TROY
Troy is situated at the entrance of the Dardanelles where the East meets the West. It has influenced the world’s cultural heritage for thousands of years. Troy is also called “the most famous city of all time”. It earned this title by taking part in many novels, legends, documentaries and even computer games today. It is described in Homer’s epic, The Iliad, that a tragic war took place in this city. Homer, who made Troy immortal, was born in Smyrna (İzmir). He recorded the story of the city in The Iliad by writing incidents about the Trojan War in the 730s BC. But most of the details aren’t written in this epic; for instance, we don’t see the story of the Trojan horse in The Iliad.
Although historians of ancient times think that the date of Trojan War was between 1250 and 1135 BC, it is pointed out by experts who study Homer that some of the elements in the epic date to 2000 BC. Throughout history, The Trojan War has been an inspiration to authors, poets and movie directors.
Troy-centered, modern Aegean archaeology was in the publications of American archaeologist Carl W. Blegen. He carried out diggings in Troy between 1932 and 1938. Manfred Osman Korfmann from the University of Tubingen also did research in the area for archaeological purposes after him. Troy became a national park in 1996. In 1998, it got a place on the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.