Thanks to its splendid past Troy has a place in the first printed books (incunabula) of the 15^th century, such as the “Nurnberg chronicle” by H. Schedel (1493). Views of cities in this edition are largely imaginary and tend to greatly resemble each other. 

Two hunder and twenty years later, the chronicle by C. Le Bruyn offers a more realistic view of the ruins of Troy. Le Bruyn illustrated his work with original subjects and exquisite engravings.

In the mid-18^th cetury the edition by the Dilettante Society includes an ancient relief from Sigeion. In the late 18^th century J.B. Lechevalier was the first to systematically search for archaeological findings at the homeric battlefield, hoping to discover the city of Troy (1799).

A few years later, W. Gell, archaeologist and member of the Dilettante society, explored Troy looking for traces of Homer's epics (as he did in Ithaca) and published the outcome of his research in richly illustrated volumes. Inscriptions from the Troad are included in the work of Ch. Col. Frankland (1829), while a relief from Troy is published in the chronicle by Ch. Fellows (1839).

The monumental work of M.G.F.A. Choiseul-Gouffier expressed the love of antiquity and the philhellenism of the era in new and original fashion, establishing at the same time (around the late 18^th and early 19^th century) the primacy of image, or graphic representation, in  travel accounts. It includes plates of antiquities, maps and several first views of the archaeological sites of Troy and the Troad (Choiseul-Gouffier in 1809 and Choiseul-Gouffier in 1822). Ed. D. Clarke's work presents interesting views of the Troad as well (1814). These views illustrated many research publications, inspired later works and illustrated similar editions (Et. Rey in 1867, J. Skene in 1833-4, F.Ch.H.L. Pouqueville in his «Grèce» of 1835).

The work of  J. von Falke (1887 / 2002) is illustrated by exquisite engravings. They show works of ancient Greek art and imaginary depictions of scenes from the public and private life of the ancient Greeks. The Album of 1984 includes rare and very interesting wood engravings taken from the  pioneering weekly review  “The Illustrated London News” (1842-1885) and the similarly themed magazine “The Graphic” (1869-1885). The plates depict locations, people and events (political, social and military), from 1842 to 1885. Photographs of locals engaged in agricultural and other tasks, as well as impressive landscapes illustrate the memoir of S. J. Barrows (1898).

Maps showing Troy only or the wider area are available from the 16^th century onwards: in the isolario by B. Bordone (1547), the travel accounts by French diplomat L. Deshayes de Courmenin (1624) and G. Sandys (1610), and in the works by G.J. Grelot (1680) and J. Dallaway (1799), highly significant for their contribution to the scholarship of Istanbul monuments.

J.J. Barthélemy's travel narrative and fictional recreation of the ancient work painted an idyllic panorama of antiquity, with the aid of Barbié de Bocage's maps and drawings (first published in 1788, reedition in 1832). This edition, which fuelled the readers' interest for antiquity, includes a map of Troy, as does the Atlas to the chronicle by naturalist G.A. Olivier (1804).

Due to its important position near the Dardanelles, the area is mapped in the important port index by J. Roux (1804), while maps are also included in the accounts of J.C. Hobhouse (1813), J.J. Horner (1823), Ch.C. Frankland (1829) as well as the collection of hitherto unpublished travel journals edited by R. Walpole (1818).

Also notable are the drawings in the travel journal by J. Maurand (1544), and the coloured engraving of a view of Troad by L. Mayer (1804), published in the Album on L. Dupré.

Written by Ioli Vingopoulou