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Did Greeks inhabit Anatolia?
Much less is known about the non-Greek populations of the interior. Archaeological finds indicate considerable Greek colonizing activity on the south coast of Anatolia in the 8th century bce and on the north coast in the 7th century. From the mid-8th century bce, Greek merchants were active on the Cilician coast.
Are Turks descended from Trojans?
There are many who claim Turks are descendants of communities as diverse as the Hittites, Phrygians, Lycians, Trojans and Ionian and Byzantine Greeks. Turks who claim a common European past are called Anatoliansts. They support the thesis that Turks are offspring of all civilisations that once flourished in Anatolia.
What did the Greeks think of Troy?
The ancient Greeks believed that Troy was located near the Dardanelles and that the Trojan War was a historical event of the 13th or 12th century BC, but by the mid-19th century AD, both the war and the city were widely seen as non-historical.
Were the Trojans Greek or Hittite?
No, the Hittites left records which appear to describe the Trojans as a separate people. The Hittite word for the Trojans is believed to be “wilusa” which is thought to reflect the word Ilium used in the poem, the poem itself of course being called the Iliad.
When did Anatolia become Greek?
After the division of the Roman Empire, Anatolia became part of the East Roman, or Byzantine Empire. Anatolia was one of the first places where Christianity spread, so that by the 4th century CE, western and central Anatolia were overwhelmingly Christian and Greek-speaking.
Who occupied Anatolia before the Turks?
In the 11th century, Turks began appearing at the edges of Asia Minor (Anatolia), which was then controlled by the Greeks. Many of the Turks were mercenaries in the employ of local Arab and Persian rulers to the east of the Byzantine Empire and Armenia, the dominant states in Asia Minor.
Are Romans descendants of Trojans?
Romulus ended up killing his brother and founding Rome. So because Romulus descended from Aeneas (according to legend), Romulus is descended from the Trojans. Because Romulus is Rome’s founder, the Romans in turn claim descent from the Trojans.
Would the Greeks have considered the Trojans to be Greek?
So no, the Greeks would not have considered the Trojans to been Greek because they weren’t – they were from some other ethnic group, possibly closer to the Hittites who still controlled most of Anatolia at this time. The Trojans of the Iliad and Odyssey notably speak Greek.
Furthermore, according to Greek Mythology, the Trojans ultimately descended from the Greek Titans Oceanus and Tethys, constantly getting intermarried with Greek gods and the offspring of Greek deities. No Hittites and no Luwians in their genealogical trees.
Are Dardanians and Trojans related?
The Dardanoi ( Greek: Δάρδανοι; its anglicized modern terms being Dardanians or Dardans) in classical writings were either the same people as, or a people closely related to, the Trojans, an ancient people of the Troad, located in northwestern Anatolia.
Who were the Trojans of the Iliad?
The only source that we have for the Trojans of the Iliad is the Iliad itself, according to which, the Trojan nobility was Greek-speaking, while they needed translators to command their numerous troops. The Trojans were also worshiping Greek gods, many of whom were genealogically linked to them, while lots of them had Greek names.