Cambridge Ancient History - Revised Edition of Volumes I & II - Troy - Through the Bronze Age

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Oliver

A scholarly historical study explains the identification and development of Troy at Hisarlik in north-eastern Asia Minor during the Bronze Age. It argues for the site’s correct identification based on geographical suitability, archaeological remains, and the lack of alternative comparable centers in the northern Troad. The text summarizes major excavations from Schliemann through Dörpfeld and later university-led seasons, presenting stratified occupation layers and linking Troy VI and Troy VII to broader Aegean Late Bronze Age phases. It then details Troy I’s early Bronze Age settlement layout, fortifications, destruction by fire, and material culture including copper tools, architecture, and pottery types.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Troy

Establishment and identification

Excavation history and stratified layers

Troy I: early settlement and material culture

930 c14THE1964Fasc.1v.1-2CAMBRIDGEANCIENT HISTORY # REVISED EDITION OFVOLUMES I &II CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS 35.6d.nct;75 cents C √、1- as 。 10 CARL W.BLEGEN D.LITT,LL.D. Professor Emeritus of Classical Archaeology in theUniversity of Cincinnati VOLUME I ## SECTIONS FROM CHAPTERS XVIII,XXIVVOLUME IISECTIONS FROM CHAPTERS XV,XXI CAMBRIDGEC4DAT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS PU BLISHED BYTHE SYNDICS OF THE CAM BRI DGE U NIVERSITY PRESS Bentley House,200 Euston Road,London,N.W.IAmerican Branch:32 East 57th Street,New York 22,N.Y.West African Office:P.O.Box 33,Ibadan,Nigeria First printed I961Reprinted I964 Printed in Great Britain at the University Printing House,Cambridgeook u,nicsityPrinl ## SECTIONS FROM VOLUMES I &II TROY THROUGHOUT the Bronze Age a powerful stronghold domi-nated the north-eastern corner of Asia Minor.Established in astrategic position,on a low ridge somewhat less than four milesdistant from the Aegean Sea to the west and from the Dardanellesto the north,it ensured its occupants control over traffic up anddown the straits as well as mastery of an important land route thatled from the western Anatolian coast to a crossing of the narrows.The ruins known by their Turkish name as Hisarlik had alreadyin I822 been identified as those of Troy by Charles Maclaren,but it is to Heinrich Schliemann that full credit must be awardedfor their recognition as the remains of Troy.Since the site itselfhas provided no inscribed evidence to fix its preclassical name,thequestion of identification has in the past been much disputed;butthe problem is really a simple one of easy solution.If there everwas a Troy in the region where Homer and Greek tradition saythere was,it can only have stood on the site of Hisarlik.Wide-spread searching explorations of the whole district have revealedmany small settlements,where the greater part of the agriculturalpopulation doubtless lived;but there is no place other thanHisarlik that can show the characteristic features of aroyal fortress.No other key site has been found in the northern Troad.There isno alternative.Consequently—whatever discrepancies may benoted in comparison with Homer's description—unless one isprepared to deny altogether the reality of Troy and to explain it asthe free creation of a poet's fancy,one must agree that the sitehas been correctly identified. The mound has been subjected to intensive investigation.Between I870 and I890 Schliemann himself conducted sevenmajor campaigns of excavation,and after his death his colleague,Wilhelm Dörpfeld,continued digging in I893 and I894.Morerecently a fresh and independent examination was carried outthrough seven seasons from I932 to I938 by an expedition repre-senting the University of Cincinnati. The accumulation of debris that covered the hill to a depth offifty feet and more was found to lie in nine principal layers,indicating as many major periods of occupation.These were TROY recognized by Schliemann and Dörpfeld and were numberedfrom I to IX,beginning from the bottom.The latest excavationsrevealed that each of the mainlayers consisted of several superposedstrata which in most instances clearly represent phases.Altogethersome forty-six such strata have been observed.Thirty of them,which constitute layers I to V,may be ascribed to a culture thatmaintained itself without a break through the Early Bronze Age.Troy VI is contemporary with the Middle and part of the LateBronze Age in the Aegean area.Troy VII,in its two stages a and b,corresponds with the end of the Aegean Late Bronze Age. TROY I The site of Hisarlik was first occupied at the beginning of theEarly Bronze Age when the working of copper was already known.An antecedent stage of the same culture,which seems to havehad no knowledge of metals,has been found represented at KumTepe,a small mound beside the Menderes Su (Scamander)ashort distance from its outlet into the Dardanelles:these are theonly remains in the northern Troad that c

FAQs

Why does the text conclude that Troy corresponds to Hisarlik?

It argues that no other site in the northern Troad shows the characteristic features of a royal fortress, and that the geography fits the Homeric and Greek tradition. The absence of alternative key sites supports the identification of Hisarlik as Troy.

How were excavation seasons and layers used to reconstruct Troy’s occupation?

The mound was investigated intensively, with major campaigns by Schliemann and later work by Dörpfeld. Later independent examinations identified nine principal layers from bottom to top, each representing major periods, with multiple phases within the main layers.

What characterizes Troy I in the described early settlement?

Troy I began at the beginning of the Early Bronze Age, featuring a small fortress with a massive stone wall and multiple lines of fortification. The phase ended in a catastrophic fire, and the remains include megaron-like buildings, copper tools, and abundant monochrome pottery.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Oliver