From existing oral tradition, audiences knew the tales of the long siege, the epic duels outside the city walls, and the cunning trick that finally won the war.

聽眾經口耳相傳得以了解這起漫長的圍城故事、城牆外壯烈的鬥爭，以及最終由詭詐騙局終結這場戰役。

In the end, the magnificent city was burned to the ground, never to rise again.

最終，這座輝煌的城市被徹底燒毀永遠無法東山再起。

But had it ever existed?

但它真的存在過嗎？

By the time the field of archaeology began to take shape in the 19th century, many were skeptical, considering the epic to be pure fiction.

到了十九世紀考古學開始發展之際許多人持懷疑態度，認為這部史詩鉅作純屬虛構。

A founding myth imagining a bygone heroic era.

如創世神話般，是對於永不復存英雄年代的想像。

But some scholars believed that behind the superhuman feats and divine miracles, there must have been a grain of historical truth.

但一些學者相信在這超人般的戰績和神聖的奇蹟背後一定有一些歷史事實。

A war that was really fought.

一場曾經發生過的戰爭。

And a place where it happened.

和這場戰役的發生地。

Frank Calvert was one such believer.

Frank Calvert 就是這麼一位信仰者。

He spent his youth traveling and learning about ancient civilizations.

他年輕時遊歷並學習古老文明。

Before accompanying his brother Frederick on a diplomatic mission to the northwest Anatolian region of Çanakkale.

在陪同他的兄長 Frederick 跟著外交代表團前往恰納卡萊，到安那托利亞的西北區之前。

It was here that Homer described the Greek encampment at the mouth of the Scamander River.

荷馬在此描述希臘的營帳在斯卡曼德河口。

And it was here that fate brought Frank into contact with a journalist and geologist named Charles Maclaren.

而命運就是在此讓 Frank 認識了Charles Maclaren ，一名記者兼地質學家。

Locals and travelers had long speculated that Troy might've stood on one of the surrounding hilltops.

當地人和旅行者早就推測特洛伊很可能坐落在附近其中一座山丘上。

But Maclaren had been one of the first to publish a detailed topographical study of the area.

但 Maclaren 是其中一個最早發表該地區詳細的地形研究報告。

He believed he had found the site.

他相信自己找到了遺址。

A 32-meter mound known by the name Hisarlık, derived from the Turkish word for "fortress".

一個 32 米長，名為希沙利克的土丘地名源自於土耳其語的「堡壘」一詞。

Soon after meeting with him in 1847, the Calverts bought 2,000 acres of farmland that included part of the hill.

在 1847 年與他會面之後不久Calvert 家族買下了 2000 英畝的農田其中包括這座土丘。

Before they could explore any further, the Crimean War broke out and forestalled their archaeological ambitions for several years.

但在他們準備進一步探究時克里米亞戰爭爆發阻礙了他們考古挖掘的雄心數年。

After the war's end, Frank Calvert began to survey the site, but lacked the funds for a full excavation.

戰爭結束後Frank Calvert 開始勘查遺址但缺少全面挖掘所需的經費。

This was where the wealthy German businessman and amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann came in.

這時一位富有的德國生意人和一位業餘考古學家 Heinrich Schliemann 加入。

At Calvert's invitation, Schliemann visited the grounds in 1868 and decided to excavate.

他們受 Calvert 之邀Schliemann 於 1868 年造訪了此地，並決定挖掘。

Eager to find the ancient city, Schliemann tore massive trenches all the way to the base of the hill.

渴望能找到這座古老的城市Schliemann 挖了幾條直通土丘底部的巨大溝渠。

There, he uncovered a hoard of precious artifacts, jewelry, and metalwork, including two diadems and a copper shield.

在那裡，他發掘了一大批珍貴的文物珠寶和金屬物件包括兩頂帶狀皇冠和一個銅製盾牌。

Schliemann took full credit for the discovery, announcing that he had found Troy and the treasure of its king Priam.

Schliemann 將一切的發現歸功於自己宣布他找到了特洛伊的遺址以及普里阿摩斯國王的寶藏。

But the real treasure was elsewhere.

但真正的寶藏在別處。

When later archaeologists studied the site, they realized that the mound consisted of no less than nine cities, each built atop the ruins of the last.

後來的考古學家研究此遺址時他們發現這個土丘由至少九個城市組成每一座都建造在前一座的廢墟之上。

The layer Schliemann had uncovered dated back to the Bronze Age, more than a thousand years too early for Homer.

Schliemann 發掘的那一層可追溯至邁錫尼文明時期比荷馬時期早了一千多年。

But inside the mound was indeed evidence for a city that had thrived during the Mycenaean Age, with charred stone, broken arrowheads, and damaged human skeletons suggesting a violent end.

但土丘內確實證實了一個曾經在邁錫尼文明蓬勃發展的城市有燒焦的石頭斷羽殘箭以及遇害的人骨，都指出這裡曾經以慘烈的暴力收場。

It was Troy VII, contained in the middle layers and now ravaged for a second time by Schliemann's careless excavation.

位於中間層的特洛伊第七層如今因為 Schliemann 粗心的挖掘而遭到第二次破壞。

The settlement, spanning some 200,000 square meters and home to as many as 10,000 people, thrived until around 1180 BCE.

這個地區占地 20 萬平方公尺曾經居住著一萬多人蓬勃發展至西元前 1180 年。

Its position at the southern entrance of the Dardanelles strait would've made a formidable strategic location for both defense and trade.

它位於達達尼爾海峽南部的入口曾是難以攻掠的戰略和貿易之地。

Most importantly, there are the remains of a massive fortification wall.

更重要的是，這裡有巨大防禦牆的遺跡。

Perhaps the very same one from which Priam and Hector once watched the Greeks approach.

或許那就是普里阿摩斯和赫克托爾看著希臘軍進攻之處。

Of course, it's difficult to be certain that these ruins are the true remains of ancient Troy.

當然，很難確定這些殘垣斷壁真的是古老特洛伊的遺址。

And scholars still dispute whether the Trojan War as described by Homer ever happened.

而學者持續爭論究竟荷馬所描述的特洛伊戰爭是否真的存在過。

Yet the evidence is strong enough that UNESCO has labelled Hisarlık the archeological site of Troy.

但因為這些證據有足夠的說服力聯合國教育、科學及文化組織將希沙利克列為特洛伊的遺址。

Regardless of its identity, thanks to persistence, a bit of faith, and a lot of research, archaeologists are bringing the long-buried secrets of an ancient lost city to light.

即使它仍存在爭議多虧了考古學家的堅持些許信念和大量的研究考古學家讓長埋地底的秘密一座古老、被遺忘的城市，重見天日。