The ancient city of Troy

The ancient city of Troy (western Turkey) is one of the remaining wonders of the ancient world, lost to civilisation until it was discovered in 1870 by a German dilettante archeologist named Schliemann.

Mentioned in Homer's Iliad, and the Odyssey, as part of the Trojan Wars, the excavations have revealed nine main periods of settlement. The first began around 3000-2600 B.C, with each following period ending in either fire, earthquake, destruction or decline, until its final abandonment in the dark ages around 400 A.D.

The fascinating result of the archeological activity is the understanding of these distinct periods by peeling away the layers. Visitors to the excavation site can see numerous examples of where the layers have been sliced away to reveal several metres of accumulation.

Further details: history at Wikipedia/Troy, location at MapPoint.