Two-timing Helen of Troy

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From our base in Tusan Hotel in Canakkale, we reached Troy in about 2 hours. Homer's legendary Troy or Truva does not offer much to see, but we spent a good time here to remember enough. A full scale mock-up of the Trojan horse welcomed us as we entered the site. Way past this mock-up horse, we found the legendary walls of Troy, allegedly the site of the Trojan War (circa 1200 B.C.). There is a school of thought claiming that Homeric Troy was not in Anatolya, but located either in England, Croatia, or even Scandinavia, but such was not accepted by mainstream scholars.

We have no arguments about the authenticity of this site as the real Troy. Oktay our Tour Director proved to be a very competent historian with loads of patience as he explained to our group the many layers (was it 9, Oktay ? ) of archaelogical Troy. I can only imagine all the interest, and speculation, on the true location of ancient Troy. Until 1868, when a self-taught German archaelogist by the name of Henriech Schliemann did his excavations and discovered the ruins of a series of ancient cities dating from the Bronze Age to the Roman period. Doubts over the authenticity of this discovery remain, and it is tempting to surmise that Brad Pitt's movie on Troy may have put a stop to many of these doubts. (Oops.....Oktay will likely say we never listen to him) The most likely setting for Homer's Troy in Iliad is Troy VII or the 7th "layer" in the series of ruins of ancient cities. Visions of Helen, the thousand ships, Paris, King Priam, Menelaus, Aggamemnon, Achilles..............and Brad Pitt (?!!?) come to mind.

The town today is highly commercialized as a tourist spot. Just 50 kms from Canakkale, tourists bus in all the way from Istanbul after taking the ferry through Canakkale. This ruin of ruins may have been so because of all the excavations as Schliemann tried to peel off all the layers of the city of Priam. Which is unfortunate. Looking at the walls into the city, the team of archaelogists may have done more damage in a vain effort to discover more Troys. If you ask me, I am quite content with the movie version. Helen is one lucky lady. Paris fell so madly in love with her that a war broke out. Yet, Menelaus took her back to their Greek homeland where they allegedly settled back and lived happily ever after. Imagine that...........Helen got away with her misdeed!

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Photos

Waiting for Orlando or Eric?
(I much prefer Eric Bana....)

Comments

[Rob_n_Lorenza]

It looks like you are having a good time. The photos are good, your camera has a good depth of field.

[AnnaAdventuring]

I enjoyed your latest blog. Turkey is a country I'd love to see and it's so cool you've been to Troy. I remember reading all those myths as a kid. Impressive wooden horse - is that the actual one from the film?

[liliram]

It Is Not The Same Horse
Thanks for reading my blog, Anna. But it is not the same horse. The one used in the movie is actually in Olympos, also in Turkey, bought from Hollywood and shipped there!

[juchi]

Nice photos
I myself have always wanted to go to Troy. Nice photos! I recently stumbled on a site that sells what look like great-quality audio guides for pretty much anywhere. http://www.allaudioguides.com/

[EdVallance]

Nice blog and photos, thanks! I went to Istanbul with my parents when I was about 14 but unfortunately was very uninterested in it all at that age so don't remember much! Are we going to get an update on your China travels?

[EuroTraveler]

and poor Hector...
Troy...how fascinating! I would have loved to have been there with you. Some horse, huh...you are too cute in your photo waiting for Brad...looks like better weather too! How tall were the walls in the photo above? How many stones high for an average person? Just trying to undertstand the mighty and impenetrable walls of Troy...

[liliram]

Legendary Walls of Troy
The remaining walls are just 15 ft high or so. I decided to add another photo in my blog with people in it, if only to give a perspective. Weather was unbelievably good when we got there. (Not so when we reached Pamukkale) It was much colder in Istanbul, but I guess the cities and towns southwest of Istanbul and nearer the Aegean have a milder climate. Thanks for reading, jeff! Btw, Brad never made an appearance!

[Bhavika]

Unhappily ever after.
I'm studying the 'Iliad' as part of my course material for Classical Lit. Helen never lived happily ever after; in Homer's epic poem itself, Aphrodite curses Helen to a doomed, miserable life in Book 3 (Teichoscopia). The immortal rounds on her in fury, saying ".. your fate can tread you down to dust." After the burning on Ilium, Helen was abducted by Paris' brother as a concubine; he was killed by Menelaus. Then Aphrodite instructed Hermes to spirit Helen to Egypt, where King Proteus hid her. However, Menelaus tracked her and she returned to Sparta. However, after Menelaus' death, her step-sons Nicostratus and Megapenthes drove her out from Sparta.She fled to Rhodes to live with Polyxo, a Trojan widow, who tried to kill her. Some legends say she was hung from a tree. Others say she died a beggar on the streets. Whatever it was, it was nothing like a happy ending!

[liliram]

That's too bad........
Thanks, Bhavika. That is so sad. Poor Helen. Too many legends though. Which to believe? I just wish it wasn't that bad for Helen. But who really knows?