Painted to glory by the pentameters and prose of Homer, the mythic conflicts that took place in Troy are the grand subject of two of the most important epic poems ever composed: The Iliad and The Odyssey. However, grand and formidable as the walls of this 3,500-year-old city state on the Troad Peninsula are made to seem to a reader, today's crumbling remains can come across as a tad disappointing to anyone expecting soaring bulwarks and the footprints of Achilles. The reality is that the centuries (nay, the millennia) have taken their toll on Troy – it lay undiscovered until the late 20^th century, after all.

But it's not about the looming structures of old here, as it is in so many of Turkey's other great archaeological sites such as Ephesus or Pergamon. Instead, it's about wallowing in the heroic age. It's about standing where Agamemnon and Ajax et all once stood, and understanding the huge legacy of the events that took place in this small corner of western Turkey in the 12^th century BC. Troy tour guides can help you do just that, on walking odysseys (no pun intended) and literary journeys through the vast ancient ruins.