Late Bronze Age Troy: A Response to Frank Kolb

The clash of interpretations regarding the scope and significance of late Bronze Age Troy is hardly new: both Herodotus and Strabo, among others, questioned the validity of the Homeric accounts of the Trojan War, as well as Ilion’s claim as the site of the battle. Schliemann's critics were equally vociferous in their objections, and divergent interpretations of Trojan material culture have surrounded every field project that has explored the site. The intensity of the discussion is a testament to the extraordinary appeal of the Homeric traditions, and such contention will undoubtedly figure prominently in all future field projects at the mouth of the Dardanelles.