Horses for courses

There are about nine layers of Troy buried where Troy used to be. The one Homer wrote about is the seventh Troy (that's seven up, not seven down). There were a couple more built on top, Roman cities which decreased in importance as Constantinople became a power.

Walls at Troy, made of stone

The seventh layer was also the largest, and showed evidence of slaughter and fire. Other cities were destroyed by earthquakes and cultural change as people migrated from the east. Each layer shows different building materials and technology as the people living there progressed.

The view from the site of Athena's Temple. There used to be water visible from here.

The surrounding country side has also changed, primarily due to the silting of ancient waterways. Troy once sat overlooking the Hellespont, and it was this position which gave it power over trade in ancient times.

I took a lot of photos of wells

The size of the walls, at all levels of the site, is emphasised by the support structures - the huge foundations, gates and ramps which allowed daily life to go in in and around the walled city. It was again testament to what mankind can achieve with nothing more than math, determination and limitless free labour.

Slavery!

All the ancient cities we visited were places of trade and culture. The culture was demonstrated by the amphitheaters, where people could meet to discuss politics or matters of importance and so on.

People, not slaves.

And of course, no visit to Troy would be complete without viewing the Schliemann Pit, the spot where German 'archaeologist' and treasure-hunter, Heinrich Schliemann, dug through layer after layer of Troy until he found the treasure he was certain was left in the stories of Homer's stories. These jewels were, as it happens, from the second Troy, and therefore predated Homer's Troy by several thousand years.

Really it's just a huge hole.

But that's okay, because he found items of vital historical importance. Which he took back to Germany. And his wife took to Russia.

Our guide told us that Turkey has asked Russia if they could have the treasure from Troy back.

Russia said, "No."

The Hellespont

Troy was able to control trade between the ancient nations through its position on the Hellespont. Even in its decline the Byzantine Empire remained rich by controlling the strait. Russia and the Ottoman Empire fought over trade in the channel (by then called the Dardanelles) and the passage of German ships from the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Mamara prompted England's campaign against the Ottomans in the First World War.

I wanted to have a look.

Obligatory photo of the Sphinx

The tour bus took us to a number of sites relevant to the ANZAC Gallipoli campaign. There were three or four busloads of people there that day so it was not as contemplative as it could have been. Nevertheless I was interested in seeing the places I've heard about since I was in primary school.

ANZAC cove mid summer. Thirty eight degrees in the sun.

It was immediately obvious how terrible a landing at ANZAC cove would have been. The hills sit hard against the water, the rise is almost verticle, and Turkish troops already in place had a commanding view of the landing site.

We walked along the beach and took in a couple of the cemeteries and monuments. The most powerful of these was the Atatürk quote/monument on the beach.

The view from Walker's Ridge

After we we had toured the sites we drove down to the ferry which would take us across the strait. The ferries cross near Channakale. This part of the Dardanelles has been of crucial strategic importance for thousands of years (since Troy! Troy!) and the area is littered with ruins and castles.

Castles!

The crossing takes about 20-30 minutes by ferry - straight across from Europe to Asia. The town itself looked like a lot of fun as we came in from the water, but we didn't have time to wait there. There was just enough time for one cheesy stop.

After making the film Troy, Warner Brothers gave the horse they used in the film. I was impressed by the scale of this regifting.

Still hot

Given what happened the last time someone accepted this horse as a gift, I'm surprised they took it. Maybe they didn't see the movie?