“When digging first began in the soil of Troy, in 1863, the excavations were directed by Frank Calvert,” Aslan said. “It was later continued by German archaeologist Professor Manfred Osman Korfmann, in 1988. During that time the excavation area underwent huge changes.”

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Excavations at the site have also been carried out by foreign institutions. Germany’s Tübingen University has been conducting excavations since 1988, first headed by Professor Korfmann and then taken over by Professor Ernst Pernicka in 2005. The university halted excavations due to of financial problems in 2012.

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The long-running excavations are of great significance to the Aegean side of Turkey and its archeology, Aslan said, as Troy is the place where pre-history began.

“Troy is the place where the first archeological data relating to Homer’s epic was found. This means that this is not a surreal ancient city; this is the birthplace of archeology,” he said.

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A recently published book of articles on Troy retraces the city’s excavation and its relation to Anatolian culture.

Articles by Manfred Osman Korfmann, the former head of excavations at Troy, have been collected in a book entitled “Troia Rüzgarı” (Troy Wind), published last year in Turkish, English and German.

Ancient city Troy to have own museum