Troy
Publié le 22/02/2012
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Greek One of the most famous cities in
Western literature and the site of the 10-year-long
siege and battle of Troy (see Trojan War). Excavations
during the 19th and 20th centuries prove that
there were no fewer than nine cities built—one after
and on top of the other—on the mound of Hissarlik,
a strategic position overlooking the Dardanelles,
the strait that leads to the Black Sea. The founder
of Troy was Dardanus, a son of Zeus. Priam, king
of Troy, was a descendant of Dardanus. Troy commanded
the trade routes between the Mediterranean
and the Black Sea. It was, in fact, at the crossroads
between east and west. In mythology, the Trojan War
was caused by the abduction of Helen, wife of the
king of Sparta, by the Trojan prince Paris. Many
scholars think the abduction was a metaphor for
the rivalry between the Greeks and Trojans over the
lucrative trade route to the Black Sea.
The city discovered by the archaeologists was in
fact only about 200 yards across, more of a citadel
than a city. Excavations in 1984 and 1985 revealed
many burial urns. They have also revealed caches of
food buried beneath the walls of the citadel, perhaps
the supplies of the people from the neighboring
countryside who came inside the walls of the citadel
for refuge from the marauding tribes.
Liens utiles
- Laocoön Greek A priest of Apollo and Poseidon; son of Priam, king of Troy, and of Hecuba.
- Laomedon Greek First king of Troy; father of Priam, Hesione, and others.
- Paris Greek Son of Priam, the king of Troy, and of Hecuba.
- Penthesilea Greek Amazon queen who led her female warriors to Troy to help the Trojans in the Trojan War.
- Priam Greek King of Troy during the Trojan War, though too old to take an active part in the war.