Did ancient Troy really exist? - Einav Zamir Dembin

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Tijana Mihajlović

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

Kada je prvi put zapisana Homerova „Ilijada” još u VIII v.p.n.e,

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

priča o Trojanskom ratu je već bila stara.

From existing oral tradition,

Iz postojeće usmene tradicije,

audiences knew the tales of the long siege,

publika je znala priče o dugoj opsadi,

the epic duels outside the city walls,

epskim duelima van gradskih zidina

and the cunning trick that finally won the war.

i o prevrtljivom triku pomoću koga je konačno dobijen rat.

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

Naposletku, veličanstveni grad je spaljen do temelja

never to rise again.

i nikad više nije obnovljen.

But had it ever existed?

Međutim, da li je ikada postojao?

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

Do vremena kada je oblast arheologije počela da poprima oblik u XIX veku,

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

mnogi su bili skeptični, smatrajući ep čistom fikcijom,

a founding myth imagining a bygone heroic era.

osnivački mit kojim se zamišlja davno nestala herojska epoha.

No, neki akademici su verovali

But some scholars believed

that behind the superhuman feats and divine miracles

da je iza nadljudskih poduhvata i božanskih čuda

there must have been a grain of historical truth -

moralo da stoji zrno istorijske istine -

a war that was really fought,

rat koji je zaista vođen

and a place where it happened.

i mesto na kom se desio.

Frank Calvert was one such believer.

Frenk Kalvert je bio jedan od tih vernika.

He had spent his youth traveling and learning about ancient civilizations

Proveo je mladost putujući i učeći o drevnim civilizacijama

before accompanying his brother Frederick

pre nego što je bio pratnja bratu Frederiku

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

na diplomatskoj misiji u severozapadnoj Anadoliji, u oblasti Čanakale.

It was here that Homer described the Greek encampment

Ovde je Homer opisao grčki logor

at the mouth of the Scamander river.

na ušću reke Skamandar.

And it was here that fate brought Frank into contact

I baš tu je sudibina dovela Frenka u kontakt

with a journalist and geologist named Charles Maclaren.

sa novinarom i geologom po imenu Čarls Meklaren.

Locals and travelers had long speculated

Meštani i putnici su dugo spekulisali

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

o tome da je Troja možda ležala na jednom od okolnih brda.

But Maclaren had been one of the first

Međutim, Meklaren je bio jedan od prvih

to publish a detailed topographical study of the area.

koji je objavio detaljnu topografsku studiju ove oblasti.

He believed he had found the site –

Verovao je da je otkrio mesto -

a 32-meter mound known by the name Hisarlık,

brežuljak od 32 metra poznat pod imenom Hisarlik,

derived from the Turkish word for “fortress.”

što je izvedeno od turske reči za tvrđavu.

Soon after meeting with him in 1847,

Uskoro nakon susreta s njim 1847. godine,

the Calverts bought 2,000 acres of farmland

Kalvertovi su kupili 2 000 jutara zemlje

that included part of the hill.

koja je uključila i deo brda.

Before they could explore any further,

Pre nego što su mogli dalje da istražuju,

the Crimean War broke out

izbio je Krimski rat

and forestalled their archaeological ambitions for several years.

i odložio je njihove arheološke ambicije za nekoliko godina.

After the war’s end,

Po okončanju rata,

Frank Calvert began to survey the site,

Frenk Kalvert je počeo da istražuje mesto,

but lacked the funds for a full excavation.

ali nedostajala su mu sredstva za temeljno iskopavanje.

This was where the wealthy German businessman

Ovde na scenu stupa imućni nemački biznismen

and amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann came in.

i arheolog amater Hajnrih Šliman.

At Calvert’s invitation,

Na Kalvertov poziv,

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

Šliman je posetio zemljište 1868. godine i odlučio je da obavi iskopavanje.

Eager to find the ancient city,

U želji da otkrije drevni grad,

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

Šliman je iskopao masivne jarke skroz do temelja brda.

There, he uncovered a hoard of precious artifacts,

Tu je otkrio riznicu dragocenih artefakta,

jewelry,

nakita

and metalwork,

i metalnih predmeta,

including two diadems and a copper shield.

uključujući dve dijademe i bakarni štit.

Schliemann took full credit for the discovery,

Šlimanu je pripala potpuna zasluga za otkriće,

announcing that he had found Troy

kada je obznanio da je otkrio grad Troju

and the treasure of its king Priam.

i blago njenog kralja Prijama.

But the real treasure was elsewhere.

No, istinsko blago je bilo negde drugde.

When later archaeologists studied the site,

Kada su arheolozi kasnije izučavali nalazište,

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

shvatili su da se brežuljak sastoji od ni manje ni više već devet gradova,

each built atop the ruins of the last.

gde je svaki izgrađen preko ruševina prethodnog.

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

Sloj koji je otkrio Šliman poticao je skroz iz doba Mikene,

more than 1,000 years too early for Homer.

više od 1 000 godina prerano za Homera.

But inside the mound was indeed evidence

Međutim, unutar brežuljka je zaista bio dokaz

for a city that had thrived during the Bronze Age,

o postojanju imućnog grada tokom bronzanog doba,

with charred stone,

sa ugljenisanim kamenom,

broken arrowheads,

polomljenim strelama

and damaged human skeletons suggesting a violent end.

i oštećenim ljudskim kosturima koji su nagoveštavali nasilan kraj.

It was Troy VII, contained in the middle layers

Bila je to Troja VII zarobljena u središnjim slojevima

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

i sada opustošena po drugi put Šlimanovim nesmotrenim kopanjem.

The settlement, spanning some 200,000 square meters

Utvrđenje, koje se pružalo nekih 200 000 metara kvadratnih

and home to as many as 10,000 people,

i koje je bilo dom za čak 10 000 ljudi,

thrived until around 1180 BCE.

napredovalo je sve do oko 1180 godine p.n.e.

Its position at the southern entrance of the Dardanelles strait

Njegova pozicija na južnom ulazu u moreuz Dardaneli

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

bila bi zastrašujuća strategijska lokacija i za odbranu i za trgovinu.

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

Najvažnije od svega, tu su ostaci ogromnog odbrambenog zida -

perhaps the very same one

možda baš onog

from which Priam and Hector once watched the Greeks approach.

sa kog su Prijam i Hektor nekad posmatrali kako se Grci približavaju.

Of course, it’s difficult to be certain

Naravno, teško je biti siguran

that these ruins are the true remains of ancient Troy,

da su ove ruševine istinski ostaci drevne Troje,

and scholars still dispute

i akademici još uvek raspravljaju

whether the Trojan War as described by Homer ever happened.

da li se Trojanski rat ikad desio onako kako ga je Homer opisao.

Yet the evidence is strong enough

Međutim, dokazi su dovoljno čvrsti

that UNESCO has labelled Hisarlık the archeological site of Troy.

da je UNESKO označio Hisarlik arheološkim nalazištem Troje.

Regardless of its identity,

Bez obzira na njegov identitet,

thanks to persistence,

zahvaljujući upornosti,

a bit of faith,

mrvici vere

and a lot of research,

i mnogim istraživanjima,

archaeologists are bringing the long-buried secrets

arheolozi iznose davno zakopane tajne

of an ancient, lost city to light.

drevnog, izgubljenog grada na svetlo dana.