Amphora of 550-540 BC depicting the death of Priam, king of Troy © AP Photo/Matt Dunham/File
Archaeologists excavating ancient Troy have uncovered new evidence of a violent Bronze Age conflict that strongly echoes Homer’s epic account in the Iliad.
A Turkish research team led by Professor Rüstem Aslan of Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University revealed impressive findings pointing to hand-to-hand combat and a sudden, catastrophic collapse—just as described by the ancient Greeks.
Among the discoveries are dozens of clay projectiles and river stones used as sling bullets, buried just outside what is believed to have been the palace walls. According to specialists, these stones—smoothed to make them perfectly aerodynamic—were deadly Bronze Age weapons capable of shattering skulls from long distances when hurled with leather slings.
The stones date to roughly 3,200–3,600 years ago, the very period during which the Trojan War is believed to have taken place. Ancient Greek historians traditionally place the conflict around 1184 BCE. “This concentration of sling stones in such a small area indicates intense fighting either a desperate defense or a full-scale assault,” said Professor Aslan.
Archaeologists also identified arrowheads, burned buildings, and skeletons that appeared to have been hastily buried.
The 2024 summer excavation season took place under the “Heritage for the Future” program, supported by Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The research focused on Troy’s palace, marketplace, and fortification walls—the city known in antiquity as Wilusa, according to Hittite sources. One particularly interesting object is an ankle bone believed to have been used as a gaming die, offering insight into how soldiers passed the time while waiting for battle.
A sudden fall—Troy’s collapse was not gradual
What has most astonished archaeologists is that the evidence points overwhelmingly to a sudden, violent destruction of the city rather than a slow decline. Taken together with arrowheads discovered during earlier excavations, the findings suggest that brutal hand-to-hand combat erupted in this part of the city likely one of its final defensive strongholds, where its defenders fought a last desperate battle.
The discovery aligns strikingly with ancient texts. Historians Herodotus and Eratosthenes argued centuries later that the Trojan War had been a real historical event. The Roman poet Virgil also immortalized the war’s aftermath in the Aeneid, describing the escape of survivors from burning Troy.
However, no physical evidence of the Trojan Horse has been found. Researchers note that the famous wooden structure may have been a poetic symbol a metaphor for deception or treachery rather than a literal object.
