Troy VII
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Troy VII, in the mound at Hisarlik, is an archaeological layer of Troy spanning late Hittite Empire to Neo-Hittite times (ca. 1300 to 950 BC). The city was built following the destruction of Troy VIh, probably by an earthquake, in about 1300 BC. Its oldest part, Troy VIIa, lasted for about a century, with a destruction layer at ca. 1190 BC, which is most often associated with the legendary Trojan War. Troy VIIa is speculated to correspond to Assuwan Wilusa known from Hittite sources dating to the period of roughly 1300–1250 BC. (cf. Alaksandu; Trojan language).
- Troy VIIa: ca. 13th century BC
- Troy VIIb1: 12th century BC
- Troy VIIb2: 11th century BC
- Troy VIIb3: until ca. 950 BC
The archaeological layer known as Troy VIIa, which has been dated on the basis of pottery styles to the mid- to late-13th century BC, is the most often-cited candidate for the Troy of Homer. It appears to have been destroyed by a war, and there are traces of a fire. Until the 1988 excavations, the problem was that Troy VII seemed to be a hill-top fort, and not a city of the size described by Homer, but later identification of parts of the city ramparts suggests a city of considerable size.
Partial human remains were found in houses and in the streets, and near the north-western ramparts a human skeleton with skull injuries and a broken jawbone. Three bronze arrowheads were found, two in the fort and one in the city. However, only small portions of the city have been excavated, and the finds are too scarce to clearly favour destruction by war over a natural disaster.
These dates correspond closely to the mythical chronology of Greece as calculated by classical authors, placing the construction of the walls of Troy by Poseidon, Apollo and Aeacus at 1282 BC and the sack of Troy by the Greeks at 1183 BC.
The site remained inhabited following the destruction of Troy VIIa. Troy VIIb dates to a time when Greek influence began to extend to the area (the "Greek Dark Ages"). Troy VIIb1 (ca. 1120 BC) and Troy VIIb2 (ca. 1020 BC) appear to have been destroyed by fires. Troy VIIb3 is deserted in the mid 10th century BC, and the site remains uninhabited for more than 200 years before a new settlement, Troy VIII, is established around 700 BC. The site was again uninhabited throughout Classical Antiquity, until the foundation of Roman Ilium at the site (Troy IX) in the 20s BC.
