Troia 1987-2012: Grabungen und Forschungen III

In view of the 200th anniversary of Heinrich Schliemann’s birthday one could well ask: »Why is Troy so important for archaeology?« Apart from the fact that Troy is mentioned in the earliest literary tradition in Europe it is also an important site that was more or less continuously inhabited for almost four millennia, which naturally made it a reference site for Bronze Age chronology of the Aegean area, western Anatolia, the Balkans and beyond. This second volume in the series of four planned so far on the Bronze Age remains of Troy presents results of the new excavations and investigations directed by Manfred Korfmann and Ernst Pernicka between 1987 and 2012 and provides much new evidence on the development of Troy in the second millennium BCE. It describes in great detail its ups and downs during this period, targeting especially its heydays in the second half of the millennium. With the results of the more recent excavations in western Anatolia at hand, Troy is no longer seen as a unique phenomenon but rather as one of several major fortified settlements in this area. It was certainly the largest and dominant site in the Troad and may have drawn its prosperity from the fertile agricultural land in its surrounding and from flourishing local industries. Nevertheless, the material culture shows wide-ranging contacts and demonstrates that Troy was an important participant in the exchange networks ranging from the eastern Mediterranean to the northern Aegean and probably also the Balkans.
Part 1 begins with a discussion of chronology and periodisation by Peter Pavúk complemented with a detailed contribution by Ralf Becks on stratigraphy, individual buildings and other features of Troy VI and VIIa and by Manfred Klinkott on the construction of the fortifications. The pottery is presented by Peter Pavúk on Troy VI Early and Middle and Wendy Rigter on the following periods VI Late and VIIa. Special chapters are devoted to the first systematic assessment of pithoi and other storage containers, as well as storage strategies at Troy by Diane Thumm-Doğrayan, an analysis of Cypriot finds by Ekin Kozal, and Penelope Mountjoy presents the summary of her long-term studies on Mycenaean pottery. Part 2 is dedicated to the small finds consisting of metal, glass/faience, clay and stone by Magda Pieniążek with contributions of several co-authors. The concluding chapter by Peter Pavúk and Magda Pieniążek summarizes the most significant results of the recent excavations and discusses them from regional and interregional perspectives.