Europe-Transatlantic-Caribbean

We first became aware of this undertaking during a cruise through the Dardenelles in 1996 We were inspired to return someday to see the result 26 years later we were finally able to to this The site itself was well documented and our knowledgeable guide provided additional insight and perspective A major discovery when modern excavation began was the Polyxena Sarrcophagus which was a highlight of our museum tour

Our tour followed the path indicated in the map below We stopped at all 26 markers


	The Pithos storage vessels described at left can be seen below in the garden Many were also displayed in the museum



	At key points signs indicated which of the 9 cities was exposed



Here is the East Wall








Looking out over the Plains of Troy













































Troy I (c. 3000-2550 BCE): This was simply a small village protected by stone walls. The excavated pottery and metal that is dated to this era is like those from Lesbos and Lemnos in the Aegean and in northern Anatolia. ‘Megarons’, (hall-like buildings), were found here. These were the main type of housing in the fortified part of Troy for centuries. Troy I-III were part of the Early Bronze Age. Troy II (c. 2550-2300 BCE): This city was approximately 9000 sqm and measured 330m in circumference and shows signs of being destroyed by fire at least three times. The presence of gold objects in this layer led Schliemann to believe that this was Priam’s city from The Iliad and he called the treasure the ‘treasure of Priam’. However, there is no proof that this is Homer’s Troy. The treasure included 60 earrings, 6 bracelets, 2 diadems and 8750 rings, all of which were made of solid gold. Troy III - Troy V (c. 2300-1750 BCE): Information regarding these three cities is scarce, because much was hastily removed to reach the levels beneath it. Even though these seemed less prosperous than the previous layers, there are signs of trade with foreigners - Anatolian style dome ovens and Minoan pottery. Troy III belonged to the Early Bronze II culture, and Troy IV and Troy V belonged to Early Bronze III and Middle Bronze I periods. Troy VI (c. 1750-1300 BCE): This settlement is the most likely to be Homer’s Troy. There are several reasons for this. The walls - made of limestone blocks- were 5m thick and 8 m in height and had several towers on top of it. Furthermore, sections of the wall are slightly offset every 10cm to form a curved wall so that corners can be avoided– a uniquely Trojan feature. Troy VI was likely to hold 10,000 inhabitants and excavations have also unearthed signs of horse rearing, which were missing from the previous ruins, and which allude to Homer’s description of the ‘horse taming Trojans’. Interestingly there are some suggestions of conflict - bronze arrowheads, spear tips and slingshots, dating to 1250 BCE, have been found on-site and embedded on the fortification walls. The dates and the destruction of the site approximately match Herodotus’ dates for the Trojan War. Troy VIIa (c. 1750-1300 BCE) – Troy VIIb (c. 1180-950 BCE): Both cities show signs of regressing and being not as developed as the previous ruins, which again points to the aftermath of the sacking of Troy as per Homer. Both cities ultimately got burnt down. Troy VIII - Troy IX (c. 950 BCE to 550 CE): Julius Caesar claimed that Rome was founded by Aeneas (a prince of Troy), making it very important to the Roman identity. He also claimed that Ascanius, son of Aeneas, had the surname Ilus, meaning “boy from Ilion”, which is another name for Troy. In Virgil’s Aeneid, Aeneas survives the fall of Troy and later founds Rome. Greek Ilion was the name of Troy VIII and Troy IX was called Roman Ilium. Though the city never reached its past grandeur, it was held in high regard as the Persian King Xerxes and Alexander the Great both visited Troy during this era. A temple to Athena was established here at the beginning of the 3rd century BCE by Lysimachus, one of Alexander’s successors The above information was found on this website - https://www.academuseducation.co.uk/post/the-nine-cities-of-troy






















































Yes, we stopped at all 26 points of interest