Troy

Definition

Troy (alternatively known as Ilios, Ilium, or Wilusa) was a wealthy coastal city in Asia Minor and the location of the ten-year Trojan War, which was waged around 1200 BC between the Greek Achaeans and the Trojans. Previously thought to be purely legendary, the ancient city was rediscovered in 1870 when German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann excavated at the site of Hisarlik in modern-day Turkey. Today, most archaeologists and historians agree that the city uncovered by Schliemann was in fact Troy.

The city of Troy is described in the Epic Cycle, and especially in The Iliad, one of the two major written sources about the Trojan War. According to Homer, Troy was very windy. The site at Hisarlik is located on a windy plain that not only overlooks the Dardanelles straights, but also links the Mediterranean to the Black Sea and Asia Minor to southeast Europe, making it a city of strategic and economic importance in the ancient world.

The city was heavily fortified and archaeological evidence shows that it was attacked and repaired several times throughout its history. In fact, the ruins at Hisarlik reveal that many layered cities had been built on top of each other over about 3000 years. Troy VII, which appears to have been destroyed by a war, is the one most often associated with Homer and the Trojan War.

The archaeological site of Troy was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.

Written by stevenfife_06, published 02 September 2009.

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Articles

• The Trojan War

  Known by virtually all ancient Greeks, the story of the Trojan War is one of the most famous tales in Greek mythology. It is recounted in numerous works of Greek literature, most notably Homer’s epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, and represented visually in Greek art. The myth tells of an ancient...

Illustrations

Troy Books

• The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam Barbara W. Tuchman Ballantine Books (12 February 1985) Price: $11.53

• Stories of the Ancient Greeks Charles D. Shaw LeClue 22 (16 May 2008) Currently unavailable

• The West: A Narrative History, Combined Volume A. Daniel Frankforter Prentice Hall (16 August 2008) Price: $65.34

• Ten Discoveries That Rewrote History Patrick Hunt Plume (25 September 2007) Price: $10.20

• Complete Guide to Greek Mythology for Young and Old Flora J. Cooke A. J. Cornell Publications (23 March 2011) Currently unavailable