Troy has appeared in Greek and Latin literature and is the legendary ancient city where the Trojan War took place, as described in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.
According to legend, goddesses led Paris to Mount Ida where Priam's handsome son was living. Paris went to Sparta to give a golden apple to Helen and presented it to Aphrodite. Menelaus, Helen's husband, prepared a feast in Paris's honor, but Helen fell in love with Paris and the two lovers sailed to Troy together. Feeling insulted and dishonored, Menelaus gathered the Achaean army and launched a campaign against Troy, beginning a relentless war that would last ten years.
Homer's Iliad famously tells how the great warrior Hector fell in single combat with Achilles, the finest Greek warrior, and how the Greeks built the legendary Wooden Horse to gain access to the city (with well-armed men hidden inside). The horse was left as an offering to Athena; the Greeks burned their camps and sailed away as if they had surrendered. Finding the ashes of the camps, the Trojans pulled the horse into the city. The hidden soldiers jumped out of the horse, killed the guards, and opened the city gates; waiting Greeks entered the city and killed the Trojans—no males were left alive. But this bloody victory brought suffering to the Greeks; they were dispersed by storms and lost their way on their return voyage home, and Agamemnon, king of the Greeks, was killed by his wife.
Archaeologists have discovered nine major settlement layers and 33 distinct strata in Troy representing different periods:
Troy I (3000 - 2500 B.C.): A small fortified town of the Early Bronze Age, approximately 100 meters in diameter, surrounded by walls.
Troy II (2500 - 2200 B.C.): Slightly larger, showing considerable development. The treasure found by Troy's discoverer, Heinrich Schliemann, comes from this level, which was destroyed by fire and attack.
Troy III, IV, V (2000 - 1800 B.C.): Cultural development continued. This period ended with the destruction of the town, resulting in complete cultural changes as outlined in The Iliad.
Troy VI (1800 - 1275 B.C.): The new population was probably Indo-European, who settled here after their invasions.
Troy VII (1275 - 1100 B.C.): The city walls were repaired; little cultural change occurred during this period.
Troy VIII (700 - 300 B.C.): After a gap of four centuries, Troy became a Greek city; temples were built, and Xerxes and Alexander the Great visited the site.
Troy IX (300 B.C. - A.D. 300): Troy's last prosperous period. New walls were built. Goths attacked in A.D. 267. Constantine once considered Troy as a possible capital before choosing Byzantium. Troy survived as a Byzantine town, later passing to the Turkish Karasi Emirate before disappearing completely.
The German archaeologist Schliemann was inspired by Homer's tale. Prior to his excavations at Troy, he was in Greece visiting a school where he asked students to read The Iliad for him. A young girl named Sophia was the best interpreter and translator with excellent German; he later married her.
Troy existed for more than 4,000 years as a center of ancient civilization. Through Schliemann's excavations, this legendary civilization was discovered and proven to be real.
The archaeological work in Troy has its own dramatic story and misfortune. The third-millennium treasure of Priam and other important artifacts were taken first to Athens and then to Germany after the Second World War. Some fragments were later found in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow.
The name "Troy" conjures up great romance and mystery. Today, however, Troy's appearance may be disappointing to some visitors despite its historical significance.
In ancient times the city was on the seacoast. Now the sea has receded significantly due to alluvial deposits brought by rivers. The ruins of temples from the Roman period and various objects recovered from excavations are displayed in the museum and are well worth visiting.