Troy, with its four thousand years of history, is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. The first excavations at the site were started in 1871 by the famous archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann. In scientific terms, its extensive remains are the most significant and substantial demonstration of the first contact between the civilizations of Anatolia and the Mediterranean world. Moreover, the siege of Troy by Spartan and Achaean warriors from Greece in the 13th or 12th century BC, immortalized by Homer in The Iliad, has inspired great creative artists throughout the world since that time.