Today we rose early for the tour to Troy, with the same guide as for our battlefields tour yesterday. We would not normally have taken a tour for this, but we had been so impressed with Ali that we felt it would be valuable to go. We also knew that he was an expert on Troy. While we were waiting for the second bus to arrive, Ali gave me another bullet and Atatürk medallion – this time a 303 mark 5, which has a rounded tip. I felt very honoured and surprised at his generosity. He had always been so gentlemanly and sweet to me, making jokes, kissing my hand in parting. I will treasure these gifts and pass them on to Frey and Yonah in the spirit that Ali gave them, as mementos of friendship and as symbols of the futility of war.Troy was a thriving city way before any of the sites we had visited in other parts of western Turkey, such as Ephesus and Hieropolis, and is considered to be the origin of western civilisation. The site at Troy was excavated in 1873 by Heinrich Schlieman, who had some knowledge, having studied archaeology in Paris, but who was essentially a wealthy man who bought a major site and then pillaged it of its remaining treasures. When Schlieman noticed the first bit of gold, he immediately gave his team of workers a three day holiday so that he could dig it up in private. He smuggled the treasures out of the country, apparently bribing officials to make it easier. The treasures went to Athens and then Berlin. There are photos of Schlieman’s wife wearing the diadem of Helen. During the Second World War the treasures were buried in the zoo grounds when the Russian army was approaching Berlin. The Russians found them and have recently admitted to having them, even to planning to put them on display. They refuse to return them to Germany, Greece or Turkey, all whom have demanded them back.
Another issue was created by the fact that the city area of Troy had been occupied in one form or another since the Bronze Age and it is a very complex, multilayered site – with archaeological evidence of nine different cities. Schlieman’s objective was to find the kingdom of King Priam, and he destroyed much important archaeological evidence as he removed layer after layer to reach his goal, which is considered to be at the sixth layer.
We saw stones in the walls that were from a period prior to the Iron Age and which were very rough, with later stones showing the impact of the development of Iron Age technology.
The walls were built in sections with joiner stones, as protection against earthquakes. The walls were originally two and a half times higher and the stones were covered with clay. In Roman times the upper stones from the walls were used for constructions and roads because the Roman Empire was so vast that there was no need to be concerned about invasions. The walls were cleverly designed as outer walls and inner walls, with the main gate just around a corner so that it could not be seen by invading armies and the gap between the walls was too narrow allow a battering ram to operate. 
In the centre of this picture are the remains of the gate to the city. The gate was just around the corner seen in the previous photo, making it impossible to attack with a battering ram.
This was one of the tricks of Troy that kept King Menelaus, the King of Sparta, outside for ten years as he and the Achaean army attempted to enter to get his beautiful wife, Helen, back. She had been whisked away by Paris, who had given a golden apple to the goddess Aphrodite and in exchange she had said that he could have the most beautiful woman in the world. Part of the story is told by Homer in ‘The Iliad’, where Troy is referred to as Ilion, Ilios or Troia. It tells of the use of the Trojan horse by the Greeks as a way to penetrate the city defences. Medusa heads were used for protection of people and property and were found near the gate of the first city.
Alexander the Great visited Troy and, in particular, the temple of Artemis,h where he promised that he would rebuild the temple in great glory if he was successful against the Persians. He was, but he died before he could fulfil his promise so his general, Lysymakos, kept it for him. We saw the site where the temple had been over the ages, where Artemis the Moon goddess and Kibella, the Earth goddess, were worshipped amongst many other gods which represented parts of nature. At this holy place, the well for water and another round hole for blood letting still remained near the stone altar. The altar was Hellenistic, but had been covered in marble by the Romans.
3000 years ago the sea came right up to the city but silting from the rivers Scamander and Simois has produced plains down to the present Dardanelles. Silt had completely covered the city and many people had wondered whether ancient Troy had really existed. There is still much to be excavated but the site is a sensitive one and it is believed to be better to move slowly, as new technologies develop.
The plains of Troy, where many battles took place. The mouth of The Dardanelles can be seen in the distance.
Alexander the Great visited Troy and, in particular, the temple of Artemis,h where he promised that he would rebuild the temple in great glory if he was successful against the Persians. He was, but he died before he could fulfil his promise so his general, Lysymakos, kept it for him. We saw the site where the temple had been over the ages, where Artemis the Moon goddess and Kibella, the Earth goddess, were worshipped amongst many other gods which represented parts of nature. At this holy place, the well for water and another round hole for blood letting still remained near the stone altar. The altar was Hellenistic, but had been covered in marble by the Romans.
3000 years ago the sea came right up to the city but silting from the rivers Scamander and Simois has produced plains down to the present Dardanelles. Silt had completely covered the city and many people had wondered whether ancient Troy had really existed. There is still much to be excavated but the site is a sensitive one and it is believed to be better to move slowly, as new technologies develop.
The plains of Troy, where many battles took place. The mouth of The Dardanelles can be seen in the distance.
The plains are now mostly farmlands. Some of this area was once underwater, as the Troy site is known to have had easier access to a harbour than is the case now.
By the Roman period, most buildings within the city centre, where important people lived and important functions were carried out, were made of marble. The Sea of Marmaras is so named because the islands in it have marble – its name comes from the latin word for marble – marmar. Common people lived on the plains extending beyond the city walls and came into the city to help protect it in times of battle. Their homes in Troy, Level II, were made of mud brick until a city fire transformed some bricks to fired clay and a new building material was developed.
We passed the trench which had labels for the various levels, but by this stage our tour group was being hurried along, probably in order to meet the bus to Istanbul that some of our group were to travel on. Another excavated spot showed small graves of babies and very young children who were buried under the floor in kitchens. Other people were buried in the Necropolis, but it was believed that the very young still needed the care and love of their mothers.
The remains of the palace of King Priam mark out the site where a glorious palace, two storeys high and with forty rooms, was once the pride of Troy. Ali said that King Priam was considered to be a very busy man. He had a queen and three concubines, who between them produced forty children. This was all in the service of the state because the ruling family was required to provide the officers who would lead in battles.
The Roman bath complex of 85 BC, consisting of tepidarium (cool room), caldarium (hot room) and frigidarium (cold room) were adjacent to the sports school, but we weren’t quite sure what was what since the group was being moved on quickly to the small Odeon. This was a delightful little amphitheatre especially for ruling families. It featured an Imperial box and special seats for the king and for the Army Commander. Here, spring festivals had been celebrated, ladies had sung and philosophers had expounded their ideas. Euripides was one who liked to speak for less than four minutes at a time. Ali took the stage and presented a homily by Euripides on what beauty in women should mean. Ali finished in under the four minutes but it is hard to imagine a modern audience coming back for more, no matter how true and worthwhile Euripides comments were.
Pillars marked the Agora (market square) and we were at the south gate, known as the Scion gate. It was near here that the royal family watched on, appalled, as Achilles killed Prince Hector. There are so many deaths in The Iliad that the streets must have been bathed in blood. Luckily we saw evidence that there was an efficiently operating sewer 3,200 years ago.
Finally we stopped briefly at the site of the law makers and contract makers. One regular area of contract breaking was for marriage, with 99% of the cases being caused by men. The penalty for a man, if found guilty, was jail or a heavy fine, but ladies were always excused.
Most of the items found at the site are in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, where I had spent a long time reading and examining the excellent exhibition. Much of what we were told was a refresher for me, with seeing the site, and hearing Ali talking about it, together stimulating my imagination. I am not sure whether it’s because yesterday’s battlefields tour was so impressive and large scale, or whether it was because we missed out on some time due to hold ups with bus meetings, but when we finished the Troy tour in less than an hour, Keith felt short changed. It was true that there were information boards in English that we had no chance to read, and that we were rushed through with little time for photos. Another factor was that we were emotionally very involved with the Gallipoli area, but Troy was more a case of intellectual interest. Finally, the cost of the two tours was the same. Maybe a tour that takes a quarter of the time and less bus travel should be priced much lower if people are not to feel dissatisfied.
A sleep and some photo sorting preceded an afternoon trip to the naval museum. There we looked at the paintings, memorabilia and uniforms of the war from both sides, visited the replica of a mine layer, which had excellent documentation of the progress of the campaign from the Turkish point of view, and visited the fort.
We saw an article with a map that showed the suggested carve up and division of what was left of the Ottoman Empire between the Entente powers of Britain, France, Russia and Italy. A small part, well surrounded by others, was indicated as remaining in Turkish hands. The fort had an enormous doorway, like entering through a small tunnel. Inside we could see the high walls and ramparts more clearly as well as a mosque and a main hall, now a museum. Other buildings were out of bounds to visitors. Downstairs in the main hall more details of the naval assault by the allies were given, along with models showing the action. We took a long time reading and looking carefully, with the images and information from yesterday fresh in our minds. Luckily we were there at the same time as a Turkish tour group and we were invited to join them for the animation with actors show upstairs. There, scenes from the trenches and the home front had been set out with some dummies in place. As the group came to a scene, it would light up and actors would join in, accompanied by sound effects. It was very realistic and when the voice of Atatürk was on, telling the men that he was not asking them to fight but to die, the actors started praying and the audience joined in. A little old lady with a stick arrived late because she had had to crawl up the stairs. She grabbed onto my arm to steady herself as the crowd flowed on through the darkness to the next scene. After that we went together until near the end, when it was lighter. She reminded me of Besime Teyze in the way she patted my hand and smiled.
We examined the unexploded British shell that is stuck in the fort walls and it was enormous. We walked past the line up of guns and transporters, all of which I regard with a little bit of horror, and found hard to take in. Finally, at closing time, which seems to be the only time when we know how to stop, we headed for the shops to stock up for more cooking.
After tea we watched Peter Weir’s wonderful film, Gallipoli, with Carol and her daughter, Honor, Americans having a post high school holiday. We drank in every detail of the film – the Australian bits because they are home and we are far away, the training in Egypt bits, where quite a few things were like our experiences, and the battlefields parts, which are so evocative, particularly after our tour yesterday. We also drank our Egyptian hibiscus tea and ate biscuits on the couch, which we had moved in front of the screen. It felt like being at home.
Another day, another late night, another enjoyable time with travellers. 
We passed the trench which had labels for the various levels, but by this stage our tour group was being hurried along, probably in order to meet the bus to Istanbul that some of our group were to travel on. Another excavated spot showed small graves of babies and very young children who were buried under the floor in kitchens. Other people were buried in the Necropolis, but it was believed that the very young still needed the care and love of their mothers.The remains of the palace of King Priam mark out the site where a glorious palace, two storeys high and with forty rooms, was once the pride of Troy. Ali said that King Priam was considered to be a very busy man. He had a queen and three concubines, who between them produced forty children. This was all in the service of the state because the ruling family was required to provide the officers who would lead in battles.The Roman bath complex of 85 BC, consisting of tepidarium (cool room), caldarium (hot room) and frigidarium (cold room) were adjacent to the sports school, but we weren’t quite sure what was what since the group was being moved on quickly to the small Odeon. This was a delightful little amphitheatre especially for ruling families. It featured an Imperial box and special seats for the king and for the Army Commander. Here, spring festivals had been celebrated, ladies had sung and philosophers had expounded their ideas. Euripides was one who liked to speak for less than four minutes at a time. Ali took the stage and presented a homily by Euripides on what beauty in women should mean. Ali finished in under the four minutes but it is hard to imagine a modern audience coming back for more, no matter how true and worthwhile Euripides comments were.
Pillars marked the Agora (market square) and we were at the south gate, known as the Scion gate. It was near here that the royal family watched on, appalled, as Achilles killed Prince Hector. There are so many deaths in The Iliad that the streets must have been bathed in blood. Luckily we saw evidence that there was an efficiently operating sewer 3,200 years ago.Finally we stopped briefly at the site of the law makers and contract makers. One regular area of contract breaking was for marriage, with 99% of the cases being caused by men. The penalty for a man, if found guilty, was jail or a heavy fine, but ladies were always excused.
Most of the items found at the site are in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, where I had spent a long time reading and examining the excellent exhibition. Much of what we were told was a refresher for me, with seeing the site, and hearing Ali talking about it, together stimulating my imagination. I am not sure whether it’s because yesterday’s battlefields tour was so impressive and large scale, or whether it was because we missed out on some time due to hold ups with bus meetings, but when we finished the Troy tour in less than an hour, Keith felt short changed. It was true that there were information boards in English that we had no chance to read, and that we were rushed through with little time for photos. Another factor was that we were emotionally very involved with the Gallipoli area, but Troy was more a case of intellectual interest. Finally, the cost of the two tours was the same. Maybe a tour that takes a quarter of the time and less bus travel should be priced much lower if people are not to feel dissatisfied.A sleep and some photo sorting preceded an afternoon trip to the naval museum. There we looked at the paintings, memorabilia and uniforms of the war from both sides, visited the replica of a mine layer, which had excellent documentation of the progress of the campaign from the Turkish point of view, and visited the fort.
We saw an article with a map that showed the suggested carve up and division of what was left of the Ottoman Empire between the Entente powers of Britain, France, Russia and Italy. A small part, well surrounded by others, was indicated as remaining in Turkish hands. The fort had an enormous doorway, like entering through a small tunnel. Inside we could see the high walls and ramparts more clearly as well as a mosque and a main hall, now a museum. Other buildings were out of bounds to visitors. Downstairs in the main hall more details of the naval assault by the allies were given, along with models showing the action. We took a long time reading and looking carefully, with the images and information from yesterday fresh in our minds. Luckily we were there at the same time as a Turkish tour group and we were invited to join them for the animation with actors show upstairs. There, scenes from the trenches and the home front had been set out with some dummies in place. As the group came to a scene, it would light up and actors would join in, accompanied by sound effects. It was very realistic and when the voice of Atatürk was on, telling the men that he was not asking them to fight but to die, the actors started praying and the audience joined in. A little old lady with a stick arrived late because she had had to crawl up the stairs. She grabbed onto my arm to steady herself as the crowd flowed on through the darkness to the next scene. After that we went together until near the end, when it was lighter. She reminded me of Besime Teyze in the way she patted my hand and smiled.We examined the unexploded British shell that is stuck in the fort walls and it was enormous. We walked past the line up of guns and transporters, all of which I regard with a little bit of horror, and found hard to take in. Finally, at closing time, which seems to be the only time when we know how to stop, we headed for the shops to stock up for more cooking.
After tea we watched Peter Weir’s wonderful film, Gallipoli, with Carol and her daughter, Honor, Americans having a post high school holiday. We drank in every detail of the film – the Australian bits because they are home and we are far away, the training in Egypt bits, where quite a few things were like our experiences, and the battlefields parts, which are so evocative, particularly after our tour yesterday. We also drank our Egyptian hibiscus tea and ate biscuits on the couch, which we had moved in front of the screen. It felt like being at home.
Another day, another late night, another enjoyable time with travellers.
This ramp apparently gave soldiers in chariots or mounted on horses great momentum if charging an enemy.
The square well on the left is for water. The round 'well' near the centre of the picture is for blood, and the square structure on the right is for performing sacrificial killings.
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