Homer, Troy and the Turks: Heritage and Identity in the Late Ottoman Empire, 1870-1915
Homer, Troy and the Turks: Heritage and Identity in the Late Ottoman Empire, 1870-1915
by Günay Uslu
Amsterdam University Press, 2017 eISBN: 978-90-485-3273-5 | Cloth: 978-94-6298-269-7 Library of Congress Classification DR568.U85 2017 Dewey Decimal Classification 480
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Homer's stories of Troy are part of the foundations of Western culture. What's less well known is that they also inspired Ottoman-Turkish cultural traditions. Yet even with all the historical and archaeological research into Homer and Troy, most scholars today rely heavily on Western sources, giving Ottoman work in the field short shrift. This book helps right that balance, exploring Ottoman-Turkish involvement and interest in the subject between 1870, when Heinrich Schliemann began his excavations in search of Troy on Ottoman soil, and the battle of Gallipoli in 1915, which gave the Turks their own version of the heroic epic of Troy.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Besides lecturing on European Culture, Heritage, Museum Studies and Cultural Policy at University of Amsterdam, Dr. Gunay Uslu also works as a consultant on cultural projects and curates exhibitions for various Amsterdam museums in conjunction with other international institutions.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
IllustrationsPreface and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction I The Discovery of Troy: Schliemann and the Ottomans in the 1870s1. The Question of 'ubi Troia fuit' 2. Heinrich Schliemann in the Troad3. Schliemann's Confrontation with Ottoman Authorities 4. Ottomans Claiming Trojan Artefacts5. Troy: A Protected Zone 6. Excavating in the Shadow of WarII Classical Antiquities and Ottoman Patrimony:Muslim Elite and their Involvement with Classical Civilization1. Antiquities and Museum: Interests and Conflicts 2. Zeal for Civilization: Enlightened Ideas and Ideals in the Empire3. The Cosmopolitan Muslim Elite of a Multifarious Empire 4. Osman Hamdi Bey: A New Era in Ottoman Archaeology and Museology III A Closer Watch On Schliemann (1882-1885)1. Profitable Political Conditions 2. The Excavations 3. The Ottoman Elite's Displeasure with the Ineffective Antiquities Regulation 4. New Antiquities Legislation (1884): Ottoman Claim to Ancient Heritage IV Homer and Troy in Ottoman Literature: an Overview 1. Early Ottoman-Turkish Interest in Homeric Epics 2. New Ottoman Literature: Educating the Public and Changing Perceptions 3. Mythology and Homer: Ottoman Reticence 4. Homer and Troy in Ottoman Essays, Books, Theatre Plays & the First Translations (1884-1908) 5. Admiration for the 'Lord of Poets' 6. Izmir (Smyrna): Homer's Hometown V Homer and Troy During the Final Years of the Empire 1. Controlling Heritage and the Development of the Ottoman Museum 2. Schliemann's Reputation under Fire 3. The Final Encounter of Schliemann and the Ottomans in Troy 4. Finding Troy Once More: Dörpfeld's Excavations in 1893 and 1894 5. Overseeing Troy at the Turn of the Century Epilogue of an Empire Manuscript Sources BibliographyIndex