- published: 31 Dec 2007
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Coordinates: 39°57′27″N 26°14′20″E / 39.9575°N 26.23889°E / 39.9575; 26.23889
Troy (Ancient Greek: Ἴλιον, Ilion, and Τροία, Troia; Latin: Trōia and Īlium;Hittite: Wilusa or Truwisa;Turkish: Truva) was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida. It is best known for being the setting of the Trojan War described in the Greek Epic Cycle and especially in the Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer. Metrical evidence from the Iliad and the Odyssey seems to show that the name Ἴλιον (Ilion) formerly began with a digamma: Ϝίλιον (Wilion). This was later supported by the Hittite form Wilusa.
A new city called Ilium was founded on the site in the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus. It flourished until the establishment of Constantinople and declined gradually during the Byzantine era.
In 1865, English archaeologist Frank Calvert excavated trial trenches in a field he had bought from a local farmer at Hisarlık, and in 1868, Heinrich Schliemann, wealthy German businessman and archaeologist, also began excavating in the area after a chance meeting with Calvert in Çanakkale. These excavations revealed several cities built in succession. Schliemann was at first skeptical about the identification of Hissarlik with Troy, but was persuaded by Calvert and took over Calvert's excavations on the eastern half of the Hissarlik site, which was on Calvert's property. Troy VII has been identified with the Hittite Wilusa, the probable origin of the Greek Ἴλιον, and is generally (but not conclusively) identified with Homeric Troy.
Troy Williamson (born April 30, 1983) is an American football wide receiver of the National Football League who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings seventh overall in the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at South Carolina.
Troy Williamson attended Silver Bluff High School in Aiken, South Carolina, and he was a letterman and excelled in both football and track. In track, he was a two-time 100 and 200-meter dash state champion. In football, as a senior, he rushed for 890 yards and caught 21 passes for 500 yards (23.8 yards per rec. avg.). He was an All-American, a consensus All-State selection, won Class-AA Player of the Year honors presented by the High School Sports Report, a Mr. Football finalist for the state of South Carolina, and helped lead his team to back-to-back state championships. After his senior season, he was rated the fifth-best wide receiver prospect in the Atlantic Region by PrepStar.
The Vikings needed a receiver with deep speed after trading Randy Moss to Oakland, drafting Williamson with the 7th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. In the 2006-2007 off-season he claimed his hand-eye coordination was bad due to his depth perception and that was the reason for his 11 dropped balls, which tied for second in the NFL. The Vikings 2007 season was equally difficult for Williamson, who finished with 240 yards and 1 touchdown. Most notably in the Vikings' finale, Williamson dropped two crucial passes. First, a wide-open Williamson dropped an almost-certain 72-yard touchdown pass from Tarvaris Jackson in the second quarter and then another pass that would have yielded a critical first down later in the game.