You are now on the southern rim of the citadel of Troy VI, directly above the massive fortifications of the period. You should picture the slope of the wall you see -exposed here only at the crown- extending another five meters outward as it descends.
Inside the ring-wall to the north (on your left) stands the impressive 27-meter-Iong retaining wall of House VI M, sloping slightly inward. The structure stood on the lower- most terrace of the citadel of Troy VI, beyond any doubt a part of the palatial complex here. The ceramics of this period display not only highly developed local manufacture, but a penchant for Mycenaean imports as well.
The four "saw-tooth" offsets on the exterior immediately strike the eye -as well as a slight curvature (undulation) in the masonry; to achieve this, the blocks had to be carefully hewn. These details, more than stylistic, appear in other contemporary masonry at the site as well. On the one hand these details may speak for the cultivated taste and status of the palace residents, but on the other hand they must have been functional as well, the offsets probably useful in sup- porting the timber-frame and mud brick superstructure. Undulation would have been a precaution against seismic shocks. The carefully worked blocks fit together precisely without any mortar, as is best seen in the lower and less weathered courses of these stone walls. We can appreciate this achievement even more if we recall that no iron implements were yet available in this period. Homer sang again and again of the "beautiful" walls of Ilios.
A broad avenue ran between House VI M and the citadel wall. Further along the continuation of this street you see remains uncovered in more recent excavation.
Within the 'L'-shaped palace House VI M there were several rooms, the purposes of which little is known. Large vessels (pithoi) that have survived do suggest the storage of some provisions. Of a second story, evidenced by the few surviving steps of a staircase, nothing remains. The shorter sides of this residence, like those of other structures from Troy VI, seem to be radially oriented toward the center of the citadel, implying a uniformly planned layout with wide streets between the buildings.
During the subsequent period, Troy VI i (= Troy VII a), House VI M was renovated and continued in use. Smaller houses were now built up immediately inside the defense wall, some of which you can make out behind you to the west. Troy VI i (ca. 1300-1180 BeE) -together with the preceding late phases of Troy VI- represents the golden age of Troy/Wilusa.
