Expert: Maria - 2/5/2007

Question
Is Troy VIIa still thought to be Homer's Troy? Is there any _evidence_ that Troy VI
was destroyed by an earthquake?

Are the excavation reports of Schliemann, Dorpfeld, and Blegen available? In
English? How would I go about getting/seeing copies?

Answer
Hello,

as far as I know, Troy VIIa is still thought to be Homer's Troy, first on the basis of styles of imported Mycenaean pottery; second, because  it appears to have been destroyed by a war (reportedly in 1184 BC, according to Eratosthenes) and a fire whose traces are there.
Moreover in Troy VIIa  human bones have been found which presumably belong to casualties of the destruction of Troy by the Achaeans (i.e. the Greeks).

As for Troy VI, we know that  many collapsed stonework in the fortifications was found by the excavators who argued this Troy had been  destroyed by a violent earthquake and later rebuilt, though on a much smaller scale.

This in short, of course, as archaeology is not my field of expertise.
For more information please go to:  http://www.allexperts.com/browse.cgi?catLvl=3&catID=654
where hopefully you can find an expert in this area.

Good luck!
Maria