Professor discusses real Troy

By CINDY GONZALES

Neither Brad Pitt nor Orlando Bloom was anywhere to be seen on Monday when the film “Recent Greek and Roman Excavations at Troy, Turkey” was shown at Fresno State.

The Fresno County Archaeological Society’s monthly lecture featured Dr. C. Brian Rose, professor and head of the Department of Classics, at the University of Cincinnati, who has excavated Troy for 14 years.

“A woman from Greece taken to Troy was not the reason for the fall of the city,” Rose said. He said Troy was the cause of conflict because it was at a strategic location that connected the Black Sea and Aegean Sea. The wars caused the city to be leveled and rebuilt nine times.

“Everyone wanted to control Troy for the power and money it provided,” Rose said.

Troy was located in northwest Turkey at the northern part of the Aegean Sea.

The city of Troy was at the mouth of the easiest crossing point between Europe and Asia.

Rose said the city of Troy has been excavated many times to prove the Homeric myths and legends of the Iliad were correct.

“There was no wooden horse; it didn’t exist,” Rose said.

A wooden replica of the horse was built in the 70s to attract tourists. Rose said that during festivals, local actors perform scenes from Homer.

The current movie “Troy” has led to a recent popularity of the city’s legend.

“[Troy] may not have been the same context, but its very good publicity,” geography professor James Kus said. Kus said he thinks the movie has also sparked in people an interest in archaeology.

“I’ve seen the movie and I wanted to see the actual Troy,” said Dusty Lee, a freshman art history major.

Lee said he thought the lecture would teach him about the history of the city.

Rose discussed several new monuments and tombs recently discovered that contained gold jewelry and musical instruments. He also showed slides of the city’s building and excavation sites.