Day 2: Trojan Touring

 

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A Torturous Trip out of Istanbul

The morning found the Boys using the Hilton's Sunday Brunch Buffet with more choices than Carter has Liver Pills. After trying out some delicious some not so much Turkish delights, they had the great luck of having a Car Rental Agency attached to the Hotel! Renting a car from a lovely that knew just enough English to book a car for the Boys, they were ready to head out of Town!

 

But that turned out to be a bigger challenge then they had expected! 

 

Everybody knows that it is crazy to drive in Rome, Nova Roma, Constantinople or Istanbul is worse! Trying to navigate out of the City to a freeway to the Dardanelles took Mike and Bone on roads that must have dated back to Constantine, and through neighborhoods the Boys probably should not have driven through! After 45 minutes and Mike having three bowel movements in his pants due to Bone's driving, they finally got out of the City, on a Freeway, physically unscathed ,,,,,, but with some emotional damages!

 

The Beautiful, Blue Bosporus!

After the dust had cleared (literally!) and they were out of Istanbul, the Boys found them on a great Interstate system heading down the coast along the sparkling, deep blue Bosporus. The landscape was very similar to that the Boys had seen in Greece and Italy, which is not surprising considering all three being Mediterranean countries. As the towns turned to smaller and smaller villages, the Boys drove into Eceabat, a little town that is located on the eastern shore of the Gallipolis Peninsula, on the Dardanelles Strait.

It would serve as the Boys Home base for the next few days with a very cool Hotel on the Water and a staging for the Eceabat to Cannakale Ferry that the Boys used to cross the Bosporus into Asia Minor.

 

Anchors Away! A Car Cruise from Europe ...

 

To Asia Minor!!

 

The Bosporus Straight really is not that broad, it is only a couple of miles across, but it is easy to see how the Romans, then the Muslim Turks "own" all the trade between Europe and Asia by owning this very strategic piece of property, there are hundreds of huge super carriers shipping cargo both ways all hours of day and night. After a 40 minute, refreshing ride the Boys were in Asia! With a easy 20 minute ride they, like the Greeks before them, were at the Gates of Troy!!!

 

Mike and Bone, rubber-necking the Trojan Horse !! (Just ribbing the Trojans)

So now that Mike and Bone were in one of the Worlds most historic places, just what the heck is Troy?

Troy is the name of the Bronze Age city attacked in the Trojan War, a popular story in the mythology of ancient Greece, and the name given to the archaeological site in the north-west of Asia Minor (now Turkey) which has revealed a large and prosperous city occupied over millennia. There has been much scholarly debate as to whether mythical Troy actually existed and if so whether the archaeological site was the same city; however, it is now almost universally accepted that the archaeological excavations have revealed the city of Homer’s Iliad. Other names for Troy include Hisarlik (Turkish), Ilios (Homer), Ilion (Greek) and Ilium (Roman). The archaeological site of Troy is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Troy was inhabited from the Early Bronze Age (3000 BC), the archaeological site which is now called Troy is 4.5 miles from the coast but was once next to the sea. (Something Mike and Bone saw through out the trip and is probably related to the Great Flood Story)

The site was situated in a bay created by the mouth of the river Skamanda and occupied a strategically important position between Aegean and Eastern civilizations by controlling the principal point of access to the Black Sea, Anatolia and the Balkans from both directions by land and sea. In particular, the difficulty in finding favorable winds to enter the Dardanelles may well have resulted in ancient sailing vessels standing by near Troy. Consequently, the site became the most important Bronze Age city in the North Aegean, reaching the height of its prosperity in the middle Bronze Age, contemporary with the Mycenaean civilization on the Greek mainland and the Hittite empire to the East, whom are very likely the originators of the city.

Unfortunately the water is now far away which made it a scorching hot day as Mike and Bone journeyed into many, many Troy's of yesterday !

Troy best known as the setting for Homer’s Iliad in which he recounts the final year of the Trojan War sometime in the 13th century BCE. The war was in fact a ten-year siege of the city by a coalition of Greek forces led by King Agamemnon of Mycenae. The purpose of the expedition was to reclaim Helen, wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta and brother of Agamemnon.

Per Homer, Helen was abducted by the Trojan prince Paris and taken as his prize for choosing Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess in a competition with Athena and Hera. The Trojan War is also told in other sources such as the Epic Cycle poems (of which only fragments survive) and is also briefly mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey. Troy and the Trojan War later became a staple myth of Classical Greek and Roman literature.

 

Mike and Bone, in the Outskirts of the Archeological Site of Ilium (AKA Troy)

Mike and Bone learned in High School that Homer described Troy as ‘well-founded’, ‘strong-built’ and ‘well-walled’; there are also several references to fine battlements, towers and ‘high’ and ‘steep’ walls. The walls must have been unusually strong in order to withstand a ten-year siege and in fact, Troy fell through the trickery of the Trojan horse ruse rather than any defensive failing. Indeed, in Greek mythology the walls were so impressive that they were said to have been built by Poseidon and Apollo who after an act of impiety were compelled by Zeus to serve the Trojan king Laomedon for one year.

 

However, the fortifications did not help the king when Herakles sacked the city with an expedition of only six ships. The sacking was Herakles’ revenge for not being paid for his services to the king when he killed the sea-serpent sent by Poseidon. This episode was traditionally placed one generation before the Trojan War as the only male survivor was Laomedon’s youngest son Priam, the Trojan king in the later conflict.

 

One of the Public Squares in Troy  

 

The Greco-Roman Outskirts of Troia

One of the first thing Mike and Bone learned in that hot hike into the Site is that there are many Troy's, and in particular the outskirts of the city are primarily and originally Greco-Roman building, constructed after the Troy of Homer was destroyed. In fact, many, many, many famous leaders in history have stopped in Troy to pay homage to the Troy of Homer's Iliad. For example Alexander the Great stopped by on his way to Persia and built a temple in honor of Hector. Julius Caesar stopped to pay tribute centuries later. It is easy to say that because of its location and fame, Troy had a long  and storied history.

 

Roman Amphitheater for Greek Tragedies! 

 

Mike and Bone, in the Outskirts of the Archeological Site of Ilium (AKA Troy)

The Greek-built religious sanctuary well served the Romans that lived there as well as the wilting Mike and Bone as the mid-afternoon searing sun soared the temperatures into the steamy 90's!

 

The Burning Boys 

The Greek-built religious sanctuary well served the Romans that lived there as well as the wilting Mike and Bone as the mid-afternoon searing sun soared the temperatures into the steamy 90's!

 

The Fabled Walls of Troy! 

Mike and Bone took a little walk down a hill on the backside of the archaeological site and was able to see that that the City was build on a hill and has impressive fortification walls 5 m thick & up to 8 m high constructed from large limestone blocks. Which is quite a forbidding site from a distance.

 

The Water Cistern for Troy

Walking around at the bottom of the valley, the Boys came upon a bucolic stream that served as the Trojans fresh water in this steamy hot land. After checking it out they headed back into the site.

 

The Home of Priam and Paris?!

The Boys next cam upon the possible home of the Trojan king in the center of the site. The Palace House upper blocks are weathered, but the lower ones, buried until the recent excavation, show the precise construction of this drystone wall, with each block custom-fit to the next.

 

This was built in the Bronze Age, and is amazing that it was accomplished without iron stonecutting tools!

 

"All in all just another brick in the Wall" (Homer?)

Homer repeatedly refers to the "beautiful" walls of Troy. This structure dates from the right approximate period for Homer, but Troy VI was destroyed by an earthquake around 1250 BCE, rebuilt as Troy VIIa, & then shortly thereafter destroyed by war, generally believed to be the one recounted in the Iliad.   Mike and Bone checked out the walls and could almost see the Greek invaders trying to attack the formidable walls of the City.

 

A Gated Community!

 

The "On" Ramp to Down Town Troy!

As Mike and Bone passed the main ramp into the central city they delved deeper into the oldest part of Troy. they finally figured and could see the 7 cities of Troy!!

It was right in front of them, especially here!

 

The Many (7) Levels of Troy

The Schliemann's Stupid Trench shown above  (with the numbers) didn't show much to that goof, but to later archeologists they were able to figure out by layer each of the seven civilizations that lived in ancient Troy!

 

To understand the seven cities or layers of Troy you need to understand the history of the archeology of Troy. The Site was first excavated by Frank Calvert in 1863 and visited by Heinrich Schliemann who continued excavations from 1870 until his death in 1890; in particular, he attacked the conspicuous 20 m high artificial mound which had been left untouched since antiquity. Initial finds by Schliemann of gold and silver jewelry and vessels seemed to vindicate his belief that the site was actually the Troy of Homer. However, these have now been dated to more than a thousand years before a probable date for the Trojan War and indicated that the history of the site was much more complex than previously considered. Indeed, perhaps unwittingly, Schliemann would add 2000 years to Western history, which had previously gone back only as far as the first Olympiad of 776 BC.

The excavations continued throughout the 20th century CE and continue to the present day and they have revealed actually nine (?)  different cities and no less than 46 levels of inhabitation at the site. These have been labeled Troy I to Troy IX after Schliemann’s (and his successor Dorpfeld’s) original classification. This has since been slightly adjusted to incorporate radio-carbon dating results from the early 21st century CE, these "Troy's" include:

 

• Troy I (c. 3000-2550 BCE) was a small village settlement surrounded by stone walls. Pottery and metal finds match those on Lesbos and Lemnos in the Aegean and in northern Anatolia.

 

• Troy II (c. 2550-2300 BCE) displays larger buildings (40 m long), mud-brick and stone fortifications with monumental gates. Schliemann’s ‘treasure’ finds - objects in gold, silver, electrum, bronze, carnelian and lapis lazuli - most likely come from this period. This ‘treasure’ includes 60 earrings, six bracelets, two magnificent diadems and 8750 rings, all in solid gold. Once again, finds of foreign materials suggest trade with Asia.

 

• Troy III - Troy V (c. 2300-1750 BCE) is the most difficult period to reconstruct as the layers were hastily removed in early excavations in order to reach the lower levels. Generally speaking, the period seems a less prosperous one but foreign contact is further evidenced by the presence of Anatolian influenced dome ovens and Minoan pottery.

 

• Troy VI (c. 1750-1300 BCE) is the period most visible today at the site and is the most likely candidate for the besieged city of Homer’s Trojan War. Impressive fortification walls 5 m thick and up to 8 m high constructed from large limestone blocks and including several towers (with the rectangular plan as in Hittite fortifications) demonstrate the prosperity but also a concern for defense during this period. The walls would have once been topped by a mud brick and wood superstructure and with closely fitting stonework sloping inwards; as the walls rise they certainly fit the Homeric description of ‘strong-built Troy’. In addition, sections of the walls are slightly offset every 10 m or so in order to curve around the site without the necessity for corners (a weak point in wall defense). This feature is unique to Troy and displays an independence from both Mycenaean and Hittite influence. The walls included five gateways allowing entrance to the inner city composed of large structures, once of two stories and with central courts and colonnaded halls similar to those of contemporary Mycenaean cities such as Tiryns, Pylos and Mycenae itself. Outside the fortified citadel the lower town covers an impressive 270,000 square meters protected by an encircling rock-cut ditch. The size of the site is now much bigger than first thought when Schliemann excavated and suggests a population of as high as 10,000, much more in keeping with Homer’s grand city-state.

• Finds at the site point to the existence of a thriving wool industry and the first use of horses, recalling Homer’s oft-used epithet ‘horse-taming Trojans’. Pottery very similar to that on the Greek mainland has been discovered, principally the Grey Minyan ware which imitates metal vessels. There are also imported ceramics from Crete, Cyprus and the Levant. In marked contrast to Mycenaean palaces, there is no evidence of sculpture or fresco-painted walls.

• Troy VI was partially destroyed but the exact cause is not known beyond some evidence of fire. Intriguingly, bronze arrow heads, spear tips and sling shots have been found on the site and even some embedded in the fortification walls, suggesting some sort of conflict. The dates of these (c. 1250 BCE) and the site destruction correlate with Herodotus’ dates for the Trojan War. Conflicts over the centuries between Mycenaeans and Hittites are more than probable and may well have been the origin of the epic Trojan War in Greek mythology. There is very little evidence of any large-scale war but the possibility of smaller conflicts is evidenced in Hittite texts where ‘Ahhiyawa’ is recognized as referring to Mycenaean Greeks and ‘Wilusa’ as the region of which Ilios was the capital. These documents tell of local unrest and Mycenaean support of local rebellion against Hittite control in the area of Troy and suggest a possible motive for regional rivalry between the two civilizations. Intriguingly, there is also a bronze Mycenaean sword taken as war booty and found in Hattusa, the Hittite capital.

 

• Troy VIIa (c. 1300-1180 BCE) and Troy VIIb (c. 1180-950 BCE) both display an increase in the size of the lower town and some reconstruction of the fortifications but also a marked decline in architectural and artistic quality in respect to Troy VI. For example, there is a return to handmade pottery after centuries of wares made on the wheel. Once again, this correlates well with the Greek tradition that following the Trojan War the city was sacked and abandoned, at least for a time. Both Troy VIIa and Troy VIIb were destroyed by fires.

 

The Shameful Schliemann Trench

Henrich Schliemann has been credited with discovering Troy, but should have been credited for coining the phase "Gold-digger," he was not trying to find Troy, but Troy's treasures!

 

His version of "archeology" inn reality exploited and destroyed a good part of the site by performing his amateur archaeological excavations at Troy by trenching through the center of the Town. While he found his gold, he in the process made a mess of the archaeological history through digging the trench through the site. In reality it was always assumed that this archeological mound was likely the site that Homer talked about 

 

The More of the Wonderful Wall of Troy

 

The Site of the War !?! 

As Mike and Bone reached the oldest part of the site there were clear signed of burn marks on the stones and bricks in this area, which were a part of Troy IV, the city that was likely the one during the supposed war. There is still a lot of archeology in the site even today, so the site is covered as more findings are made and vandals (such as Mike and Bone) are kept out!

 

 

The Temple of Athena

As Boys rounded the site and were heading out, they came across the Template of Athena, where legend has it Alexander pledged to build a temple to Athena on his return if he defeated the Persians. While there is no record of his return after he defeated the Persians, there is in fact a temple to the Greek Goddess. This site has had many visitors as well in fact the Roman Emperor Julian in 355 BC visited the site for religious reasons.

 

His version of "archeology" inn reality exploited and destroyed a good part of the site by performing his amateur archaeological excavations at Troy by trenching through the center of the Town. While he found his gold, he in the process made a mess of the archaeological history through digging the trench through the site. In reality it was always assumed that this archeological mound was likely the site that Homer talked about 

 

A Cool and Kool Trojan Museum

 

By 6:00 the Boys had been walking around in the steamy 90 degree temps for about five hours, and were done with the Archeological Site and well done!  About 1/2 mile from Troy was a Museum of artifacts that were blissfully in a well conditioned, air conditioned building! After checking it out the Boys were ready to head back and have an adventure they had not planned for but pissed Mike off (Literally.)

 

"Bridge of Sighs" (The very loooooong Ferry ride back!)

The Boys were misled about the Ferry; on the way over the Boys pulled up, they were loading the boat, they drove on and 40 minutes later, no fuss, no muss they were in Asia Minor! However as they drove back they saw a line to cross to Europe,         ,,    that went on        ,,        and on        ,,        and on    ,,    and on! to the tune of a mile and a half!! They underestimated the draw of Europe! So the Boys drove past tractor trailers and commercial vehicles to the back of the line around 6:30. Now during the heat of the day Mike had be properly hydrogenating with bottle after bottle of water. Unfortunately Mike had not sweated all that water out!!

So by 9:30 Mike's back teeth were floatin'! Sadly there was no easy option nearby, so an old and tried and true method allowed Mike to make is Bladder gladder, but it surely would a burst considering they did not get on the Ferry till 10:15!

Once across it was pushing 11:00, the Boys were starved and options were few!

 

A Late Nite Turkish Buffet !

 

Driving around the very small downtown the Boys parked in a little back alley and  checked out their options. A sketchy looking Dominos Pizza (but it IS Pizza!) and a Turkish Buffet that was about to close that was on the Docks. When In Turkey, you eat like a turkey! So the Boys went Turkish!

Sadly they really don't talk Turkish, so they went to the Owner pointed and this and that, paid a very reasonable 12 Lira for what turned out to be some pretty darn good shish kebab at 11:30 at night!

After the surprising repast, the Boys headed back to the Hotel, enjoyed a couple of local beers and hit the hay!