Archeologists make huge breakthrough at ancient city of Troy could rewite history

The story is perhaps most famous for the scene where the wooden horse is used by the Greeks to sneak into the city and destroy it within, after Paris of Troy abducted Helen, wife of the Spartan king. Now, a team of Turkish researchers have discovered evidence of an intense close-range battle, followed immediately by a sudden, catastrophic fall, which links in with the ancient story and could lead to the potential rewrite of history.

This is evidenced by the unearthing of dozens of clay and smooth river rock sling stones just outside what would've been the palace walls. Along with these stones, human skeletons, arrowheads, and charred buildings were also discovered.

Leader of the excavation, Professor Rustem Aslan, of Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, spoke on the discovery.

"This concentration of sling stones in such a small area suggests intense fighting," he said, "either a desperate defence or a full-scale assault."

The stones date back to around 3,200-3,600 years ago, which would make them align with the period of the supposed Trojan War, which would've taken place about 1184 BC.

They were capable of breaking skulls when shot at close range, if paired with a leather slingshot.

The excavation, part of the Legacy for the Future Project, backed by Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, didn't just uncover ancient weaponry.

A knucklebone was previously found among the battlefield, which would likely have been used as a gaming die, hinting at the lives of soldiers waiting for battle.

It wasn't just Homer who described the legendary battle. Both Herodotus and Eratosthenes, Greek historians writing centuries later, insisted on the event's legitimacy, and the Roman poet Virgil wrote about it in the Aeneid, describing survivors fleeing the burning city.

Excavation has been happening since the 1870s, but it is now that the attention turns to the time of the supposed Trojan War, due to the new evidence of a battle discovered.

This discovery could reverse the scepticism about Homer's Iliad, which was originally believed to be nothing more than a poetic fantasy.

However, evidence of a wooden horse is yet to be found, and experts widely agree that it was most likely a metaphor for betrayal rather than a physical entity.