Troy

Ilion

Türkiye · Çanakkale

Ancient cityExcavation ongoingUNESCO · 1998
Approximate period3,000 BCE — 1,300 CEBronze Age–Middle Ages See on the map ↓

In brief

The multilayered city near Tevfikiye documents relations between Anatolia and the Mediterranean world. Current excavations continue around the agora and at Bronze Age palace and defensive structures.

What was found?

  • 1Bronze Age fortification walls and gates

    Defensive walls, gates and towers surviving particularly from the Troya II and VI phases document the city's defensive arrangements. They show how defensive architecture changed across different periods.

  • 2Troya VI palace and administrative buildings

    The remains of palace and administrative buildings are found in the walled upper city. They reveal the spatial distinction between the settlement's administrative center and the lower city.

  • 3Gold ring brooch

    The brooch, dated by the Ministry to around 2,500 BC, was found in the Troya II layers. According to researchers, it was used as an indicator of social status and power.

  • 4Bronze pin

    This is a metal pin found in the same layer as the gold brooch. Together with the brooch, it adds a tangible example of the use of metal objects in the Early Bronze Age.

  • 5Jade

    This is a rarely encountered stone recovered from the same layer as the brooch and bronze pin. The Ministry's statement classifies it among the luxury goods of the period.

What does it point to?

The fortified upper city and extensive lower city show that Troya had an organized urban life. According to researchers, objects made from valuable materials indicate differences in social status; the settlement's location and layers also document connections between Anadolu, the Aegean and the Balkans.

What did it teach us?

  1. Showed that Troya was a settlement with a lower city, rather than consisting solely of a citadel.
  2. Made it possible to trace cultural change in the region through successive settlement phases.
  3. Documented the use of precious stones and metal objects in the Early Bronze Age.

Images

Troy-and-its-remains by Heinrich Schliemann.djvu
Heinrich Schliemann · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Troy Museum Troad Gold (Ankara picture) Pin 2400 BC 3492
Dosseman · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
A view from Troy Ancient City, Çanakkale, Turkey
Kadı · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Videos

Latest news / selected archive

In 2025, a gold ring brooch, a bronze pin and jade dating to approximately 2500 BC were found in the Troy II layers.

Record

Culture
Local cultures of Troy; Greek, Roman and Byzantine
Team / historical
Rüstem Aslan / Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University
Coordinates
39.9564°, 26.2390°

Sources

  1. whc.unesco.org
  2. ukaas.ktb.gov.tr
  3. engelsiz.ktb.gov.tr

Nearby excavations


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12.000

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