Manor House of Troy II

GPS coordinates: 39.957621, 26.238388

Archaeological site: 

Manor House of Troy II
Manor House of Troy II

Description: 

This text is a fragment of a guidebook to Troy "The Secrets of Troy (TAN Travel Guide)".

This site consists of three parallel longhouses of the megaron type, dating back to the period of 2550 BC-2300 BCE. The fortifications protected these manor houses, but there was also a lower city outside the walls. Troy II consisted of seven layers of settlement, lying one on the other. In comparison to Troy I, Troy II was an extensive settlement, and the inhabitants of the upper city enjoyed many luxuries, such as silver, gold, and amber jewellery, found during the excavations of Schliemann. They also knew how to use a potter's wheel to produce beautifully decorated ceramics.

The prosperity of Troy II offers us a chance at looking closer at the trading links of this city, situated in the Troad, and other regions of Europe and Asia. In the modern era, where all the parts of the world are connected, and it is possible to buy the most exotic products, it is easy to assume that in the ancient period people had to rely on locally obtained materials.

The case of Troy demonstrates that this assumption is false. The Trojans purchased amber from the coasts of the Baltic Sea, tin from the Ore Mountains, situated in Germany and the Czech Republic, and from Central Asia. Faïence was brought from Egypt and Palestine while nephrite and lapis lazuli were imported from the region of Afghanistan, and iron from Iran. The Trojans also traded with Sicily, mainland Greece and the Greek islands, Cyprus, and the sites of the Black Sea coast.

The most impressive building within the upper city of Troy II is the Megaron IIA, also dubbed the Aristocratic Residence or the Manor House. Unfortunately for the visitors, not much can be seen in this location, only the outlines of the megaron's walls. There is much more underground because the archaeologists covered the building with earth to protect it. Thus, it is necessary to use much imagination to visualize this massive structure, 30 meters long and 14 meters wide. The walls of the building ended with vertical wooden posts, and this architectural solution was recreated in the modern era, to mark the location of the building's corners. The megaron is also the place where huge rectangular blocks of stone were used for the first time - an impressive feat, particularly when we realize that the iron tools would not have been available for another millennium.

Visitor tips: 

From the Fortification Walls of Troy I, follow the sightseeing path in the north-western direction. After around 30 meters, you will reach the site of the Manor House of Troy II. From this location, there are also panoramic views towards the Dardanelles and the vast Trojan plain.