Global Treasures: Troja

Television Director: Ullman, Frank

Producer: Scarson, Peter O.

---

Catalogue Number: GTR-DVD-1285

---

Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.

A giant wooden horse guards the entrance to archaeological excavations in Troy. No ancient place in Turkey is as well known, and if only it had survived in good-enough condition we would be able to marvel at its former size and glory. What occurred here more than three thousand years ago was described by Homer in The Iliad.

The site was first discovered in the nineteenth century. In 1822, historian Charles McLaren identified Hisarlik Hill in the northwest region of Anatolia as the former city of Troy. Eventually, German businessman and amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann confirmed his findings and later discovered the magnificent buried city of Troy along with the legendary golden treasure of Priamos, the last Trojan king.

The famous wooden horse, whose clone can be mounted, could also be a symbol of Poseidon, god of both horse and earthquake. Indeed it is possible to climb up into its interior and let the imagination go wild.

With its four-thousand-year history, Troy is one of the most famous archaeological finds on earth and truly a "cultural heritage of the world."