Troy Archaeological Site

Troy is one of the most famous ancient cities in the world, and the legend of the Trojan War has kept its name alive in poetry for nearly three thousand years. On the ground, what you see is something different and just as remarkable: a hill formed by nine layers of settlement, one built over another, showing more than three thousand years of continuous occupation.

The earliest layer dates to the Early Bronze Age, around 3000 to 2500 BC, and later layers follow without a break until the Roman period. Because of its position where Anatolia, the Aegean and the Balkans meet, Troy always mattered for trade and cultural exchange, and its uninterrupted sequence of layers serves as a reference for other archaeological sites in Europe and the Aegean. The site is on UNESCO's World Heritage List, inscribed in 1998.

Excavations began in 1871 under Heinrich Schliemann and were carried on by W. Dörpfeld and C. W. Blegen; digging continues today. Walking the paths gives you the chance to compare layers from different eras in a single hill, and the Troy Museum at the entrance holds the finds that explain what you have seen.