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Ilios

Ilios is the ancient Greek name for the city commonly known in English as Troy. In Greek literature, Ilios (also Ilion or Ilion in Latinized form) refers to the city and its inhabitants, most famously as the setting of the Trojan War in the Homeric epics the Iliad and the Odyssey. The name is used in classical texts to designate the city at the heart of legendary events rather than its broader region.

Geography and identification: The historic site associated with Ilios is located at Hisarlik in western Anatolia,

Archaeology and chronology: Excavations beginning in the 19th century, notably by Heinrich Schliemann and later by

Terminology and impact: Ilios remains a foundational term in classical studies, used to discuss the mythic

near
the
Dardanelles
in
modern-day
Turkey.
This
site
has
long
been
identified
as
the
city
of
Troy,
with
multiple
urban
layers
reflecting
successive
occupations
rather
than
a
single
continuous
city.
Wilhelm
Dörpfeld
and
Carl
Blegen,
revealed
a
sequence
of
settlements
stacked
atop
one
another.
Many
scholars
connect
Troy
VI
and
Troy
VII
to
the
late
Bronze
Age
city
that
could
have
been
destroyed
by
fire
in
the
13th
or
12th
century
BCE,
which
keeps
alive
the
association
with
the
legendary
Trojan
War.
However,
precise
dating
and
the
historical
reality
of
a
specific
war
remain
topics
of
scholarly
debate.
and
literary
dimensions
of
Troy
as
well
as
the
city’s
historical
and
archaeological
facets.
The
tradition
of
Ilios
has
influenced
literature,
art,
and
modern
interpretations
of
the
Trojan
narrative
and
continues
to
be
a
focal
point
in
discussions
of
ancient
Mediterranean
civilizations.