Knowledge

Late Bronze Age Troy

Source 📝

389:. The earliest gray ware at Troy was made in Aegean shapes, though by 1700 BC it had been replaced by Anatolian shapes. Foreign pottery found at the site includes Minoan, Mycenaean, Cypriot, and Levantine items. Local potters also made their own imitations of foreign styles, including Gray Ware and Tan Ware pots made in Mycenaean-style shapes, particularly after 1500 BC. Although the city appears to have been within the Hittite sphere of influence, no Hittite artifacts have been found in Troy VI. Also notably absent are sculptures and wall paintings, otherwise common features of Bronze Age cities. Troy VI is also notable for its architectural innovations as well as its cultural developments, which included the first evidence of horses at the site. 501: 585: 310: 465: 489: 525: 537: 633:
of Troy did not begin until later.) Both the Troy VI walls and the Troy VIIa Terrace House were reused for worship and communal feasting, as evidenced by animal bones, pottery assemblages, and traces of burned incense. Strikingly, the Terrace House was not renovated when it was adopted as a cult center and thus must have been used in a ruined state, potentially suggesting that the occupants of Troy VIIb3 were deliberately re-engaging with their past.
477: 513: 556:
towers and mudbrick breastworks. Numerous small houses were added inside the citadel, filling in formerly open areas. New houses were also built in the lower city, whose area appears to have been greater in Troy VIIa than in Troy VI. In many of these houses, archaeologists found enormous storage jars called
373:
large population rather than a mere aristocratic residence. However, only 2-3% of the lower city had been excavated as of 2013, and few architectural features are likely to exist. Almost 2m of the surface has eroded, likely removing much of the evidence that hadn't already decomposed, been built over, or
627:
era. No new buildings were constructed, so its existence is known primarily from artifacts found in the West Sanctuary and terraces on the south side of the mound. These areas were excavated in the 1990s, surprising the archaeologists who had assumed that the site was abandoned until the Archaic Era.
372:
The lower city was only discovered in the late 1980s, earlier excavators having assumed that Troy VI occupied only the hill of Hisarlik. Its discovery led to a dramatic reassessment of Troy VI, showing that it was over 16 times larger than had been assumed, and thus a major city with a
605:-speaking population. However, the find is puzzling since palace bureaucracies had largely disappeared by this era. Proposed explanations include the possibility that it belonged to an itinerant freelance scribe and alternatively that it dates from an earlier era than its find context would suggest. 284:
Troy VI and VII were given separate labels by early excavators, but current research has shown that the first several sublayers of Troy VII were in fact continuations of the earlier city. Although some scholars have proposed revising the nomenclature to reflect this consensus, the original
632:
show that Troy still had a pottery industry, possibly associated with a wine or oil industry. The style of these pots shows stylistic similarities to other North Aegean sites, suggesting cultural contact. (Because other artifacts do not show these links, archaeologists believe that Greek settlement
592:
After the destruction of Troy VIIa around 1180 BC, the city was rebuilt as Troy VIIb. Older structures were again reused, including Troy VI's citadel walls. Its first phase, Troy VIIb1, appears to be largely a continuation of Troy VIIa. Residents continued using wheel-made
293:
Troy VI existed from around 1750 BC to 1300 BC. Its citadel was divided into a series of rising terraces, of which only the outermost is reasonably well-preserved. On this terrace, archaeologists have found the remains of freestanding multistory houses where Trojan elites would have
555:
Troy VIIa was the final layer of the Late Bronze Age city. It was built soon after the destruction of Troy VI, seemingly by its previous inhabitants. The builders reused many of the earlier city's surviving structures, notably its citadel wall, which they renovated with additional stone
355:
The lower town was built to the south of the citadel, covering an area of roughly 30 hectares. Remains of a dense neighborhood have been found just outside the citadel walls, and traces of Bronze Age occupation have been found further away. These include huts, stone paving, threshing floors,
252:
Troy VI and VII were given separate labels by early excavators, but scholarly consensus holds that the first several sublayers of Troy VII were in fact continuations of the earlier city. As a result, some researchers have suggested relabeling Troy VIIa as Troy VIi and Troy VIIb1 as Troy VIj, with
341:
Troy VI's walls were overlooked by several rectangular watchtowers, which would also have provided a clear view of Trojan plain and the sea beyond it. The citadel was accessed by five gates, which led into paved and drained cobblestone streets. Some of these gates featured enormous pillars which
317:
The citadel was enclosed by a massive wall whose limestone base is visible to modern day visitors. These walls were periodically renovated, expanding from an initial width of one point two metres (3.9 ft) to five metres (16 ft) around 1400 BC. During the Bronze Age they would have been
438:
was still in possession of wooden investiture tablets. The archive would likely have been housed in the citadel's innermost precinct, whose remains were pushed over the northern side of the hill during 3rd century construction. Despite attempts to sift through the rubble, no documents have been
318:
overlaid with wood and mudbrick superstructures, reaching a height over nine metres (30 ft). The walls were built in a "sawtooth" style made up of seven metres (23 ft)-ten metres (33 ft) segments which joined at shallow angles. This characteristic is common in the walls of
380:
The material culture of Troy VI appears to belong to a distinct Northwest Anatolian cultural group, with influences from the Aegean and the Balkans. The primary local pottery styles were wheel-made Tan Ware and Anatolian Gray Ware. Both styles were offshoots of an earlier
560:
buried in the ground. Troy VIIa seems to have been built by survivors of Troy VI's destruction, as evidenced by continuity in material culture. However, the character of the city appears to have changed, the citadel growing crowded and foreign imports declining.
593:
Grey Ware pottery alongside a new handmade style sometimes known as "barbarian ware". Imported Mycenaean-style pottery attests to some continuing foreign trade. However, the city's population appears to have dropped, and rebuilding seems to be confined to the citadel.
360:
shells associated with the manufacture of purple dye. The extent of the lower town is evidenced by a defensive ditch cut 1-2 into the bedrock. A wall or palisade may have stood several meters behind the ditch, as in the outer defenses of other cities such as
294:
lived. These houses lacked ground-floor windows, and their stone exterior walls mirrored the architecture of the citadel fortifications. However, they otherwise display an eclectic mix of architectural styles, some following the classic
600:
seal giving the names of a woman and a man who worked as a scribe. The seal is important since it is the only example of preclassical writing found at the site, and provides potential evidence that Troy VIIb1 had a
281:'s description of mythic Troy, and several of its sublayers (VIh and VIIa) show potential signs of violent destruction. Thus, these sublayers are among the candidates for a potential historical setting of those myths. 1088:. Reden an der Universität Trier, Dies academicus (English ed.). Tübingen: Institute for Pre- and Protohistory and Archaeology of the Middle Ages, Tübingen University. pp. 29–30. Archived from 612:. These practices, which existed alongside older local traditions, have been argued to reflect immigrant populations arriving from southwest Europe. These newcomers may have shared an origin with the 253:
Troy VII beginning at the sublayer standardly known as VIIb2. Although the substance of this proposal is widely accepted, the original nomenclature is still generally used to avoid confusion.
306:. Archaeologists believe there may have been a royal palace on the highest terrace, but most Bronze Age remains from the top of the hill were cleared away by classical era building projects. 322:
citadels, though at Troy it is also found in other buildings, suggesting that it may have been decorative. The walls also have a notable slope, similar to those at other sites including
1080: 26:
was a thriving coastal city consisting of a steep fortified citadel and a sprawling lower town below it. It had a considerable population and extensive foreign contacts, including with
408:
often used to write Luwian. However, available evidence is not sufficient to establish that Luwian was actually spoken by the city's population, and a number of alternatives, such as
442:
Troy VI was destroyed around 1300 BC, corresponding with the sublayer known as Troy VIh. Damage in the Troy VIh layer includes extensive collapsed masonry and
1200: 1195: 265:
city consisting of a steep fortified citadel and a sprawling lower town below it. It was a thriving coastal city with a considerable population, equal in size to second-tier
636:
Troy VIIb was destroyed by fire around 950 BC. However, some houses in the citadel were left intact and the site continued to be occupied, if only sparsely.
450:. Alternative hypotheses include an internal uprising as well as a foreign attack, though the city was not burned and no victims were found in the debris. 724:. Çanakkale-Tübingen Troia Vakh (Foundation) Publication Series 1 (Enlarged and revised ed.). Istanbul: Biltur Basim Yayin ve Hizmet A.Ș. p. 60. 464: 277:
has been argued to have given it the function of regional capital, its status protected by treaties. Aspects of its architecture are consistent with the
298:
design, others even having irregular floorplans. Some of these houses show potential Aegean influence, one in particular resembling the megaron at
1089: 608:
Troy VIIb2 is marked by dramatic cultural changes including walls made of upright stones and a handmade knobbed pottery style known as
404:
believed to have been spoken in the general area. Potential evidence comes from a biconvex seal inscribed with the name of a person using
569: 488: 1205: 1161: 1190: 326:. However, the walls differ from contemporary Aegean and Anatolian sites both in their lack of figural sculpture and in their 957: 849: 794: 767: 704: 500: 1138: 1114: 1007: 1220: 906:
Jablonka, Peter (2011). "Troy in regional and international context". In Steadman, Sharon; McMahon, Gregory (eds.).
735:
Jablonka, Peter (2011). "Troy in regional and international context". In Steadman, Sharon; McMahon, Gregory (eds.).
67:
Late Bronze Age Troy includes parts of the archaeological layers known as Troy VI and Troy VII. Troy VI was built
536: 269:
settlements. It had a distinct Northwest Anatolian culture and extensive foreign contacts, including with
1145:. Troy and the Trojan War: A symposium held at Bryn Mawr College. Bryn Mawr Commentaries. Bryn Mawr, PA: 39: 342:
serve no structural purpose and have been interpreted as religious symbols. The halls were built in
1215: 656: 565: 43: 413: 476: 349: 999: 915: 744: 524: 369:. However, material evidence for such a wall is limited to postholes and cuts in the bedrock. 1170: 420:
suggest that literacy existed at Troy and that the city may have had a written archive. The
8: 597: 1056: 1048: 409: 401: 1146: 1060: 1040: 1003: 953: 845: 790: 763: 700: 573: 405: 196: 152: 584: 512: 309: 1032: 995: 911: 740: 669: 319: 270: 88: 27: 1134: 1120: 784: 602: 430: 397: 393: 382: 299: 262: 237: 213: 159: 132: 120: 96: 73: 59:
description of mythic Troy and they show potential signs of violent destruction.
30:. Geographic and linguistic evidence suggests that it corresponds to the city of 23: 624: 362: 335: 92: 78: 1210: 1184: 1044: 83: 35: 87:. The early sublayers of Troy VII were contemporary with the late period of 837: 470:
Troy VI East Gate and Troy VI houses on the terrace immediately above.
564:
The city was destroyed around 1180 BC, roughly contemporary with the
386: 274: 100: 1023:
Knight, W.F.J. (1934). "The pillars at the south gate of Troy VI".
620:. This layer was destroyed around 1050 BC after an apparent earthquake. 447: 443: 366: 47: 1052: 651: 613: 425: 1036: 646: 313:
Artist's representation of House VI M, part of the palatial complex
266: 220: 172: 113: 901: 899: 897: 895: 893: 664: 629: 617: 417: 344: 327: 323: 303: 295: 139: 891: 889: 887: 885: 883: 881: 879: 877: 875: 873: 674: 557: 374: 331: 31: 50:, since aspects of their architecture are consistent with the 870: 435: 357: 356:
pithoi, and waste left behind by Bronze Age industry such as
52: 330:. While Troy VI's walls were made entirely of close-fitting 19: 1121:
Emporia: Aegeans in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean
596:
One of the most striking finds from Troy VIIb1 is a
576:
shows evidence of enemy attack, including scorch marks.
428:
to read its text publicly three times a year, while the
616:
who initiated similar cultural shifts at sites such as
1201:
Populated places disestablished in the 10th century BC
990:
Jablonka, Peter (2012). "Troy". In Cline, Eric (ed.).
985: 983: 981: 979: 977: 975: 973: 971: 969: 494:
East Gate cul de sac (Troy IX walls on the right)
42:
Troy VIh and Troy VIIa are among the candidates for a
1196:
Populated places established in the 2nd millennium BC
334:, contemporary sites typically used ashlars around a 786:
Troy and Homer: Towards a Solution of an Old Mystery
1124:, Peeters Publishers & Booksellers. pp. 269–79. 966: 446:in the southeast of the citadel, indicative of an 416:, have been proposed. Hittite documents found at 1182: 1074: 1072: 1070: 95:. The later layers were contemporary with the 77:. Its final sublayer, Troy VIh, was destroyed 1067: 994:. Oxford University Press. pp. 849–861. 832: 830: 828: 826: 285:terms are typically used to avoid confusion. 1115:Aegeans and Anatolians: A Trojan Perspective 992:The Oxford Handbook of the Bronze Age Aegean 824: 822: 820: 818: 816: 814: 812: 810: 808: 806: 1118:." In: Laffineur, Robert; Greco, Emanuele. 943: 941: 939: 937: 935: 933: 931: 929: 927: 925: 1159: 1153: 836: 803: 1078: 989: 922: 905: 864: 734: 719: 583: 308: 1163:Sociolinguistics of the Luvian language 1133: 1127: 1000:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199873609.013.0063 950:The Archaeology of Greek and Roman Troy 916:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195376142.013.0032 908:The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Anatolia 745:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195376142.013.0032 737:The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Anatolia 728: 542:Non-structural pillar at the South Gate 273:, and its position at the mouth of the 1183: 1022: 782: 762:. Taylor & Francis. p. 198. 757: 694: 947: 699:. Taylor & Francis. p. 59. 570:destruction of the Mycenaean palaces 13: 14: 1232: 1141:. In Mellink, Machteld J. (ed.). 842:The Trojans and their Neighbours 760:The Trojans and their Neighbours 697:The Trojans and their Neighbours 535: 523: 511: 499: 487: 475: 463: 62: 1206:1822 archaeological discoveries 1106: 1025:The Journal of Hellenic Studies 1016: 623:Troy VIIb3 dates from the 506:Wall segment near the East Gate 434:mentions that the deposed King 394:language spoken in Troy VI 1191:14th-century BC establishments 1082:Troia in Light of New Research 952:. Cambridge University Press. 858: 783:Latacz, Joachim (2004-10-28). 776: 751: 713: 688: 482:Tower at the East Gate Complex 455:Troy VI–VII citadel walls 256: 1: 1139:"The language of the Trojans" 681: 396:is unknown. One candidate is 261:Troy VI–VII was a major 232: 208: 187: 167: 147: 127: 108: 68: 948:Rose, Charles Brian (2013). 579: 550: 375:reused in later construction 44:potential historical setting 7: 910:. Oxford University Press. 739:. Oxford University Press. 639: 10: 1237: 1079:Korfmann, Manfred (2003). 789:. OUP Oxford. p. 48. 720:Korfmann, Manfred (2013). 628:Locally made neck-handled 288: 16:Aspect of European history 1160:Yakubovich, Ilya (2008). 1221:Bronze Age sites in Asia 844:. Taylor & Francis. 566:Late Bronze Age collapse 40:archaeological sublayers 1143:Troy and the Trojan War 1112:Pavúk, Peter. (2005) " 758:Bryce, Trevor (2005). 722:Troia/Wilusa Guidebook 695:Bryce, Trevor (2005). 589: 568:but subsequent to the 350:Mycenaean architecture 314: 1171:University of Chicago 587: 385:tradition related to 312: 46:for the myths of the 406:Anatolian hierglyphs 1173:. section 3.6. 657:Historicity of the 598:hieroglyphic Luwian 588:Anatolian Grey Ware 590: 402:Anatolian language 348:style, resembling 315: 1147:Bryn Mawr College 959:978-0-521-76207-6 851:978-0-415-34959-8 796:978-0-19-926308-0 769:978-0-415-34959-8 706:978-0-415-34959-8 574:destruction layer 518:Side view of wall 89:Mycenaean culture 1228: 1175: 1174: 1168: 1157: 1151: 1150: 1131: 1125: 1110: 1104: 1103: 1101: 1100: 1094: 1087: 1076: 1065: 1064: 1020: 1014: 1013: 987: 964: 963: 945: 920: 919: 903: 868: 862: 856: 855: 834: 801: 800: 780: 774: 773: 755: 749: 748: 732: 726: 725: 717: 711: 710: 692: 670:Mycenaean Greece 539: 527: 515: 503: 491: 479: 467: 422:Alaksandu Treaty 414:Lemnian-Etruscan 271:Mycenaean Greece 244: 240: 234: 224: 216: 210: 200: 192: 189: 179: 175: 169: 163: 155: 149: 143: 135: 129: 123: 116: 110: 86: 76: 70: 58: 28:Mycenaean Greece 1236: 1235: 1231: 1230: 1229: 1227: 1226: 1225: 1216:Greek Dark Ages 1181: 1180: 1179: 1178: 1166: 1158: 1154: 1132: 1128: 1111: 1107: 1098: 1096: 1092: 1085: 1077: 1068: 1021: 1017: 1010: 988: 967: 960: 946: 923: 904: 871: 863: 859: 852: 835: 804: 797: 781: 777: 770: 756: 752: 733: 729: 718: 714: 707: 693: 689: 684: 679: 642: 582: 553: 548: 547: 546: 543: 540: 531: 528: 519: 516: 507: 504: 495: 492: 483: 480: 471: 468: 457: 456: 431:Milawata letter 383:Middle Helladic 291: 263:Late Bronze Age 259: 242: 235: 230: 218: 211: 206: 194: 190: 185: 177: 170: 157: 150: 137: 130: 118: 111: 97:Greek Dark Ages 81: 71: 65: 56: 24:Late Bronze Age 17: 12: 11: 5: 1234: 1224: 1223: 1218: 1213: 1208: 1203: 1198: 1193: 1177: 1176: 1169:(PhD thesis). 1152: 1126: 1105: 1066: 1037:10.2307/626868 1015: 1009:978-0199873609 1008: 965: 958: 921: 869: 857: 850: 802: 795: 775: 768: 750: 727: 712: 705: 686: 685: 683: 680: 678: 677: 672: 667: 662: 654: 649: 643: 641: 638: 625:Protogeometric 581: 578: 552: 549: 545: 544: 541: 534: 532: 529: 522: 520: 517: 510: 508: 505: 498: 496: 493: 486: 484: 481: 474: 472: 469: 462: 459: 458: 454: 453: 452: 424:required King 290: 287: 258: 255: 250: 249: 248: 247: 246: 245: 228: 225: 204: 201: 183: 164: 124: 93:Hittite Empire 64: 61: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1233: 1222: 1219: 1217: 1214: 1212: 1209: 1207: 1204: 1202: 1199: 1197: 1194: 1192: 1189: 1188: 1186: 1172: 1165: 1164: 1156: 1148: 1144: 1140: 1136: 1130: 1123: 1122: 1117: 1116: 1109: 1095:on 2021-04-17 1091: 1084: 1083: 1075: 1073: 1071: 1062: 1058: 1054: 1050: 1046: 1042: 1038: 1034: 1030: 1026: 1019: 1011: 1005: 1001: 997: 993: 986: 984: 982: 980: 978: 976: 974: 972: 970: 961: 955: 951: 944: 942: 940: 938: 936: 934: 932: 930: 928: 926: 917: 913: 909: 902: 900: 898: 896: 894: 892: 890: 888: 886: 884: 882: 880: 878: 876: 874: 866: 865:Korfmann 2013 861: 853: 847: 843: 839: 833: 831: 829: 827: 825: 823: 821: 819: 817: 815: 813: 811: 809: 807: 798: 792: 788: 787: 779: 771: 765: 761: 754: 746: 742: 738: 731: 723: 716: 708: 702: 698: 691: 687: 676: 673: 671: 668: 666: 663: 661: 660: 655: 653: 650: 648: 645: 644: 637: 634: 631: 626: 621: 619: 615: 611: 610:Buckelkeramik 606: 604: 599: 594: 586: 577: 575: 571: 567: 562: 559: 538: 533: 526: 521: 514: 509: 502: 497: 490: 485: 478: 473: 466: 461: 460: 451: 449: 445: 440: 437: 433: 432: 427: 423: 419: 415: 411: 407: 403: 399: 395: 390: 388: 384: 378: 376: 370: 368: 364: 359: 353: 351: 347: 346: 339: 337: 333: 329: 325: 321: 311: 307: 305: 301: 297: 286: 282: 280: 276: 272: 268: 264: 254: 243: 950 BC 239: 226: 222: 215: 202: 198: 181: 180: 178: 950 BC 174: 165: 161: 154: 145: 144: 141: 134: 125: 122: 115: 106: 105: 104: 102: 98: 94: 90: 85: 80: 75: 63:Periodization 60: 55: 54: 49: 45: 41: 37: 36:Hittite texts 33: 29: 25: 21: 1162: 1155: 1142: 1129: 1119: 1113: 1108: 1097:. Retrieved 1090:the original 1081: 1028: 1024: 1018: 991: 949: 907: 867:, p. 60 860: 841: 785: 778: 759: 753: 736: 730: 721: 715: 696: 690: 658: 635: 622: 609: 607: 595: 591: 563: 554: 441: 429: 421: 391: 379: 371: 354: 343: 340: 316: 292: 283: 278: 260: 251: 82: 1300 66: 51: 18: 1135:Watkins, C. 387:Minyan Ware 336:rubble core 275:Dardanelles 257:Troy VI–VII 191: 1180 166:Troy VIIb: 146:Troy VIIa: 101:Neo-Hittite 34:known from 1185:Categories 1099:2021-11-02 1031:(2): 210. 682:References 530:South Gate 448:earthquake 444:subsidence 367:Carchemish 241: – c. 217: – c. 193: – c. 176: – c. 156: – c. 136: – c. 126:Troy VII: 117: – c. 48:Trojan War 1137:(1986) . 1061:162416526 1045:0075-4269 838:Bryce, T. 652:Alaksandu 614:Phrygians 580:Troy VIIb 551:Troy VIIa 426:Alaksandu 320:Mycenaean 227:Troy VIIb 203:Troy VIIb 182:Troy VIIb 107:Troy VI: 840:(2005). 647:Ahhiyawa 640:See also 630:amphoras 103:states. 99:and the 91:and the 665:Luwians 618:Gordion 439:found. 418:Hattusa 345:megaron 332:ashlars 328:masonry 324:Hattusa 304:Argolid 302:in the 296:megaron 289:Troy VI 267:Hittite 236:  219:  212:  195:  171:  158:  151:  138:  131:  121:1300 BC 119:  112:  74:1750 BC 72:  22:in the 1059:  1053:626868 1051:  1043:  1006:  956:  848:  793:  766:  703:  675:Wilusa 603:Luwian 572:. The 558:pithoi 398:Luwian 363:Qadesh 57:'s 38:. Its 32:Wilusa 1167:(PDF) 1093:(PDF) 1086:(PDF) 1057:S2CID 1049:JSTOR 659:Iliad 436:Walmu 410:Greek 400:, an 358:murex 300:Midea 279:Iliad 53:Iliad 1211:Troy 1041:ISSN 1004:ISBN 954:ISBN 846:ISBN 791:ISBN 764:ISBN 701:ISBN 412:and 392:The 365:and 238:1050 221:1050 214:1100 197:1100 173:1180 160:1180 153:1300 133:1300 114:1750 20:Troy 1033:doi 996:doi 912:doi 741:doi 140:950 1187:: 1069:^ 1055:. 1047:. 1039:. 1029:54 1027:. 1002:. 968:^ 924:^ 872:^ 805:^ 377:. 352:. 338:. 233:c. 231:: 223:BC 209:c. 207:: 199:BC 188:c. 186:: 168:c. 162:BC 148:c. 142:BC 128:c. 109:c. 84:BC 79:c. 69:c. 1149:. 1102:. 1063:. 1035:: 1012:. 998:: 962:. 918:. 914:: 854:. 799:. 772:. 747:. 743:: 709:. 229:3 205:2 184:1

Index

Troy
Late Bronze Age
Mycenaean Greece
Wilusa
Hittite texts
archaeological sublayers
potential historical setting
Trojan War
Iliad
1750 BC
c.
BC
Mycenaean culture
Hittite Empire
Greek Dark Ages
Neo-Hittite
1750
1300 BC
1300
950
1300
1180
1180
1100
1100
1050
1050
Late Bronze Age
Hittite
Mycenaean Greece

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.