CULTURE STRATA OF TROY continued...
Now
let us examine a house, which appears in front of us,
belonging to Troy VI. The walls of this house are on the
side of the city wall. Apparently, it must have been built
to reinforce the city wall for a second time. This house
has two rows of 5 column bases each on the sides and two
column bases in the middle. Thus, we understand that the
ceiling of the house was attached with 12 columns. The
east wall is 15.87 m. long, while the length of the west
wall is 14.70 m. It presents a plan similar to a quadrilateral,
the narrow front being 12.50 m. It has two doors in the
west and the east walls. The house is two storied. The
paved ground where the column bases is being hard. From
the 2nd floor traces on the walls, we understand that
this is the basement. Wooden columns 30 cm. in diameter
can be seen on the 2nd floor. In the southwest corner
there is a hearth. From the ceramics found here, it is
understood that this house was built about 1400 B.C.
These
have been partially destroyed during Schliemann's excavation.
Let
us pass by these houses and ascend the stairs opposite.
When we look down from the high place where we are, we
see that another gate in the shape of the gate at the
entrance has been made. Here the walls of the Roman period
are in a position of enveloping the walls of the Roman
period. They are in a position of enveloping the walls
of Troy VI. Immediately behind this gate, we see the largest
tower of the walls of Troy VI. This tower, called tower
6 in the plan, has a small door with four steps. In the
tower there is a well, with a quadrangular plan, carved
out of bedrock. Apparently, it must have been made for
the purpose of a water reservoir in wartime. The tower
is 18 m. long and 8 m. wide. It was built as a watchtower.
Its inclination increases from the bottom to the top.
Prof. Dorpfeld likens this to the Eiffel tower. In the
Hellenistic period, a staircase was built for the purpose
of descending secretly into the well outside the tower.
In the Roman period, it was used as a cistern after a
new rim was fitted. During the excavation, Blegen closed
the well for preventing falls into it. If we descend below
for the purpose of examining closely, we can easily distinguish
the architectural characteristics of Rome, Hellenistic
period and Troy the 6th.
After
examining the remains here, when we ascend to a stone
paved square on our left. We understand that we are on
the famous temple of Athena. The Persian Emperor Xerxes,
Alexander the Great, Augustos, one of the Roman Emperors
slaughtered sacrifices here. They repaired it with aching
hearts. Schliemann digs the deep hollow in his desire
to find the treasures of Priam. According to Dorpfeld,
the place where we are is the part where the altar of
the temple was. In the corner of the wall, there is a
well covered with an iron grill.
It
is impossible not to be surprised how Schliemann could
have destroyed without pity this magnificent temple measuring
15,20x16,40. We understand that a person who thought of
nothing but treasure could only do this.
It
is known that Alexander came here and promised to repair
this temple. But his friend and commander Lysimachus fulfilled
this. The now remaining architectural pieces of the temple
are those remaining from the Roman period. Because the
Emperor of Rome, Augustus, repaired the temple again and
enlarged it.
This
temple, built in the Doric style, had 6 columns each in
front and at the back. In the east, in front of the entrance
steps, stood its altar. Of course, nothing but a deep
trench can be seen in the place of the temple, which extended
as far as the tree on the opposite hill. The fact that,
at the time of building, sand was put in the foundations
to ensure flexibility against earthquakes is indeed notable
for that period.
Let
us turn back and descend from the stairs we climbed and
take the narrow path on our right. After a short walk,
we will find bases and some architectural pieces in front
of us. These are the remains of the temple and were made
in the Roman period. Here, it will be possible to get
an idea of the magnitude and beauty of the temple from
the colossal column bases and original architectural pieces.
At
this moment, we are on the city walls of Troy II, which
does not exist any more. After seeing the megaton remains
in the excavation tower on our right, let us advance a
little. Here is the entrance gate, with two towers of
a breadth of 2.97., of the wall of Troy I. The tower in
the east had a height reaching 3.50 m. The foundation
is of stone, while the upper parts are made of smaller
stones. The parts, which we cannot see today, were certainly
made of sun-baked bricks.
After
examining these sections, we are now in a fairly large
square. This square is a square, which is encircled by
the walls of Troy I and II. The north side of it has completely
vanished. Walls extending parallel to each other can be
seen in the wide and long trench. One of these is fine
and regular enough to be distinguished from a distance.
It is built in the fishbone technique. When we descend
into the trench, the earliest long house type is seen
behind this wall. These megaron walls, the dimensions
of which are 18.75x7.00 m., are built in the fishbone
technique. There are some hearths in this house. One is
in the exact middle, the other in the corner near the
east wall.
Everyday,
earth covers some more, it becomes invisible. The foundations
of the house are of stone, the upper parts being built
of sand-baked bricks reinforced with wood. A light and
ventilation hole was left in the section near the roof.
Under the megaron, two child graves were discovered. These
are the graves of newborn babies. We know that in Troy
I and II, children were buried under the houses.
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