Archaeological site:
Description:
This text is a fragment of a guidebook to Troy "The Secrets of Troy (TAN Travel Guide)".
The name of this stop - Troy I - means that you are now standing in the place where the oldest traces of human settlement within the Hisarlık Mound have been found. The history of the city dates back to the Early Bronze Age, i.e. around the year 3000 BCE, when the first settlement was established here. It was a small village, built on terraces of the hill, and consisting of 20 tiny rectangular houses. They were erected from interconnected blocks of stone and bricks.
Despite the modest size, it was a flourishing mercantile centre, because its location allowed to control of the trade traffic through the Dardanelles - the route taken by every merchant ship from the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea. This first phase of Troy lasted for a very long time, until around 2500 BCE as testified by the accumulation of deposits, reaching four meters in depth.
Stone walls, repeatedly strengthened, protected the first settlement of Troy. These walls were erected on bedrock, which means that underneath there are no traces of human activity. In this stretch of the walls, there was a southern gate, two meters wide. The walls are tilted slightly to the inside of the settlement.
The modest settlement within the walls was a roughly circular area, with a diameter of 90 meters. At the defence tower, that forms a part of these fortifications, a fascinating stele has been found. It is adorned with a relief showing the upper half of the human body, possibly with the weapon. The tradition of erecting such stelai in Troy was a long-lasting one, as similar upright blocks were also found near the gate of Troy VI which existed one millennium later.
Visitor tips:
Follow the sightseeing path in the eastern direction. When you leave the shaded area of the Citadel Walls and the Megaron of Troy II/III, walk for around 20 meters. There you will reach the next stop, the Fortification Walls of Troy I. These walls constitute the most ancient layer of Trojan buildings, dating back to around 2920 BCE. There is a stretch of defensive walls with a tower-like projection as well as the southern gate.