Expert: Maria - 7/2/2004

Question
What was the government like in ancient troy.How did they stand politically.

Answer
Hello,

First of all  ancient Troy  was a city that  in 12th. century BC  had a great power because of its strategic position between Europe and Asia as it stood in Asia Minor (now north-western Turkey ) near the Dardanelles, and then its location allowed for complete control of this strait, through which every merchant ship from the Aegean Sea heading for the Black Sea had to pass.

This control was in fact the real cause of the Trojan War, while the mythological cause was the  abduction of Helen, the queen of Sparta, by Paris, a Trojan prince, son of Priam(see Homer's Iliad)

Troy government was that of a MONARCHY  ruled by  a king who was partly limited by  the aristocracy.

In 1185-1184 BC,  which is the traditional date of Trojan War, this king was Priam, father of Hector and Paris.

Best regards
Maria