When Homer’s Iliad was first written down in the 8th century BCE, the story of the Trojan war was already an old one. From existing oral tradition, audiences knew the tales of the long siege, the epic duels outside the city walls, and the cunning trick that finally won the war. In the end, the magnificent city was burned to the ground, never to rise again. But had it ever existed?
Kada je prvi put zapisana Homerova „Ilijada” još u VIII v.p.n.e, priča o Trojanskom ratu je već bila stara. Iz postojeće usmene tradicije, publika je znala priče o dugoj opsadi, epskim duelima van gradskih zidina i o prevrtljivom triku pomoću koga je konačno dobijen rat. Naposletku, veličanstveni grad je spaljen do temelja i nikad više nije obnovljen. Međutim, da li je ikada postojao?
By the time the field of archaeology began to take shape in the 19th century, many were skeptical, considering the epic to be pure fiction, a founding myth imagining a bygone heroic era. But some scholars believed that behind the superhuman feats and divine miracles there must have been a grain of historical truth - a war that was really fought, and a place where it happened.
Do vremena kada je oblast arheologije počela da poprima oblik u XIX veku, mnogi su bili skeptični, smatrajući ep čistom fikcijom, osnivački mit kojim se zamišlja davno nestala herojska epoha. No, neki akademici su verovali da je iza nadljudskih poduhvata i božanskih čuda moralo da stoji zrno istorijske istine - rat koji je zaista vođen i mesto na kom se desio.
Frank Calvert was one such believer. He had spent his youth traveling and learning about ancient civilizations before accompanying his brother Frederick on a diplomatic mission to the northwest Anatolian region of Çanakkale. It was here that Homer described the Greek encampment at the mouth of the Scamander river. And it was here that fate brought Frank into contact with a journalist and geologist named Charles Maclaren.
Frenk Kalvert je bio jedan od tih vernika. Proveo je mladost putujući i učeći o drevnim civilizacijama pre nego što je bio pratnja bratu Frederiku na diplomatskoj misiji u severozapadnoj Anadoliji, u oblasti Čanakale. Ovde je Homer opisao grčki logor na ušću reke Skamandar. I baš tu je sudibina dovela Frenka u kontakt sa novinarom i geologom po imenu Čarls Meklaren.
Locals and travelers had long speculated that Troy might’ve stood on one of the surrounding hilltops. But Maclaren had been one of the first to publish a detailed topographical study of the area. He believed he had found the site – a 32-meter mound known by the name Hisarlık, derived from the Turkish word for “fortress.” Soon after meeting with him in 1847, the Calverts bought 2,000 acres of farmland that included part of the hill. Before they could explore any further, the Crimean War broke out and forestalled their archaeological ambitions for several years.
Meštani i putnici su dugo spekulisali o tome da je Troja možda ležala na jednom od okolnih brda. Međutim, Meklaren je bio jedan od prvih koji je objavio detaljnu topografsku studiju ove oblasti. Verovao je da je otkrio mesto - brežuljak od 32 metra poznat pod imenom Hisarlik, što je izvedeno od turske reči za tvrđavu. Uskoro nakon susreta s njim 1847. godine, Kalvertovi su kupili 2 000 jutara zemlje koja je uključila i deo brda. Pre nego što su mogli dalje da istražuju, izbio je Krimski rat i odložio je njihove arheološke ambicije za nekoliko godina.
After the war’s end, Frank Calvert began to survey the site, but lacked the funds for a full excavation. This was where the wealthy German businessman and amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann came in. At Calvert’s invitation,
Po okončanju rata, Frenk Kalvert je počeo da istražuje mesto, ali nedostajala su mu sredstva za temeljno iskopavanje. Ovde na scenu stupa imućni nemački biznismen i arheolog amater Hajnrih Šliman. Na Kalvertov poziv,
Schliemann visited the grounds in 1868, and decided to excavate. Eager to find the ancient city, Schliemann tore massive trenches all the way to the base of the hill. There, he uncovered a hoard of precious artifacts, jewelry, and metalwork, including two diadems and a copper shield. Schliemann took full credit for the discovery, announcing that he had found Troy and the treasure of its king Priam. But the real treasure was elsewhere. When later archaeologists studied the site, they realized that the mound consisted of no less than nine cities, each built atop the ruins of the last. The layer Schliemann had uncovered dated back to the Mycenaean Age, more than 1,000 years too early for Homer.
Šliman je posetio zemljište 1868. godine i odlučio je da obavi iskopavanje. U želji da otkrije drevni grad, Šliman je iskopao masivne jarke skroz do temelja brda. Tu je otkrio riznicu dragocenih artefakta, nakita i metalnih predmeta, uključujući dve dijademe i bakarni štit. Šlimanu je pripala potpuna zasluga za otkriće, kada je obznanio da je otkrio grad Troju i blago njenog kralja Prijama. No, istinsko blago je bilo negde drugde. Kada su arheolozi kasnije izučavali nalazište, shvatili su da se brežuljak sastoji od ni manje ni više već devet gradova, gde je svaki izgrađen preko ruševina prethodnog. Sloj koji je otkrio Šliman poticao je skroz iz doba Mikene, više od 1 000 godina prerano za Homera.
But inside the mound was indeed evidence for a city that had thrived during the Bronze Age, with charred stone, broken arrowheads, and damaged human skeletons suggesting a violent end. It was Troy VII, contained in the middle layers and now ravaged for a second time by Schliemann’s careless excavation. The settlement, spanning some 200,000 square meters and home to as many as 10,000 people, thrived until around 1180 BCE. Its position at the southern entrance of the Dardanelles strait would’ve made a formidable strategic location for both defense and trade. Most importantly, there are the remains of a massive fortification wall – perhaps the very same one from which Priam and Hector once watched the Greeks approach.
Međutim, unutar brežuljka je zaista bio dokaz o postojanju imućnog grada tokom bronzanog doba, sa ugljenisanim kamenom, polomljenim strelama i oštećenim ljudskim kosturima koji su nagoveštavali nasilan kraj. Bila je to Troja VII zarobljena u središnjim slojevima i sada opustošena po drugi put Šlimanovim nesmotrenim kopanjem. Utvrđenje, koje se pružalo nekih 200 000 metara kvadratnih i koje je bilo dom za čak 10 000 ljudi, napredovalo je sve do oko 1180 godine p.n.e. Njegova pozicija na južnom ulazu u moreuz Dardaneli bila bi zastrašujuća strategijska lokacija i za odbranu i za trgovinu. Najvažnije od svega, tu su ostaci ogromnog odbrambenog zida - možda baš onog sa kog su Prijam i Hektor nekad posmatrali kako se Grci približavaju.
Of course, it’s difficult to be certain that these ruins are the true remains of ancient Troy, and scholars still dispute whether the Trojan War as described by Homer ever happened. Yet the evidence is strong enough that UNESCO has labelled Hisarlık the archeological site of Troy. Regardless of its identity, thanks to persistence, a bit of faith, and a lot of research, archaeologists are bringing the long-buried secrets of an ancient, lost city to light.
Naravno, teško je biti siguran da su ove ruševine istinski ostaci drevne Troje, i akademici još uvek raspravljaju da li se Trojanski rat ikad desio onako kako ga je Homer opisao. Međutim, dokazi su dovoljno čvrsti da je UNESKO označio Hisarlik arheološkim nalazištem Troje. Bez obzira na njegov identitet, zahvaljujući upornosti, mrvici vere i mnogim istraživanjima, arheolozi iznose davno zakopane tajne drevnog, izgubljenog grada na svetlo dana.