One of the most well known ancient civilizations to fall was the city of Troy. Branching off of the Mycenaean civilization and located in Histarlik, the northeast coast of Turkey, this ancient city dates back to over 2,700 years ago. Believed to be inhabited for almost 4,000 years beginning in 3,000 B.C., this civilization developed grand palaces by building on top of one city after another was destroyed. This formed into a human-made mound called a “tell”. Gert Jan van Wingaarden, in his book “Troy: City, Homer and Turkey,” writes, “ There is no one single Troy, there are at least 10, lying in layers on top of each other.” He says that the city of Troy contains many layers which is why archeological excavators have yet to reach the remains of the first settlement. Along with enhancing their city the Trojans developed their own writing system and occupied the Dardanelles, a narrow water channel connecting the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea. The writing system and water channel advanced the city of Troy into a powerful civilization which allowed for many allies to be made but also an arising rivalry.  