Archaeologists unearth palace, agora and city wall in Troy

Excavations are ongoing to uncover structures in the 5,500-year-old ancient city of Troy, which lies within the borders of Tevfikiye village in the northwestern province of Çanakkale.

Official excavations in Troy, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, began in 1871. Numerous archaeological discoveries have come to light during the works that continue throughout the year.

The excavation team has been recently working in the agora area and the section between the palace structure and the city wall, dating back to the period associated with Homer's Troy, known as the Late Bronze Age.

Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency, Reyhan Körpe, academic professor from the Çanakkale 18 Mart University's (ÇOMÜ) History Department and the Troy excavations vice president, said that Troy, which was called "Ilion" in ancient times, was a major touristic center during the Roman era.

Noting that the fate of Troy, a small town at the beginning of the Hellenistic Age, changed with the visit of Alexander the Great, Körpe said: "Alexander the Great visited Troy in 334 at the beginning of his Asian campaign. He was someone who knew about the Trojan wars, had read the 'Iliad' and knew Homer. It is said that he always carried a copy of the 'Iliad' with him. When he came here, he saw the miserable state of Troy and was deeply affected by it. He promised to revive this place when he returned from the expedition, but he could not return from the expedition. Later his generals came and changed this city. They built new temples and structures and renewed the city walls."

"Another name that changed the fate of Troy was the Roman Caesar. Caesar visited here after a war and promised big investments because he related his ancestors to Aeneas [the national hero...