TROY

Trojan HorseTroy is a city which existed over 4000 years and known as the center of ancient civilizations. Many years, people believed that it was the city in tales and never existed until it was first found. At this time it was known as Ilium or New Ilium. Today Troy or New Ilium are places in Hisarlik at Canakkale. The remains of the city can be visited in here. What was left are the remains of the destruction of Schliemann, the famous German archaeologist (or treasure hunter). Today an international team of scientists brings the Troy of the Bronze Age back to life under a sponsored project by Daimler - Benz and another team is at law wars with Russia and Germany to get the stolen Trojan treasures. Unfortunately Trojan Gold are at Pushkin Museum today in Moscow.

At first, Troy appeared in Greek and Latin literature. Homer first mentioned story of Troy in Iliad and Odyssey. Later it became the most popular subject in Greek drama and told its story elaborately to next generations. The book of Virgil's Aeneid contains the best known account of the sack of Troy. In addition, there are untrue stories under the names of Dictys Cretensis and Dares Phrygius.

In the Bronze age, Troy has a great power because of its strategic position between Europe and Asia. In the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC Troy was a cultural centre. After the Trojan War, the site was apparently abandoned from 1100 to 700 BC. About 700 BC Greek settlers began to occupy the Troas region. Troy was resettled and named as Ilion. Alexander the Great ruled over the area successively around the 4th century BC. After Romans captured Troy in 85 BC., it was restored partially by Roman general Sulla. After the occupation of Constantinople ( Istanbul ), Troy lost its importance.

Troy (Truva) located on Hisarlik at Canakkale, one of the Turkish cities in the west of Turkey, the city of Dardanelles, the heart of history at the World War I - Gallipoli (Gelibolu) where Turks wrote the history with the Gallipoli Campaign, loosing 250.000 men. Canakkale has been a crossing point for many armies, traders and migrating people since before history.

Charles McLaren in 1822 found the ruins of Troy left from Hellenistic and Roman Ilion at Hisarlik, Canakkale in Turkey. The German archaeologist Heinrich Schlieman excavated Troy from 1870 to 1890. His theft of treasure from Troy and his damage (destruction) to Troy will be always remembered in Turkish archaeological history. A new German excavator team is still working to rebuild Troy ruins by using new advanced technologies since 1988. Wihelm Dorpfeld followed to excavate Troy after Schliemann. He found nine levels at Troy; Troy I to V relates roughly with early Bronze Age ( 3000 to 1900 BC ). Its inhabitants were known as Trojans in this period. Troy VI and VII were built in the Middle and Late Bronze Age. Troy VIII to IX belongs to Hellenistic and Roman Ilion (Latin Ilium).

In the history, Troy was destroyed many times and rebuilt. Until now archaeologists have found nine levels of Troy labeled from I to IX. Troy is one of the most famous cities in the history, remembering us Hector, Achilles and Achaean Greeks, the sake of Helen, Paris, Agamemnon and Priam. Its story is written in every language, Trojan heroes, Achilles' heel and Odyssey became figures in poems. From Alexander the Great to Lord Byron, many important figures of the history stood on the site of the great heroes. In the history people always wondered whether the Trojan War happened or not. Was there a real wooden horse?

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