Did ancient Troy really exist? - Einav Zamir Dembin

Translator: Aldri Fajar Muhammad Reviewer: Ade Indarta

When Homer’s Iliad was first written down in the 8th century BCE,

Kala Iliad karya Homer ditulis pertama kali pada abad ke-8 SM,

the story of the Trojan war was already an old one.

kisah perang Troya telah jadi cerita lama.

From existing oral tradition,

Dari tradisi lisan yang ada,

audiences knew the tales of the long siege,

para pendengarnya tahu cerita tentang pengepungan panjang,

the epic duels outside the city walls,

pertarungan epik di luar dinding kota,

and the cunning trick that finally won the war.

dan tipu muslihat yang memenangkan perang.

In the end, the magnificent city was burned to the ground,

Akhirnya, kota megah itu rata dengan tanah,

never to rise again.

tanpa pernah bangkit.

But had it ever existed?

Namun apakah kota ini pernah ada?

By the time the field of archaeology began to take shape in the 19th century,

Saat keilmuan arkeologi mulai terbentuk pada abad ke-19,

many were skeptical, considering the epic to be pure fiction,

banyak orang ragu, menganggap epos tersebut murni fiksi,

a founding myth imagining a bygone heroic era.

mitos temuan yang berimajinasi akan era heroik masa lalu.

But some scholars believed

Namun beberapa akademisi

that behind the superhuman feats and divine miracles

percaya di balik perbuatan orang sakti dan keajaiban dewa

there must have been a grain of historical truth -

pasti ada secuil kebenaran historis -

a war that was really fought,

perang yang memang dipertarungkan,

and a place where it happened.

dan tempat terjadinya.

Frank Calvert was one such believer.

Frank Calvart adalah salah satu yang percaya

He had spent his youth traveling and learning about ancient civilizations

Ia menghabiskan masa mudanya melancong dan mempelajari peradaban kuno sebelum

before accompanying his brother Frederick

bekerja dengan Frederick saudaranya

on a diplomatic mission to the northwest Anatolian region of Çanakkale.

dalam misi diplomatis menuju wilayah timur laut Anatolia, Çanakkale.

It was here that Homer described the Greek encampment

Di sinilah tempat Homer mendeskripsikan perkemahan Yunani

at the mouth of the Scamander river.

di hilir sungai Scamander.

And it was here that fate brought Frank into contact

Dan di sinilah takdir membawa Frank berhubungan

with a journalist and geologist named Charles Maclaren.

dengan seorang jurnalis dan geolog bernama Charles Maclaren.

Locals and travelers had long speculated

Penduduk lokal dan wisatawan menduga

that Troy might’ve stood on one of the surrounding hilltops.

bahwa Troy mungkin pernah berdiri di salah satu puncak bukit sekitar.

But Maclaren had been one of the first

Namun Maclaren yang pertama kali

to publish a detailed topographical study of the area.

mempublikasi rincian topografi wilayah tersebut.

He believed he had found the site –

Ia percaya telah menemukan situsnya --

a 32-meter mound known by the name Hisarlık,

gundukan setinggi 32 meter yang disebut Hisarlik,

derived from the Turkish word for “fortress.”

yang berasal dari Bahasa Turki untuk "benteng."

Soon after meeting with him in 1847,

Segera setelah berjumpa dengannya tahun 1847,

the Calverts bought 2,000 acres of farmland

Calvert bersaudara membeli lahan tani seluas 0,2 ha

that included part of the hill.

termasuk bagian bukit tersebut.

Before they could explore any further,

Sebelum mereka menjelajahinya lebih dalam,

the Crimean War broke out

Perang Krimea pecah

and forestalled their archaeological ambitions for several years.

dan menghambat ambisi arkeologis mereka selama beberapa tahun.

After the war’s end,

Setelah perang usai,

Frank Calvert began to survey the site,

Frank Calvert memulai peninjauan situsnya,

but lacked the funds for a full excavation.

namun kekurangan dana untuk penggalian penuh.

This was where the wealthy German businessman

Di sinilah pebisnis kaya dan

and amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann came in.

dan arkeologis amatir Jerman Heinrich Schliemann tiba.

At Calvert’s invitation,

Atas undangan Calvert,

Schliemann visited the grounds in 1868, and decided to excavate.

Schliemann mengunjungi lahan itu tahun 1868, dan memutuskan untuk menggali.

Eager to find the ancient city,

Bersemangat mencari kota kuno,

Schliemann tore massive trenches all the way to the base of the hill.

Schliemann membuat sumur sangat dalam hingga menuju kaki bukit.

There, he uncovered a hoard of precious artifacts,

Di dalamnya, dia menemukan segunung arifak berharga,

jewelry,

perhiasan,

and metalwork,

dan logam,

including two diadems and a copper shield.

termasuk dua mahkota dan sebuah perisai perunggu.

Schliemann took full credit for the discovery,

Schliemann mengklaim penuh atas penemuan itu,

announcing that he had found Troy

mengumumkan dirinya telah menemukan Troya

and the treasure of its king Priam.

dan harta karun Sang Raja Priam

But the real treasure was elsewhere.

Tetapi temuan utamanya ada di tempat lain.

When later archaeologists studied the site,

Saat para arkeolog mempelajari penemuan itu

they realized that the mound consisted of no less than nine cities,

mereka menyadari bahwa gundukan itu terdiri tidak kurang dari sembilan kota.

each built atop the ruins of the last.

masing-masing dibangun di atas reruntuhan sebelumnya.

The layer Schliemann had uncovered dated back to the Mycenaean Age,

Lapisan yang Schliemann temukan berasal dari Zaman Mycenaean,

more than 1,000 years too early for Homer.

1000 tahun lebih awal daripada Homer.

But inside the mound was indeed evidence

Namun di dalam gundukan itulah bukti

for a city that had thrived during the Bronze Age,

sebuah kota telah bertahan selama Zaman Perunggu,

with charred stone,

dengan batuan hangus,

broken arrowheads,

mata anak panah yang hancur,

and damaged human skeletons suggesting a violent end.

dan tengkorak rusak manusia menandakan akhir yang kejam.

It was Troy VII, contained in the middle layers

Adalah Troya VII, terletak di lapisan tengah

and now ravaged for a second time by Schliemann’s careless excavation.

dan telah rusak kedua kalinya oleh kecerobohan penggalian Schliemann.

The settlement, spanning some 200,000 square meters

Kediaman yang terbentang seluas 200.000 meter persegi

and home to as many as 10,000 people,

dan rumah bagi sekitar 10.000 orang,

thrived until around 1180 BCE.

bertahan hingga 1180 SM.

Its position at the southern entrance of the Dardanelles strait

Posisinya yang berada di selatan mulut selat Dardanelles

would’ve made a formidable strategic location for both defense and trade.

menjadikannya lokasi strategis yang tangguh untuk pertahanan dan perdagangan.

Most importantly, there are the remains of a massive fortification wall –

Menariknya, masih tergeletak sisa dinding benteng yang sangat besar --

perhaps the very same one

mungkin memang benteng yang sama

from which Priam and Hector once watched the Greeks approach.

dengan yang disaksikan Priam dan Hector saat Yunani tiba.

Of course, it’s difficult to be certain

Tentu, sulit untuk memastikan

that these ruins are the true remains of ancient Troy,

reruntuhan tersebut benar-benar sisa peradaban Troya,

and scholars still dispute

para akademisi masih berdebat

whether the Trojan War as described by Homer ever happened.

apakah Perang Troya benar-benar terjadi seperti deskripsi Homer.

Yet the evidence is strong enough

Namun, bukti yang ada cukup kuat

that UNESCO has labelled Hisarlık the archeological site of Troy.

sehingga UNESCO menandai Hisarlik sebagai situs arkeologis Troya.

Regardless of its identity,

Terlepas dari identitasnya,

thanks to persistence,

berkat kegigihan,

a bit of faith,

sedikit keyakinan,

and a lot of research,

dan banyaknya penelitian,

archaeologists are bringing the long-buried secrets

arekologis membawa rahasia yang terpendam lama

of an ancient, lost city to light.

sebuah kota kuno yang hilang, menuju cahaya