48 
.CLARKE'S TRAVELS. 
in our search after objects necessary to identify the locality al¬ 
luded to by Homer, but perhaps to illustrate, in a certain de¬ 
gree, even the position of Troy itself; concerning whose situa¬ 
tion, no satisfactory evidence has, in my opinion, resulted from 
any modern investigation. That it was not altogether un¬ 
known in the time of Augustus, is proved by the writings of 
Strabo, who, more than once, expressly assigns to the ancient 
city, the place then occupied by the village of the Iliensians. 
The text of that author may now be considered as affording a 
safer clue in reconciling the description of Troas given by Ho¬ 
mer with the existing realities of the country, than the poetm 
of the bard himself; because the comment afforded by Strabo 
combines all the advantages of observation made eighteen 
centuries ago, both with regard to the country and the refer¬ 
ence borne to its antiquities, by documents, written in a lan¬ 
guage which may be considered as his own. The traditions 
of the country concerning the Trojan war were not then more 
remote from their origin, than are at this hour the oral records 
of England with regard to its first invasion by the Danes or 
Normans. Comparing the site of the place called Ilium in hi$ 
time, with that of ancient Troy, Strabo says, (Ilus) “ did not 
build the city where it now is , but nearly thirty stadia further 
eastward , toward Ida and Dardania, where the lliensian vil¬ 
lage is now situated 1” If, therefore, I shall hereafter succeed 
in ascertaining precisely the locality of the Ilium of Strabo, 
by the discovery of ruins which bear evidence of their being 
the remains of that city, a beacon will be established, whence 
with his bearings and distances, we may search with reasonable 
expectation of being able to point out some even of the artifi¬ 
cial monuments belonging to the plain. But further, if, with 
reference to the situation of Troy itself, having pursued the 
due thus afforded, we find any thing to indicate the site of the 
village , w here it was believed, in the time of Strabo, and w here 
he maintains, that ancient Ilium stood, we cannot be very far 
from the truth. i: 
Previously, however, to the introduction of observations re¬ 
lating rather to the conclusion of our examination of the coun¬ 
try, the reader may feel his cqjiosity gratified by an account 
of our expedition, from the moment in which we landed at 
Koum kale. We had resolved to penetrate those recesses of 
the mountains, whence the principal river derives its origin; a 
legion then unexplored by any traveller: and afterward, by 
ascending Rasdaghy, the loftiest ridge of the whole chain, at 
