Part 7 The Ruins of Troy, the Ancient City of Troy<br><br><div> The ruins of the ancient city of Troy (Troy), located in Çanakkale province in northwestern Turkey near the Dardanelles, is one of the world's most famous archaeological sites. This ancient city is famous for the Iliad in Homer's epic poem and is believed to be the place where the ancient Trojan War took place.<br> HISTORICAL CONTEXT: The history of Troy dates back to around 3000 B.C. and has been destroyed and rebuilt many times, resulting in the remains of multiple cultural layers, with nine major historical layers (Troy I through IX).<br> Archaeological Discovery: German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann first excavated the site of Troy in the 19th century and discovered the so-called "Priam's Treasure," although its authenticity is disputed.<br>Monumental features: ruins of ancient walls and towers; city gates, house foundations, drainage systems; remains of theatres and temples from some periods; cultural traces of alternating civilizations (e.g. Greek, Hittite, Roman).<br> Cultural value: Troy is not only the background of the legendary war, but also an important symbol of the convergence of Eastern and Western cultures, and in 1998, the site was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<br> Modern Exhibits: Near the site is the Troy Museum, which displays artifacts unearthed from excavations with multimedia explanations to help visitors better understand this storied period in history.<br></div> This is a stratigraphic section from the site of the ancient city of Troy in Turkey, clearly reflecting the remnants of buildings from different periods of the ancient city. It can be seen in the picture:<br> Layered labels: The walls are labeled with numbered signs such as "I", "II", "III", etc., which are layers of remains from different periods of history (corresponding to Troy I. II, III, etc.) that have been marked by archaeologists, II, III, etc.), each layer represents the remains of a period of the city, roughly spanning the period from 3000 BC to 500 BC.<br>Stone wall structure: foundation walls made of small and large stones are visible between the different levels, which is a typical feature of ancient architectural monuments.<br> Topographic section: the trench-like section in the photograph shows how the remains were excavated, revealing the superimposed structure of the city through the excavation of vertical layers of soil.<br> Historical Layers of the Troy Site (Main Section):<div><br></div><div> [No; Period (approx.); Featured Description ; Possible Relationship to the War]</div><div><br></div><div> I ,3000-2600 BC ;Earliest settlement with low stone walls belonging to the Early Bronze Age Too early to be relevant;</div> II, 2600-2250 ;Reinforced walls, towers, gateways, excavation of the so-called "Treasure of Priamos", which Schliemann mistook for a time of war, but it was too early.<br>VI-VII 1700-1100 B.C. Strongly walled, complex, and large, with signs of destruction Most likely Troy as depicted in the Iliad<br> VIII-IX ,700 B.C.-500 A.D. (Ancient Greek & Roman Periods) ;Redevelopment of cities with temples, theaters, etc. Belongs to a later period, not directly related to legends<br> People are taking interpretive tours around the early walls of the ancient city of Troy. You can see that the stone walls have<br> It is thousands of years old, but still retains a clear layered structure. This part may be the inner or foundational part of the wall, showing how stone and clay were combined to build a strong defense system.<br><br> Walls of Troy II/III Explanatory Plaque<br> This is a plaque describing the ruins of the walls of the ancient city of Troy, Phases II-III (ca. 2550-2200 BC). It states that this section of the wall belongs to the defensive structures of the "Burning City" period discovered by Heinrich Schliemann. The English section on the right hand side states, inter alia, that the hard rock and clay bricks used in the reconstruction show the level of construction technology of the time. The high wall structure here shows that the castle was highly defensible and was part of the core defense system of the city.<br> Remains of ancient wells and walls<br> This photograph shows a portion of a residential or public area site in the ancient city of Troy, with two stone wells in the center standing out. These wells suggest that there was once a rich underground water supply, which may have been used by the inhabitants for daily water collection and possibly for religious ceremonies. The surrounding stone walls reflect the layout of the town.<br><br> Troy Roman Odeon (Troy Ancient Theater)<br> Located in the ruins of the ancient city of Troy in the province of Çanakkale, Turkey, this ancient theater was built between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD during Roman rule. As a small amphitheater (Odeon), it was mainly used for musical performances, poetry readings, local meetings or cultural gatherings, rather than for large-scale gladiatorial or theatrical performances.<br>📐 Architecture:<br> - Auditorium (Cavea): made of stone blocks stacked on top of each other in a semi-circular distribution, it can accommodate about 200-300 people.<br> - Orchestra: the central wooden platform is a modern restoration to preserve the original structure.<br> - Entrance and Steps: Steps are provided on the left and right for easy access of the audience.<br> - Surrounding remains: part of the base of a stone pillar is visible on the ground in front of the right, suggesting that there were other public buildings in this area.<br><br><div> Historical Context:<br> - This theater is part of Troy IX, the period of the Roman Empire.<br> - Troy became a local city in the Roman province of Anatolia during this period, and although it was no longer glorious, it still maintained a certain level of cultural activity.<br> - The existence of the theater shows that the Trojans retained the public space and artistic pursuits of urban life under Roman rule.<br><br> </div> The wide stone pathway of the old city can be seen in this photo, as well as the remnants of the city wall in the lower right. On the left is the visitor's viewing platform, a modern-day addition to protect the site and facilitate visits. The open plain in the distance is the viewpoint from which the Trojans would have looked down on their enemies - this is where the Trojan Horse in Homer's epic poem took place. The Trojan horse entered the city through the ancient stone path.<br><br><div> The story of the Trojan Horse is: "During the ancient Trojan War, the Greek allies laid siege to the city of Troy for ten years but were unable to break through. Finally, the Greeks came up with a "ruse" - they built a huge wooden horse, claiming it was a gift to the goddess Athena, to pray for peace and to wish for a safe return home. The Greek army then "retreated", leaving the wooden horse behind. When the Trojans saw the wooden horse, they thought the war was over and dragged it into the city with great joy. However, the Trojans thought the war was over and dragged the horse into the city. However, the Trojan horse hid the best of the Greek army (Odysseus and others, it was said). At night, when the Trojans fell asleep, the soldiers in the wooden horse came out and opened the gates of the city to meet the main Greek army that had sneaked back in. Eventually, Troy was sacked and destroyed. The "Trojan Horse" symbolizes the triumph of wisdom and trickery, and reminds people "not to trust easily the gifts left by the enemy" - the origin of the idiom: "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts". "<br></div> We posed for a photo in front of a model of the Trojan Horse on the beach in Çanakkale, Turkey, built in honor of the legendary "Trojan Horse" from Homer's Odyssey. The Trojan Horse was actually used as a prop in the 2004 movie "Troy" and was donated to the Turkish government by the cast and crew after filming, and is now a landmark to visit.