Nolan’s Odyssey Reignites Interest in Troy as New Excavations Begin

DATE: Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster adaptation of The Odyssey is captivating cinema audiences worldwide, bringing Homer’s epic to the big screen on an extraordinary cinematic scale. The film’s depiction of Odysseus’s legendary journey has renewed global interest in the ancient places, characters and conflicts that inspired the story.

Now, attention is turning to Troy, located in Çanakkale, on Türkiye’s North Aegean coast, where the 2026 excavation season is uncovering new insights into the city immortalised in The Iliad and The Odyssey. Led by Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the archaeological work is exploring the city’s everyday life, Bronze Age palaces and possible links to the legendary Trojan War.

 

While The Odyssey brings Homer’s world to a new generation of cinema-goers, visitors to Troy can explore the real landscape behind the mythology. A city with more than 5,000 years of history preserved across ten distinct archaeological layers.

 

New excavations explore the city behind Homer’s epics

 

During the latest field season, archaeologists are uncovering grand colonnaded avenues and shopfronts in Troy’s Roman-era Lower City, offering new insights into the commercial and daily life of the period.

 

Researchers are also examining evidence of destruction around the Southern Gate within the Troy VI–VII layers, which have been associated with the legendary Trojan War. Inside the Troy Citadel, work continues to reveal further details about the city’s Bronze Age palace structures.

 

The renewed excavations offer a timely opportunity to explore the historical setting that has inspired storytellers for thousands of years. Before or after seeing The Odyssey at the cinema, visitors can walk through the city associated with Priam and Hector and discover the landscape connected to Achilles, Odysseus and the Trojan War.

 

More than 5,000 years of history

 

Although Troy is best known for the Trojan War, the UNESCO World Heritage Site spans more than five millennia of continuous settlement, from the Early Bronze Age to the Eastern Roman period.

 

Its ten archaeological layers allow visitors to trace the city’s development through time, from the monumental walls of Troy VI to the remains of Roman civic and commercial life.

 

Troy’s importance was shaped by its strategic position between Europe and Asia and at the meeting point of the Aegean and Black Seas. The winds and currents of the Dardanelles made the area a valuable shelter for ships, helping Troy develop into an important centre for trade and cultural exchange.

 

Where mythology meets archaeology

 

Troy’s influence extends far beyond archaeology. Homer immortalised the city through The Iliad, while the adventures of Odysseus following the Trojan War became the subject of The Odyssey. Virgil later placed Troy at the heart of Rome’s legendary origins in The Aeneid.

 

According to the epic, Prince Aeneas escaped after the fall of Troy and embarked on a journey in search of a “New Troy”. He eventually reached Latium, where his descendants would go on to found Rome in 753 BCE.

 

The Troy VII layer, destroyed by fire around the 13th century BCE, is widely identified with the city of King Priam described in The Iliad. Archaeological evidence indicates a level of wealth consistent with Homer’s descriptions, although researchers continue to investigate the relationship between the literary epic and the physical city.

 

Discoveries including Hittite texts and a Luwian seal have also helped establish Troy’s Anatolian identity, demonstrating that it was not only a setting within Greek and Roman mythology but also a deeply rooted Anatolian city with far-reaching influence.

 

Discover Troy layer by layer

 

Located at the entrance to the ancient city, the Troy Museum provides further context for the archaeological site through contemporary exhibition design and immersive storytelling.

 

Its collection is arranged across seven themes and features artefacts discovered during excavations at Troy. Gently ascending ramps guide visitors through the city’s different historical layers while introducing the science of archaeology and archaeometry. Exhibits range from tombstones and monumental sculptures to photographs documenting the site and its discoveries.

 

Troy’s continuing influence can also be seen in Rome, where the Colosseum Archaeological Park is hosting Troy and Rome: Myths, Legends, and Stories of the Ancient Mediterranean until 18 October 2026.

 

The exhibition features more than 300 artefacts, including over 220 objects loaned by 19 Turkish museums, tracing the enduring relationship between Troy, ancient Rome and the mythology of the Mediterranean.