On the Road Again...

Fabled Troy, Turkey

Having spent some 24 hours travelling to Istanbul, what better thing to do than hop on a bus for a 6 hour ride to Eceabat (in Europe), then follow it with a short ferry ride across the Dardanelles.  We were following in the footsteps of ancient greats (King Xerxes in 481 BC, Alexander the Great, Byzantine Generals, Ottoman Sultans and of course more recently, modern waring nations); this was the place to stake your strategic claim.  Stunning Byzantine citadels on either side of this waterway attest to this.

Byzantine Fortress straddling the Dardanelles
(perhaps inspired architect Le Corbusier)

Having pondered the strategic value of controlling the Dardanelles, we continued on our journey to the site of Troy (in Asia). High on a dusty hill, this seeming pile of rocks and bits of marble tells a story that stretches some (five) thousands of years to the Bronze Ages. 

People (tourists?) had complained that there was nothing
much to see at Troy, hence this imaginative reproduction

Troy itself has had at least 9 iterations and to make sense of it all you need a guide who borders on being a Troy tragic.  Luckily for us, we did!  Burak led us on a merry dance through the various ages, all the while making jabs at Australians.  He is, you understand, in the process of mastering the art of Aussie slang; dare I say it but Turks & Aussies share the same wit.  This did not hinder the story of Troy; the myth & legend fused with truths unearthed over the years. 

Famous for finding treasure at Troy, Schliemann (in 1871), cut a swathe through various centuries to unearth this wealth.  His amateur methods were overlooked, perhaps due to his access to funds, but the fame was certainly all his.  Later during WWII his treasure disappeared to surface in a Russian Museum.  Perhaps they borrowed a previously-loved wooden horse to move the loot?

It's OK. They only sacrifice virgins here, darl!

Schliemann was looking for Homeric Troy (Troy VI), and the legendary treasure of King Priam.  It is now thought that he found treasures from Troy II. 

Now I won’t go on but suffice to say that legend and truth are mixed in fair portions and there is quite likely some truth in the existence of our hero, Ulysses.  In Homer’s “Iliad”, Troy was called Ilium and it was at this very spot that the ten year Trojan War took place. 

We know that because a giant wooden horse guards the entrance to these digs.  If that won’t fit in your handbag, souvenir sellers have a vast variety of others to choose from.  

Perhaps the best information we found about the site, with a modest selection of artefacts from all Troys (part of Frank Calvert’s collection; the actual site discoverer) was at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.  There is still much work to do to reveal more secrets of Troy, and our lucky guide has signed up to help with a future dig.  We’ll take the easy option though and just settle back to see Eric Bana & Brad Pitt sort it all out, yet again.

This pile of rocks is thought to have once looked like the drawing below.
Just use your imagination!