Troy, or Ilium, Ancient city in Troas, northwestern Anatolia. It holds an enduring place in both literature and archaeology. In literature, it is well known as the location of the Trojan War. The archaeological site, a huge mound at modern Hisarlık, Tur., on the Menderes (Scamander) River, was first excavated by archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann (1870–90). It consists of nine major layers dating from the early Bronze Age to Roman times (c. 3000 bce–4th century ce). In Greek legend, the city was besieged by the Greeks for 10 years and finally destroyed. Its story is told in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and in Virgil’s Aeneid. Whether the site is the actual city of these works is still debated, but the archaeological evidence indicates that a city (Troy VIIa) was destroyed at that location c. 1260–40 bce and likely was the Homeric Troy. The ruins were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1998.