Troy is situated in Western Anatolia, part of the Aegean cultural zone. In the period before 2000 BC, Troy was an imposing settlement with impressive walled defences, from which many treasures of gold and other metalwork have been recovered.
It is probable that Troy owed its prosperity at this time to its role as an intermediary in the metal trade, supplying the Aegean with tin and gold ores from areas to the east. Like mainland Greece, Troy received a setback around 2200 BC; some centuries later a new settlement arose, equipped with even more magnificent and effective fortifications than before.
The layout of the houses within this wall show that strong control was exercised over town planning. The town fell around 1200, a time when many of the Mycenaean fortified palaces were also burnt to the ground. It is to this time that we may tentatively attribute the legendary Trojan War, a glorified account of a conflict probably for economic advantage.
Like the centres on the Greek mainland, Troy rose again, in a reduced form, continuing until its final destruction around 1100 BC. From the 8th century BC it was again occupied.
