Troy (Hisarlik)
Troya (Hisarlik)
- Date
- 1870-1873 · confidence high
- Place
- Hisarlik, Çanakkale, Turkey
- Credited to
- Heinrich Schliemann; Frank Calvert (earlier identification)
- People
- 👤 Frank Calvert1828–1908👤 Heinrich Schliemann1822–1890
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What was discovered
Following Calvert, Schliemann excavated the mound of Hisarlik and found nine superimposed cities, showing that Homeric Troy had a real basis. His destructive method tore through part of the very levels he was seeking.
Coordinates of the site. Which level corresponds to the Troy of the Iliad (VI or VIIa) is disputed, as is the provenance of 'Priam's Treasure', which Schliemann smuggled out of the Ottoman Empire.
What it led to
- Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age (Mycenae, Tiryns)
- Debate over the historicity of Homer
- Development of stratigraphic excavation as a reaction (Dörpfeld, Blegen)
Built on
- Homeric tradition
- Calvert's soundings at Hisarlik
Made possible
- Archaeological discovery of Mycenaean civilization1874-1876
- Homeric archaeology