Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine and re-evaluate the complicated stratigraphy of the period of Troy II, which has the most confused sequence of all the periods at Troy. This study based mainly on the results of the excavations under the supervision of late Prof. Manfred Korfmann of University of Tübingen, contributed to the understanding of the full stratigraphic succession of the Troy II layers.
In order to solve the difficulties of stratigraphy it was necessary to employ a reliable approach to the problem by analyzing and combining the old and new evidence. All the findings of Schliemann, Dörpfeld, Blegen and Korfmann are considered together. The method developed by E. Harris also known as “Harris Matrix” has been applied for this purpose. This methodology is based on the identification of relationships between the single stratigraphical units. A vast amount of published and unpublished documentation collected during more than a hundred years of research has been studied and entered into a database. The different record categories – plans, sections, and site notes, are each examined separately and tested against each other to be able to produce a full stratigraphic sequence of the site.
According to the results of the study, following the Early Bronze Age I culture of Troy I period, nine (IIa1-IIc3) succeeding building phases of Troy II have been identified. These phases roughly differ from the views of the earlier excavators such as Dörpfeld and Blegen in that they characterise different architectural arrangement as a result of the replacement of some already known structures. With the addition of new finds the picture has changed considerably. A new nomenculature is also being introduced for the stratigraphical sequence of Troy II layers.