Homer, Troy and the Turks

Homer's stories of Troy are part of the foundations of Western culture. What's less well known is that they also inspired Ottoman-Turkish cultural traditions. Yet even with all the historical and archaeological research into Homer and Troy, most scholars today rely heavily on Western sources, giving Ottoman work in the field short shrift. This book helps right that balance, exploring Ottoman-Turkish involvement and interest in the subject between 1870, when Heinrich Schliemann began his excavations in search of Troy on Ottoman soil, and the battle of Gallipoli in 1915, which gave the Turks their own version of the heroic epic of Troy.

Dr. Gunay Uslu also works as a consultant on cultural projects and curates exhibitions for various Amsterdam museums in conjunction with other international institutions.

Illustrations, Preface and Acknowledgments, Introduction, I The Discovery of Troy: Schliemann and the Ottomans in the 1870s 1. The Question of 'ubi Troia fuit' 2. Heinrich Schliemann in the Troad 3. Schliemann's Confrontation with Ottoman Authorities 4. Ottomans Claiming Trojan Artefacts 5. Troy: A Protected Zone 6. Excavating in the Shadow of War II Classical Antiquities and Ottoman Patrimony: Muslim Elite and their Involvement with Classical Civilization 1. Antiquities and Museum: Interests and Conflicts 2. Zeal for Civilization: Enlightened Ideas and Ideals in the Empire 3. The Cosmopolitan Muslim Elite of a Multifarious Empire 4. Osman Hamdi Bey: A New Era in Ottoman Archaeology and Museology III A Closer Watch On Schliemann (1882-1885) 1. Profitable Political Conditions 2. The Excavations 3. The Ottoman Elite's Displeasure with the Ineffective Antiquities Regulation 4. New Antiquities Legislation (1884): Ottoman Claim to Ancient Heritage IV Homer and Troy in Ottoman Literature: an Overview 1. Early Ottoman-Turkish Interest in Homeric Epics 2. New Ottoman Literature: Educating the Public and Changing Perceptions 3. Mythology and Homer: Ottoman Reticence 4. Homer and Troy in Ottoman Essays, Books, Theatre Plays & the First Translations (1884-1908) 5. Admiration for the 'Lord of Poets' 6. Izmir (Smyrna): Homer's Hometown V Homer and Troy During the Final Years of the Empire 1. Controlling Heritage and the Development of the Ottoman Museum 2. Schliemann's Reputation under Fire 3. The Final Encounter of Schliemann and the Ottomans in Troy 4. Finding Troy Once More: Dörpfeld's Excavations in 1893 and 1894 5. Overseeing Troy at the Turn of the Century, Epilogue of an Empire, Manuscript Sources, Bibliography, Inde.