the capital of the province of the same name).

Not far from the ruins is a small village that supports the tourism business. This object was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998.. It should be noted that during the Roman Empire, Troy was called Ilion. The city prospered until it was eclipsed by Constantinople. During the Byzantine era, it fell into disrepair.

The famous Trojan horse. Hiding in such a horse,
treacherous Achaeans got into the city

The main archaeological layers of Troy

1 layer- a settlement dating back to the Neolithic period. This is the 7th-5th century BC. e.

2 layer- covers the period 3-2.6 thousand years BC. e. It is from this settlement that Troy begins. It had a diameter of no more than 150 meters. The houses were built with mud bricks. All houses were destroyed by fire.

3 layer- covers the period 2.6-2.25 thousand years BC. e. More developed settlement. Precious jewelry, golden vessels, weapons, gravestones were found on its territory. All this indicated a highly developed culture. The settlement was destroyed as a result of a natural disaster.

4 and 5 layers- covers the period 2.25-1.95 thousand years BC. e. Characterized by the decline of culture and material wealth.

6 layer- 1.95-1.3 thousand years BC e. The city grew in size and grew rich. It was destroyed around 1250 BC. e. strong earthquake. However, it was quickly restored.

7 layer- 1.3-1.2 thousand years BC e. It is this archaeological layer that belongs to the period of the Trojan War. The area of ​​the city at that time occupied 200 thousand square meters. meters. At the same time, the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe fortress was 23 thousand square meters. meters. The urban population reached 10 thousand people. The city fortress was a powerful wall with towers. Their height reached 9 meters. The siege and destruction of the city falls approximately in 1184 BC. e.

8 layer- 1.2-0.9 thousand years BC e. The settlement was taken over by wild tribes. No cultural development was observed during this period.

9 layer- 900-350 years BC. e. Troy became an ancient Greek city-state - a polis. This had a beneficial effect on the culture and well-being of citizens. The period is characterized by good relations with the Achaemenid state. Persian king Xerxes in 480 BC. e. visited the city and sacrificed 1000 bulls in the sanctuary of Athena.

10 layer- 350 BC e. - 400 AD e. characterized by the era of the Hellenistic states and Roman rule. In 85 BC. e. Ilion was destroyed by the Roman general Fimbria.

Sulla then helped rebuild the settlement.

In 20 a.d. e. Emperor Augustus visited Troy and allocated money for the restoration of the sanctuary of Athena. The city prospered for a long time, but then, as already mentioned, fell into decay, thanks to the flourishing of Constantinople.

Archaeological excavations

After Schliemann, excavations were carried out in 1893-1894 by Wilhelm Dörpfeld, and then in 1932-1938 by Karl Blegen. These excavations showed that there were 9 cities built one on top of the other. At the same time, 9 levels were divided into 46 sublevels.

Archaeological excavations resumed in 1988 under the direction of professors Manfred Korfmann and Brian Rose. During this period, the ruins of late Greek and Roman cities were discovered. In 2006, the excavations were led by Ernst Pernik.

In March 2014, it was announced that further research would be sponsored by a private Turkish company, with Associate Professor Rustem Aslan in charge of the work. It was stated that Troy will boost tourism in Çanakkale and maybe become one of the most visited historical places in Turkey.

Troy, today is a huge open-air museum complex. Every year thousands of tourists come here to see the results of the archaeological excavations of this legendary city.

Troy is an open-air museum city and one of the most famous historical sights in Turkey. It is generally accepted by historians that the Greek poet Homer describes it in his famous works "Odyssey" and "Iliad". For quite a long time, it was generally accepted that Troy was a product of the writer's imagination, and those who believed in its existence believed that its location was the area near the village of Bunarbashi. But in the seventies of the nineteenth century, the famous archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, while excavating on the hill of Hisarlik, came across the ruins of nine cities located in different historical layers of the earth, one after another. After a thorough analysis, it was found that this is the place Homer describes, and this is where the legendary Troy is located. Since then, this city has been one of the most popular, famous and visited attractions in Turkey. This city-museum is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

History reference

Today, after numerous studies and modern methods of conducting analyzes on dating a particular historical find, it has been scientifically proven that the archaeological zone of the city of Troy represents nine cultural layers, the oldest of which can be attributed to the fourth millennium BC. Excavations at the location of the city continue to this day.

From the historical period called Troy I, two stone towers have been discovered, from one of the central entrances to the city. Troy II prepared a surprise for the heirs in the form of a ramp, which was lined with huge slabs that hid under them the innumerable treasures of one of the Trojan kings - Priam. III, IV and V of Troy did not bring significant discoveries to archaeologists, except for a few dilapidated houses and streets. The period of Troy IV was the apogee of the development of this city. The area of ​​the city in this historical layer is 200 meters in diameter. It had powerful walls protecting the population from external enemies. The inhabitants were actively engaged in trade with other cities, until one of the powerful earthquakes, in about 1300 BC, destroyed Troy to the ground.

Troy VII, according to scientists, this is the very city, a contemporary of which Homer was. In 1184 BC, the Greeks attacked the city, and once again it was completely destroyed. The times of Troy VIII refer to the revival of the city by the Greek colonists, who erect here the temple of Athena. In subsequent years, the settlement alternately passes under the dominion of first the Persians, then the Romans. It was at the time of the entry of these territories into the Roman Empire that Troy IX flourished. At one time, Christianity was actively preached here, and even an episcopal see was established. But after the capture of the Ottoman Empire, the Turks consign the city to oblivion. This is the scientifically substantiated version of the historical development of the city. But there is also a mythical component, closely intertwined with the thousand-year existence of Troy. The famous Trojan War, the ten-year siege, the legendary Trojan horse, unearthly beauty Helena of Troy, regardless of whether they really existed, or is it just fiction, they are also an essential part of the historical heritage of both the city of Troy in particular and the whole Turkey in general.

The historical significance of Troy

The significance of the city in world history today is quite difficult to define, because of the too long time period between modernity and those millennia BC when it existed, too little reliable information relating to that time is available to scientists. More and more, any data is taken from the works of Homer, Plato, Aristotle, and it is rather problematic to distinguish from them what really happened, and what is just a beautiful fairy tale, designed to brighten up the leisure of readers. But the main points can be distinguished. First, Troy is an active participant in the ethnogenesis of most European peoples of those days. Secondly, due to its location, at the entrance to the Dardanelles, Troy for two thousand years single-handedly controlled the sea routes from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.

The current state of Troy

Today, the area where modern Troy is located is strikingly different from that described by Homer. Silt deposits of the Kara Menderes and Dumrek-Su rivers year after year, day after day, pushed back the coastline, and now the city lies on a completely dry hill. The city-museum certainly has something to see, some ruins belonging to different historical periods are worth something. Tourist visits are allowed here from May to September from 8.00 to 19.00, and from September to April from 8.00 to 17.00. The entrance ticket costs 15 lire. The best solution for a more complete acquaintance with all the exhibits would be to hire a guide.

One of the most popular and favorite places in the city is the famous Trojan horse, or to be precise, its wooden copy. Everyone can climb inside the horse and feel like cunning and dexterous supporters of Odysseus. True, most often there are so many tourists that most not only cannot stand the queue to get inside the Trojan horse, they simply cannot even come closer than a few hundred meters to it. It can also be interesting to visit the Museum of Excavations, with numerous photographs, models and many other exhibits describing the stages of work to discover the city. Numerous inquisitive tourists can visit the temple of Athena, impressive in its size and majesty, the mysterious and gloomy sanctuary of the ancient gods, the Odeon concert hall, and the houses of celebrities and the rich of Troy that have survived to this day.

Location of Troy and attractions near it

Troy is located thirty kilometers south of the Turkish city of Canakkale.

South of Troy are the ruins of another city, Alexandria-Troas, which was founded in the 4th century BC. It was later captured by Alexander the Great and renamed in his honor. Near Alexandria-Troas is the ancient city of Assos or Behramkale. It is picturesquely located on a hill surrounded by dilapidated walls. In Asse, in the time of Plato and Aristotle, a rather well-known philosophical school was founded at that time; many famous philosophers visited it. The sights of Ass include the Murad Mosque, which was built on the remains of a Byzantine church, numerous tombs, and caravanserais, which today have been converted into hotels.

Everyone who wants to get acquainted with the sights of Troy and its environs can use one of the bus routes that regularly depart from the city of Channakale, or get on their own from Bursa, Istanbul or Izmir using fixed-route taxis. By the way, visiting this historical place will not make a hole in the budget of even the poorest tourist. Except for the entrance ticket, and travel, there is nowhere to spend money, no shops, shops, restaurants and cafes.

Instead of a conclusion

Turkey is a wonderful country. With its original history and rather specific local population, which, on the one hand, is trying with all its might to make money on numerous tourists, on the other hand, they secretly despise the life and culture of the country's guests. Troy is one of the most significant historical and cultural monuments in Turkey. Its thousand-year history, mostly covered with numerous myths and legends, annually attracts crowds of tourists from all over the world. Today one can only guess which of what is described by the Greek poet Homer in his imperishable masterpieces is true and which is false. Although most historians claim that the Trojan War took place. True, the reasons for which it flared up are shrouded in mystery, and it may be that, after all, it was Elena the Beautiful who served as the impetus for bloody strife and the subsequent destruction of the city. Which, however, over and over again, like a Phoenix bird, rose from the fire and sands of oblivion, as evidenced by the numerous historical layers discovered during excavations.

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, Troy throughout its existence 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 is 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 Hisarlik hill was aloof from Homeric 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 expedition of Manfred Korfman, the area of ​​the lower city 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 signs.
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 Troy (the invention of this trick is attributed to Odysseus, the most cunning of the leaders of the Danaans , and Epey made the horse). 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 and sl.).


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 a 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.

“Whatever it is, be afraid of the Danes, even those who bring gifts!” - this catchphrase-warning was heard even by those who are superficially familiar with the ancient Greek epic. The city of Troy was defeated through its own curiosity: the inhabitants themselves dragged the soldiers hiding in a wooden horse into its territory. Troy was captured and destroyed. Ruined to the ground? How do we know about this? And where is Troy?

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“Who, among the immortal gods, led them to a hostile dispute?”

The events of those distant days are described in Homer's poem "The Iliad" - the oldest ancient Greek work found. The poem is based on folklore stories about exploits dating back to the 9th-8th centuries BC. e. The capital of the Trojan kingdom then had the name of Ilion, and the last months of the ten-year siege of Troy by the Danaans are described in the songs. Even the gods of Olympus were involved in the conflict that arose because of the beautiful Helen stolen by Paris. Some supported the Danaans, others helped the Trojans. The war lasted 10 years, and it seemed that there would be no end to it. However, the cunning king of Ithaca, Odysseus, realized his insidious plan by building a hollow wooden horse, in which he hid the best Greek warriors. The naive inhabitants of Troy lost their vigilance and dragged the gift into the city. At night, the Danaans got out, opened the gates to their comrades and captured Troy. It would seem that this is another myth, where the truth is, where the fiction is - it is no longer possible to find out, but in the 19th century it turned out that the city actually existed!

Looking for Troy

The German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann was fond of archeology and was literally obsessed with the idea of ​​finding an ancient city and giving a clear answer to the question, Where is Troy. He carefully studied the poem and, having comprehended the guesses of his predecessors, made the assumption that Troy was somewhere near the Dardanelles in Turkey. In 1870, during the excavations, the ruins of the city were discovered, which clearly had great importance for the unknown ancient inhabitants. Former towers, dilapidated walls of fortifications and the altar of the once luxurious temple of Aphrodite confirmed - "Troy has been excavated, and there is no second one."

Archaeologists managed to discover nine cultural layers - Troy was destroyed and rebuilt several times. Earthquakes and wars were so merciless that now it is difficult to guess whether it is a simple cobblestone or part of someone's home. Traces of a fire were noted, which Homer also mentioned. But Schliemann did not find any traces of Greek attacks - as well as a gift from the Danaans. So was there really a horse? According to modern calculations, the wooden giant should have exceeded seven meters in height and had a width of about three meters. To accommodate two dozen armed men - the minimum number of warriors mentioned in the epics - the horse had to weigh about two tons!

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This question remains relevant for researchers. It is possible that it was not even a deadly gift, but a ram recaptured from enemies. The Trojans brought him into the city as a trophy, but in the confusion they did not notice that armed opponents were hiding in the belly. But be that as it may, the phraseological unit, meaning an evil intent or an insidious plan, went to the people and is actively used. For example, this is where the name of computer viruses comes from - "Trojans".

Today, tourists from all over the world come to see the ruins of the legendary city. Troy is located far from popular holiday destinations and, but you can get here in several ways - by water and land. The closest and most convenient way is from the port city of Canakkale. To the delight of children and adults, at the entrance to the territory, guests are greeted by a huge wooden horse, inside which you can climb, feeling like a part of the legendary history.

Kaluga region, Borovsky district, Petrovo village

A cozy tea and coffee shop is a corner of calmness and pleasant rest next to the noisy, crowded and cheerful Peace Street. In the midst of a walk through the houses of different peoples of Australia, Asia, Africa and Latin America, look into the chamber. You will find small tables for two, a subdued atmosphere, traditional interior elements and, of course, first-class coffee prepared according to all the rules - in a Turk on a special titanium for sand! You will not only taste the drink, but also learn how to prepare it correctly: on Saturdays and Sundays at 12:00, a free master class is held in the cafe!

In addition, a large selection of fresh, delicious, most beloved oriental sweets is at your service: sweet Turkish delight, honey baklava, juicy dates, golden halva ...