Troy legend and Trojan war | One of the most popular remain Turkey offers.   

Greek legend as written about by Homer in the Illiada  has it that the city of Troy was founded by Ilus, the son of Tros (the name from which Troy is derived).

Ilus was succeeded by his son Laomedon who was killed by Hercules when the city was captured by the Greeks. In 1868 Heinrich Schliemann obtained permission from the Ottomans to start to excavate the troad plain which was known to be associated with the Troy that Homer had written about.

Archeologists before Schliemann had found the remains of a temple and evidence of older earlier ruins on a hill called Hisarlık.

As an amateur archeologist Schliemann actually caused damage to the site which was only rectified in 1932 by Carl Blegen. Schliemann found nine layers from the different developments of the city. The oldest layer, Troy I, dates from 3600 BC and is followed by four similar layers.

The city that Homer described in the Illiad is thought to be the 6th or 7th layers. The 6th layer was destroyed by an earthquake in 1275 BC and the 7th layer is thought to have been destroyed by a fire around the times when historians believe the Trojan Wars took place.

Troy’s 8th layer was a Greek city and the final 9th layer was built during the times of the Roman empire. It is not possible to say whether the Trojan War did happen but there is flimsy evidence to suggest that the city was subject to some kind of armed conflict. Homer’s mythical Troy was probably based on a number of wars fought between the Myceneans and the citizens of Troy who were trading partners and commercial rivals.

When visiting the site your are first greeted by a giant wooden horse as described by Homer in which you can climb up inside. There is also a scale model of the site and a video presentation explaining the history and excavation of the site inside the excavation house. A ring path leads visitors around the site of which not much remains except for some 330 meters of wall dating from 1700 – 1275 BC, the remains of the Pillar House dating from Troy’s 6th layer, and some remains from the Temple of Athena the famous reliefs from the temple now being housed in Berlin.

Evidence suggests that Troy was once an important religious centre during Roman and Greek times and there are the remains of some sanctuaries. Visitors may find understanding the site confusing because of the different layers of discoveries at Troy but there are diagrams and drawings to help you comprehend.


How to get here?
Troy can be reached from Cannakkale by dolmus from to the village of Tefvikiye or alternatively with one of the many guided tours to the site.

Opening hours:
It is open from 8am till 7pm during the months between May and September and from (am till 5pm from October April).

Troy is certainly not one of the most impressive remains Turkey has to offer but thanks to Homer and Hollywood it is perhaps the most famous.