HOMERIC SCAMANDER, SIMOIS, TROY-ILION & LYCIA vs. SKAMJA-ON-THE-NAROVA, SÖÖMOJA, VTROJA & LUGA-LAUKA
photos from place: https://eesti-keel.livejournal.com/258500.html
in italiano: https://www.larazzodeltempo.it/2022/troia-estonia/
на русском языке: https://eesti-keel.livejournal.com/216501.html
Felice Vinci identified the Gulf of Finland with the Homeric wide Hellespont (following, among other indications, the guide by Saxo Grammaticus), and searched for Troy considering Homer’s indication of the Sacred Ilion’s location as northeast of the [apparently Baltic] sea (Iliad 21.334-335)*. In his search for Troy, Felice explored, however, only the northern shores of the Gulf of Finland. As a result, the southern coast of the Gulf was excluded from the search, and emphasis was placed on the village of Toija in southwestern Finland. Kurkelanjoki river was identified as Scamander. The village of Aijala, located 7 kilometers downstream of Kurkelanjoki, due to a consonance with Greek aigialós - ‘shore’ (γιαλός, gialos in modern Greek), was taken by Felice for the former coastal strip of the times before the presumed rise of the land by 10-15 meters.
*...According to the Iliad, Troy lay northeast of the sea (“I’ll stir up some winds / Zephyrus [West Wind]’s harsh sea blasts and white Notus [South Wind]”, Iliad 21.334-335).
Regarding the name Toija, Felice considered that it might be a distortion of the original Troy (Troia), due to the rejection of double consonants at the beginning of words in Finnic languages. It should be noted, however, that Finnic-speaking peoples drop off the first consonant, and not the second one, in the borrowed words (i.e. Troia should have become ‘Roija’, not Toija). Also, the placename Toija is widely present all across the different parts of Finland (there are more than 10 Toija’s in Finland), which indicates that the name Toija is original in its form.
As for Aijala, it might be that this name was not related to the hypothetic former coastal line: in Finnish Aijala is, literally, “the place of the god of the sky, weather, harvest and thunder” (Äijä is one of the names of this god in Finnish mythology; -la is the place suffix).
Also, the coastal line in Finland (both the current one, and any previous one “before the sea ran away”) - is rugged and has almost no sandy beaches wide enough to accomodate a fleet of “1200” ships of Achaean coalition. Thus, it is of interest to have a look at the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, which is, on the contrary, plentiful of such beaches. Particular attention should be drawn to the Narva Bay, with its more than 20 km of sandy beach on both sides of the mouth of Narova river - where one can very vividly imagine the landing of a huge flotilla and the construction of a long defensive wall:
SCAMANDER, SIMOIS, TROY-ILION and LYCIA vs. SKAMJA-ON-THE-NAROVA, SÖÖMOJA, VTROJA and LUGA-LAUKA
In the search of the place of Homeric Ilion by the wide Hellespont, one should first of all pay attention to the distinct morphological characteristics of the river, adjacent to which the Trojan city stood. As the Iliad informs in detail,
...that broadest and deep-swirling river
the gods call Xanthus, but all men name Scamander. (Iliad 20.73-74)
When the Trojans reached the ford across the Xanthus,
lovely swirling river born of immortal Zeus,
(...) He crammed
half the Trojans in along the river,
trapped by its deep currents and its silver eddies.
They fell in there, making a huge commotion.
The noise roared down along the rushing river banks
amplifying the din. Men thrashed around, back and forth,
as they were sucked down in the current screaming.
Just as fire drives flights of locusts to seek refuge
in some river, when the tireless flames attack them
in a sudden onrush and they sink below the water-
that’s how, faced with Achilles’ attacking charge,
a confused mass of chariots and men filled up
the deep and swirling waters of the river Xanthus. (Iliad 21.1-16)
The ‘broadest’, ‘deep’, ‘deep-swirling’, ‘sucking down in the current’ - these are definitely not the characteristics of the river Menderes (Turk. Kara Menderes, ‘Black’ Menderes) near the excavation site of an ancient city identified as ‘Troy’ by Schliemann in Asia Minor in the 19th Century. It is neither broad, nor deep-swirling:
in photos: low and middle Menderes
Also, Kurkelanjoki river identified as ‘Scamander’ by Felice Vinci in the South-West of Finland, near to the village of Toija, is neither broad, nor deep-swirling:
in photo: Kurkelanjoki
In the middle of the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, however, one finds a river ideally fitting the description of Scamander in the Iliad: the river of Narova (Narva), the broadest among all of the rivers of the southern coast, carrying the waters of all rivers absorbed by lake Peipus, further into the Gulf of Finland. The upper Narova has an incised channel 150-200 meters wide, further broadening to 300-400-500 m wide. The river bed is full of rapids, the slope of the river is 0.5 ‰. The prevailing depths of the river are 5-6 meters, in whirlpools - up to 9-11 meters.
See https://water-rf.ru/Водные_объекты/1183/Нарва
in photos: Narova, its rapids and the two ancient fortresses on its banks, facing each other: Narva and Jaanilinn
The Iliad also tells that Scamander periodically overflows its banks: during the battle, “The plain (...) was all full of flooded water” (Iliad 21.300); and, after the defeat of Troy, Scamander will demolish the ruined walls with its flood (Iliad 12.17-22). Considering that the battle takes place during the period of ‘white nights’ (the amphilýkē nýx, the “dimly-lit night” at summer solstice) allowing the battle to be fought uninteruptedly for two days, without a night break, these descriptions are very consistent with the characteristic floods on the Narova river. On average, the annual spring floods of Narova commence on April 2 and end on July 9. Surge fluctuations in the water level at the lower part of the Narova river reach 2-3 meters.
See https://water-rf.ru/Водные_объекты/1183/Нарва
Floods also happen at the source of the river. In the photo: a spring flood in Vask-Narva in the 1920s - “it was possible to move around in the village only upon the special lifted pavements or by boats”:
Settlements of Ponarovye: https://www.facebook.com/leonid.mihhailov.984
Book 12 of the Iliad, in the description of a huge flood that shall wash away the ruined walls of the defeated Troy, also enlists the rivers which contribute to the rise of the waters:
...Poseidon and Apollo decided
to destroy the [Trojan] wall by flinging the rivers at it,
all that run from the mountains of Ida to the sea:
the Rhesus, the Heptaporus, the Caresus and the Rhodius,
the Granicus, the Aesepus,
the divine Scamander and the Simois (Iliad 12.17-22)
In Asia Minor the river of Granicus (called Biga now) flows 60 km east of Hisarlik, directly into the sea, and thus cannot join waters with Kara Menderes traditionally considered to be the Scamander, where Schliemann’s Troy stands. The nearby river (identified as Simois, but never called so) is also not affluent of Menderes. Nor are any of the other rivers mentioned in Book 12 of the Iliad present anywhere near to Hisarlik.
If Ida hills are identified with the Luga-Lauka highland, however (see map attached), there are multiple rivers that flow from these hills into the lake Peipus, and eventually all feed Narova-Scamander, which is the only river outflowing from Peipus lake into the Gulf of Finland - the wide Hellespont. Indeed, Narova ovefloods frequently.
This placement also explains the above quoted passage in Iliad 12.18-19:
...to destroy the [Trojan] wall by flinging the rivers at it,
all that run from the mountains of Ida to the sea...
I.e. Homer might be telling about an intermediate sea (Lake Peipus), which is not found in Asia Minor, nor in the south-west of Finland, where Felice Vinci placed Troy.
As regards the river names, one should start with the largest river feeding lake Peipus - riv. Velikaya, on which the city of Pskov stands. Velikaya translates from Russian as ‘Great’ river, rio ‘Grande’, which may well correspond to Granicus. Heptaporus might correspond to river Keb’; Caresus - to Kira or Čereha; Aesepus - to Issa; Rhodius - to Rietupe; Rhesus - to Rika - all being the tributaries of Velikaya.
However, these are distant rivers, and the above coincidences may well be random consonances. Of primary interest are the divine Scamander and the adjoining it Simois, logically completing the list, where the fortress of Troy, the sacred Ilion, was located.
...that broadest and deep-swirling river
the gods call Xanthus*, but all men name Scamander. (Iliad 20.73-74)
* Xanthus, Ξάνθος - probably, the 'divine', the 'sacred', literally - Latin Sanctus, Ital. Santo, Eng. Saint. Compare also to Greek Ξανθός (with emphasis on the last syllable) - "light", "blond", "light-haired" (a common personal name in the Greek mythology).
It is noteworthy that Scamander (Xanthus) in the Iliad is also often referred to as "silver-swirling", "light-streamed".
See SUN, SUNNY, SHINY (“sun”, “sunny”): https://anti-fasmer.livejournal.com/135866.html
Let us first of all pay attention to the Narova river itself and the areas closely adjacent to it.
The Narova river, flowing from lake Peipus into the Gulf of Finland, starts its waterway at the former town of Skamja, Kamja (Скамья, Камья, likely meaning ‘a sandу, scummy or foamy bank’) on its eastern shore. Almost immediately after Skamja, Narova meets the Söömoja river (Söömoja, from Estonian meaning ‘a feeding creek’, or ‘a swampy stream’), also called Vtroja, Utroja (Втроя, Утроя) - name preserved to nowadays (and also the name of one of the villages on its banks). Hydronym Vtroja, Utroja is common in this geographic area: e.g. Utroja river is one of the tributaries of Velikaya river, further to Pskov; Udria creek is flowing directly into the Gulf of Finland 15 km west of the city of Narva.
The three names, Skamja, Vtroja and Söömoja, are curiously reminiscent of a combination of the three main place names in the Iliad - the Scamander, Troy and Simoent (Simŏis, Σιμόεις) - not found together in such combination anywhere in the world!
Ironically (or by means of preservation of the historic memory?), on the likely site of the former sacred Ilion (the alternative name for Troy used in the Iliad), in the former town of Skamja, a white-stone church of Saint Elijah was erected. On the opposite bank, in the village of Syrenets (Vask-Narva), a second white-stone church of Saint Elijah was built. Together they formed a kind of sacred white Ilean “gates” at the source of a mighty river (marked with two crosses in the map of 1938 below):
source: http://www.etomesto.ru/map-europe_estonia_topo-2km-1938/
There was a kind of rivalry between the two villages - the churches of both settlements were dedicated to the prophet Elijah, and they both celebrated the feast of their saint patron Elijah for three days in early August (Ильин день):
https://narova.spb.ru/service/ekskursii.html/#4551ecd5b96c5ad5d
There is also a curious potential connection of worshipping Elijah to that of God Lug, about which Felice Vinci wrote in Chapter 3.4 as follows: “...the Celtic summer festival known as Lughnasa, dedicated to Lug, a god and hero of Irish sagas. Of the four main feast days in the Celtic calendar (one for each season), Lughnasa, on August 1, which became largely a harvest festival, was originally dedicated to the king, good government, family and marriage, social welfare. The fact that this feast is celebrated in summer emphasizes Lug’s solar, or Apollonian, features, which Jean Markale claims have been “far too ignored: his name means whiteness, light; in Irish epos he is referred to as a solar, radiant hero, who never really dies, but rises every morning.”
Interestingly, name Log is comparable to Icelandic loga - “to burn”; Old Icel. lоg - “a flame, light”; Est. lõke, lõkke - “a flame, bonfire”; Greek λευκός, levkόs - “bright, glistering”.
And Elijah, by name, resembles the Greek Sun God, ήλιος, Helios, Compare further to Votic eliä, Fin. heleä - ‘bright, light’, etc: https://eesti-keel.livejournal.com/210402.html . It is likely that the Christian Elijah has its roots in the pagan religions, continuously brought forward in the rural communities, such as those of Skamja and Vask-Narva up until the early 20th century.
According to some researchers, before the adoption of Christianity in Russia, Perun's Day was celebrated, which then became called Ilyin's Day, incorporating many pre-Christian traditions. The image of Elijah the Prophet, due to the similarity of functions, organically replaced the Thunderer Perun. The idea that Ilya “rides across the sky in a chariot, thunders and shoots lightning, is chasing a snake”, is not a Slavic innovation. A.N.Veselovsky cites the opinion of the Greek researcher Nikolai Politus, according to whom some features of Zeus and the sun god Helios passed to the saint Elijah (thanks to homonymy, the presence of a fiery chariot, etc.) - see https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ильин_день .
I could run away on foot from the wall elsewhere,
toward the Ileian Plain, until I reach
the gorges of Ida and hide in the bush (Iliad 21.557-559).
Although the name of Ileian Plain could derive from the name of the city (Ilion), it is curious to compare the name of Ileian Plain to Rus. елань, алань [jelan’, alan’] - “a low grassy place, convenient for pastures and mowing”; Fin. alanko - “a lowland”; Tatar алан, аланлык [alan, alanlyk], Turk. alan - “a lawn, a clearing in a forest”. [Spoiler (click to open)]
The possible stem word: Est., Fin., Karel., Livon., Veps. ala, alla, alā, alaz, Erzia, Moksha al, Mari ül-, Udmurt ul, Selkup. i̮l, Hung. alá - “below, under”; Turk. alçak - “low”; Turk., Azeri alt, altı, altında - “under, below”.
Compare further to Holland, Ital. Olanda, (= the Netherlands, literally, “lowland”; Ital. Paesi Bassi) - nevertheless, etymologists prefer to deduct a different etymology for Holland.
Primitive hunters and fishermen began to settle at the source of Narova river already 10 thousand years ago. The sites of the ancient human settlements were found by the archaeologists also near the former town of Skamja.
It is also known that there was a Russian fortress of at least the 14th century, called Skamja. “The exact location of the fortress is unclear, but it is assumed that it was located in a place where it was most convenient to cross the river. Most likely, this wooden fortress stood at the mouth of the Vtroja River” [Söömoja]:
https://narova.spb.ru/service/ekskursii.html/#291c8bca0348371a2
Exactly opposite to Vtroja estuary, in Vask-Narva, there stood a Livonian fortress, also attributed to the 14th century (Neushloss, Nyslott) - thus, ‘copying’ the situation closer to Narova’s estuary, where the Livonian castle of Narva is faced by the Russian fortress of Ivangorod (Iaani-linn).
in photo: Vasknarva castle ruins, 1935
in drawing: Narva-linn castle facing Ivangorod (Jaanilinn) closer to Narova estuary.
Presumably, the names (V)Troja~Troy, Skamja~Scamander, Elijah’s place~Ilion, Söömoja~Simois - could have been used as mere indicative, identifying in the Homeric epic, been the local well-known placenames at the source of Narova river, at the important point of the ancient trade waterway. The Homeric fortress Troy itself (let’s call it “Vtroja-2”), most likely, was at the site of the current Ivangorod-Jaanilinn (on the eastern bank of Narova-Scamander, as Iliad informs us), while the Homeric Simois was the river of Plüssa (let’s call it “Söömoja-2”), the eastern tributary of Narova just above Jaanilinn.
The ancient Homeric ford was likely located on the rapids between Narva-linn and Jaanilinn, where the river ‘dries’ its rapids in July-August.
As for the Trojan battle, it likely took place on the plain between Jaanilinn and the old sandy coastline of the Gulf of Finland, the place of landing of the “1200” ships of the Achaean alliance, gathered from all the shores of the Baltic (clearly described in the Catalog of Ships in the Iliad).
The likely reason for the Trojan War was the abduction of Helen, marriage to whom gave royal powers to Paris. As Felice Vinci additionally points out, the Achaeans did not even leave a military garrison in Troy, after its conquer.
One should not undermine, however, such important factor as the control over the ancient Amber Road (the Hellespont - https://eesti-keel.livejournal.com/210402.html ), which branches passed also via today's Pskov and Novgorod - and which also brought an immense wealth to Troy (not the copper mine near the Finnish Toija, associated by Felice Vinci with the wealth of Troy).
Noticeable is also the fact that until very recently, the settlements at the source of the Narova River (the Homeric Scamander), who worshiped St. Elijah through centuries, prospered from construction of cargo ships and cargo transportation:
“In the first half and in the middle of the 19th century, any trade from Pskov (Pihkva) was carried out by the Pskov merchants, but they did not have their own fleet. The cargo ships sailing between Pskov, Derpt (Tartu) and Narva were hired from and belonged to the inhabitants of the towns of Syrenets (Vask-Narva) and Skamja, located at the source of the river Narova, on its Estonian and Russian banks. The inhabitants of these villages were called "lodja carriers"”: https://lake.peipsi.org/trade/shipbuilding-in-modern-times
“Lycia”, the main ally of Troy, and other allies
The frequency of mentions of Lycia, the ally of Troy, is immense in the Iliad. In The Mycenean Origin of Greek Mythology Martin P. Nilsson states that “The passages where Lycia and Lycians are mentioned are too numerous to be enumerated”. This even led Andres Pääbo to locate Troy itself in Lycia in Asia Minor (The Iliad and evidence that many details about Troy and the Trojan War came from ancient Lycia, http://www.paabo.ca/papers/pdfcontents.html ) .
All this makes one take a closer look at the regions and rivers adjacent to Scamander-Söömoja-Vtroja-Narva. The second largest river after Narva, along the Southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, all the way between today’s Tallinn and St.Petersburg, is the river called Luga (in Votic - Lauka) - with its lower valley located just 15 km east of Scamander-Narva estuary!
Scamander-Narva was an important waterway from the Gulf of Finland (Wide Hellespont) via Peipus lake to Tartu and Pskov. Likewise, Luga-Lauka (Lukka-Lycia) was a no less important ancient waterway connection of the Gulf of Finland to Novgorod (using the on-land dragging passages of Bolshoi Volok and Ozhogin Volochek to the rivers Kiba-Mšaga-Šelon’ leading to the lake of Ilmen - see maps below). The rivers of Scamander-Narva and Lycia-Luga were like twin brothers, located on the strategic trade crossway, with many prehistoric settlements on their banks - and no wonder the frequency of Lycians mention as the most important allies of Trojans in the Iliad.
Indeed, early in the text of the Iliad the Trojan side is described as “Trojans and Lycians”; later Homer adds the “Dardanians” (allies that hurried to help from Tartu? or from the castle of Tara west of Narva?).
As the matter of fact, also many of the placenames identified by Felice Vinci in Finland sounding like the other allies of Troy, as well as their commanders, and other Homeric names, can be frequently found on the Southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. Many of these names are actually replicas of the place names in the South of Finland, as this was a part of the same domain. Per Edgar Walter Saks’ studies, the names in the South of Finland were given by migrants of ‘Kogela culture’ from the Northern coast of the Gulf of Finland (E.W.Saks, AESTII. An Analysis of an Ancient European Civilization, Montreal, 1960). For example, Askala just to the west of Narva, according to Saks, corresponds to Askala and Askainen in Finland, and represents the 1st Millenium coastal settlement “well known for its seafaring activities” (E.W.Saks, AESTII, p.254).
https://www.digar.ee/viewer/en/nlib-digar:352121/307333/page/1
Similar to the analysis made by Felice Vinci for the South-West of Finland, the following comparisons may be made for the Southern coast of the Gulf of Finland (the Homeric Large Hellespont):
• Askala to Ascanius, the leader of a contingent allied to the Trojans (Iliad 2.862-863).
• Pada, Päite or Päide - to Paiso, the native town of Amphius, Priam’s ally.
• The village of Moonaküla, or island of Monis (Mona) next to Tholis - might correspond to Troy’s allies “Maeonians, who had been born under Tmolus” (Iliad 2.864-866).
• The coastal Eisma is comparable to Homeric Ismar, looted by the comrades of Ulysses on the way back from Troy.
• Abaja - to the Abii, “the most law-abiding of men” (Iliad 13.6).
• Aro-Vainu, Aruküla, Aresi-Vanaküla or Aresi-Altküla - to Homeric Arisbe.
• The 1st Millenium BC castle of Kele west of Narva, or the village of Killi on the river Solka (tributary of the Luga) east of Narva - may correspond to Cilla (Kílla), 'the Apollo’s shrine'.
• Saula Siniallikad springs to the west of Narva, now a national springs park - to Alybe, “the birthplace of silver”.
• The estuary of river Purtse west of Narva, or the coastal village of Perjatse (Perjatsi) between the estuary of Narova river and Sillamäe - are comparable to Percotes, place of the alternative landing of Troy’s ally, Iphidamas, who “left his fine ships in Percotes / and reached Ilium going on foot” (Iliad 11.229-230).
• Ida-Virumaa (all the north-eastern area, whereas Ida in Estonian means ‘east, eastern’) reminds of the ‘Ida mountains’, which can be associated with the Luga highland to the northeast of the Lake Peipus.
• Niso and Pjata, a few kilometers to the east of Narva might correspond to the Lyrnessus and Pedasus in the Ida area “plundered by the Achaeans” (Iliad 20.89-92).
• The river of Sista, flowing into the bay of Kaporje, approx. 40 km to the east of estuary of Narova (the Homeric Scamander), or the river of Sestra 100 km further to the east - are comparable to Homeric Cyster, Caystrius (“And as the many tribes of winged fowl, / wild geese or cranes or long-necked swans / on the mead by the streams of Caystrius”, Iliad 2.459-463).
• Kovaši (Kovaš, Kovaša, Kava-joki) river, approx. 60 km to the east of estuary of Narova, is comparable to: “…had just arrived/ from Cabesus” (Iliad 13.363-364). In the Mediterranean world, the only Kabes (Gabes) is the Lesser Sirte bay in Tunisia - and from there no "Cabesian" could "immediately" come to assist the "Trojans" in Schliemann's "Troy" in Asia Minor, when the Achaeans would have attacked her there.
Homeric Cabesus is also comparable to Kavastu - the village at the mouth of Emajõgi ('Mother river') in South Estonia, at its entrance into Peipus lake (Kavastu might be also the old name of Emajõgi).
Similar river names are also observed to the East of Novgorod (Koboža or Kaboža), and in Karelia (Kavoža).
See https://new-etymology.livejournal.com/943984.html
• The Izhorian place-name Sipilä recalls the legendary Mount Sipylus, place of the burial of the mythical Tantalus, King of a region adjacent to Troy.
• Karja, Karjala (Karelians and Karelia) is comparable to Carians, the allies of Troy.
It is noteworthy that Homer repeatedly draws “a background” with swans, wild geese and cranes (herons): “flock / of winged birds, which are feeding by the river, / geese, cranes or long-necked swans” (Iliad 15.690-692); “When the cries of the cranes fleeing from winter and incessant rain / come to heaven…” (Iliad 3.3-4). In June 2023 we visited the village of Skamja at the outflow of the river of Narova from Lake Peipus and the confluence of the river of Vtroja (Söömoja) into Narova, we had the pleasure of observing, in less than a day, both a wedge of flying wild geese, and a marsh heron catching fish, and very many swans!
Narva-Luga interfluvial zone - the center of an ancient civilization
“The history of archaeological study of the Narova-Luga interfluvial zone dates back about a century and a half, but the systematic search for archaeological sites of the Stone Age that began in the 1990s showed a truly unique concentration of such objects for the eastern part of the Baltic region. The systematic searches and study of Stone Age - Early Metal Age sites in the Russian part of the Narova-Luga interfluvial zone, began in the mid-2000s. To date, 86 archeological sites have been recorded here (64 on the Russian side). Obviously, not all objects have been identified. But the results obtained allow us to speak of a unique concentration of the remains of ancient human sites in the entire region of the Gulf of Finland”.
See Monuments of the Stone Age of the Russian part of the Narova-Luga interfluvial zone; St. Petersburg, Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2019, pp. 8, 26.
https://lib.kunstkamera.ru/files/lib/978-5-88431-379-8/978-5-88431-379-8.pdf
It is noteworthy that section "Landscapes, geomorphology and paleogeography" of the quoted scientific digest, hypotheses of repeated immediate significant rises and falls of the sea level are mentioned. At the same time, it is reported that not enough research has been carried out to accurately reconstruct maps of the former coastlines in the Narova-Luga interfluvial zone, with an allocation to different periods. It is also noteworthy that the scholars do not mention the well-known hypothesis of a gradual slow rise of the land over the sea level after its release from the glacier (an outdated theory?).
Back in the 1980s, it was proposed to carry out additional extensive excavations in addition to those already commenced, for the Ivangorod (Jaanilinn) Neolithic site: “The cultural layer reaches 2 meters in some places, and the presence of remains of various structures in the layer was recorded in a number of areas; the chronological range of finds obtained as a result of named studies, is extremely large”.
in photo: medieval fortress of Ivangorod (on the left) and the more ancient archaeological site to be explored (to the right)
However, in 2019 the Russian Academy of Sciences declared the Ivangorod Neolithic site to be... “incorrectly included in the lists of protected monuments of archeology” (!) See pp. 153-162. This reminds of the story of Cape Okhtinsky and the ancient Nyen fortress and even more ancient settlements in its place in the center St. Petersburg, which impede the commercial development of the respective zone: “The conclusion of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation of 1 December 2021 states that there are no grounds for creating a full-fledged museum-reserve on the territory of the Okhtinsky Cape, where unique archaeological layers were previously discovered, including settlements of people from the Neolithic era, early metal era, fortresses of the 14th and 17th centuries” (The ‘groundless’ grounds!) See: https://www.rbc.ru/spb_sz/10/12/2021/61b30af89a79479db364a90a?from=from_main_6
The excavations on the Estonian banks of Narova river are led by the team of Aivar Kriiska, archaeologist from Tartu University. One of the recently excavated settlements near the Narova river, dates back to the Stone Age (2800-2000 BC), another is presumably to the Bronze or Iron Age. “If we also take into account the excavations that we, together with our Russian colleagues, conducted on the other side of the Narova, then there are more than 60 such settlements in the lower reaches of the Narova,” Kriiska specifies. “Ancient people densely populated the lower reaches of the Narova”. One of the sites was excavated in the center of the city of Narva, near Lipovka:
See https://rus.postimees.ee/4670460/pod-narvoy-nachalis-raskopki-poseleniya-kamennogo-veka
“…The main discovery of Kriiska [in one of the last excavations near Narova] was that wooden buildings existed on the territory of Estonia as early as 2800 BC. “Before, the oldest structures found in Estonia were dated back to around 900 BC. They were discovered near Tallinn. Of course, this does not mean that there are no more ancient buildings. Perhaps they have yet to be discovered,” notes Aivar Kriiska. Two buildings were found - a house, a “farm”, and a small structure. Archaeologists say that farmers lived on this site, whose genetic code coincides with the code of peoples which inhabited the lands near the Black Sea at the same time. These are the ancestors of modern Europeans, including Russians, Belarusians, Estonians.”
See https://rus.delfi.ee/statja/78894218/foto-v-rezultate-raskopok-u-narva-yyesuu-sdelany-vazhnye-otkrytiya
In Riigi (Riigiküla), near to Narova estuary, the 7,000-year-old human sites have been found. “Given the location, the nature of the finds, and the fact that more than 7,000 years ago the seashore was literally a couple of hundred meters from Riigiküla, scientists suggest that the discovered settlement was once also a fishing village. At the moment, archaeologists know more than 500 ancient settlements on the territory of Estonia. The settlement in Riigiküla, according to Kriiska, is interesting because it is here that the history of local ceramics originates.”
See https://rus.err.ee/1110593/vozle-narvy-vedutsja-masshtabnye-arheologicheskie-raskopki
“The reason for such a dense population of these places in the Stone Age is the presence of two large rivers, Narova and Luga, as well as the sea. “At that time there was a lagoon system where it was easier for people to get food. It was unexpected that the ancient settlement was found not directly on the bank of the river, but at a distance from it - this indicates that the inhabitants of the settlement were also farmers,” Kriiska explained.
See https://www.seti.ee/modules/news/article.php?storyid=102441
href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/new_etymology/76787120/444337/444337_original.jpg">
http://www.etomesto.ru/map-europe_estonia_topo-2km-1938/
“... The importance of the Narva culture is well known in archaeology. Ceramic production called the Narva culture testifies to the advanced production technology of the local population. There is also a little-known fact - in the excavations of an ancient archaeological city in Northern Italy near Rovigo, items made of Baltic amber were found, dating around 1500 BC; their processing was called Narva processing [by similarity with amber items found in excavations near Narova river]. In the laboratories of experimental archeology, directed by Mauro Cesaretto, this Narva processing technique was successfully used to obtain the same type of chipping that were found on amber during the archaeological excavations near Rovigo.
This curious connection brings us back to the ancient Amber Road [which branches passed through Narova and Luga].”
Ülle Toode, Gianni Glinni. La Bella Elena di Troia indossava l'ambra? https://www.italiaestonia.org/single-post/la-bella-elena-di-troia-indossava-l-ambra ; Gianni Glinni is an Italian philologist who translated the study Hõbevalge. Sulla rotta del vento, del fuoco e dell'Ultima Thule by Lennart Meri, Estonian anthropologist and historian (1929-2006).
La Bella Elena di Troia indossava l’ambra?
...E’ ben nota in archeologia l’importanza della cultura di Narva, collocata in questa zona tra il 5000 e 2000 AC. La produzione di ceramica chiamata di Narva testimonia una buona capacità tecnologica di produzione di questa popolazione.
Una curiosità poco nota riguardo un'antica città archeologica nel Nord Italia vicino a Rovigo, dove nel 1500 a.C. veniva lavorata ambra del Baltico, è che la lavorazione delle schegge di ambra viene chiamata lavorazione di Narva. Infatti, nei laboratori di archeologia sperimentale condotti da Mauro Cesaretto questa tecnica di lavorazione di Narva e stata con successo utilizzata per ottenere lo stesso tipo di scheggiatura che hanno ritrovato nell’ambra degli scavi archeologici in quella città.
Questo curioso collegamento ci riconduce alla via dell’ambra. Come Centro Studi sull’Estonia e il Baltico già dal 2012 iniziammo ad approfondire gli studi sulle vie dell’ambra che collegavano il Baltico con il Mar Caspio, il Mar Nero e il Mediterraneo.
da Ülle Toode e Gianni Glinni
https://www.italiaestonia.org/single-post/la-bella-elena-di-troia-indossava-l-ambra?fbclid=IwAR08-1mP3sbLq-t1MpJVIBZW6nKzhBiRl4FIUeMgxbf7Mv_LcrKaYHTjOL0
in italiano: https://www.larazzodeltempo.it/2022/troia-estonia/
на русском языке: https://eesti-keel.livejournal.com/216501.html
Felice Vinci identified the Gulf of Finland with the Homeric wide Hellespont (following, among other indications, the guide by Saxo Grammaticus), and searched for Troy considering Homer’s indication of the Sacred Ilion’s location as northeast of the [apparently Baltic] sea (Iliad 21.334-335)*. In his search for Troy, Felice explored, however, only the northern shores of the Gulf of Finland. As a result, the southern coast of the Gulf was excluded from the search, and emphasis was placed on the village of Toija in southwestern Finland. Kurkelanjoki river was identified as Scamander. The village of Aijala, located 7 kilometers downstream of Kurkelanjoki, due to a consonance with Greek aigialós - ‘shore’ (γιαλός, gialos in modern Greek), was taken by Felice for the former coastal strip of the times before the presumed rise of the land by 10-15 meters.
*...According to the Iliad, Troy lay northeast of the sea (“I’ll stir up some winds / Zephyrus [West Wind]’s harsh sea blasts and white Notus [South Wind]”, Iliad 21.334-335).
Regarding the name Toija, Felice considered that it might be a distortion of the original Troy (Troia), due to the rejection of double consonants at the beginning of words in Finnic languages. It should be noted, however, that Finnic-speaking peoples drop off the first consonant, and not the second one, in the borrowed words (i.e. Troia should have become ‘Roija’, not Toija). Also, the placename Toija is widely present all across the different parts of Finland (there are more than 10 Toija’s in Finland), which indicates that the name Toija is original in its form.
As for Aijala, it might be that this name was not related to the hypothetic former coastal line: in Finnish Aijala is, literally, “the place of the god of the sky, weather, harvest and thunder” (Äijä is one of the names of this god in Finnish mythology; -la is the place suffix).
Also, the coastal line in Finland (both the current one, and any previous one “before the sea ran away”) - is rugged and has almost no sandy beaches wide enough to accomodate a fleet of “1200” ships of Achaean coalition. Thus, it is of interest to have a look at the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, which is, on the contrary, plentiful of such beaches. Particular attention should be drawn to the Narva Bay, with its more than 20 km of sandy beach on both sides of the mouth of Narova river - where one can very vividly imagine the landing of a huge flotilla and the construction of a long defensive wall:
SCAMANDER, SIMOIS, TROY-ILION and LYCIA vs. SKAMJA-ON-THE-NAROVA, SÖÖMOJA, VTROJA and LUGA-LAUKA
In the search of the place of Homeric Ilion by the wide Hellespont, one should first of all pay attention to the distinct morphological characteristics of the river, adjacent to which the Trojan city stood. As the Iliad informs in detail,
...that broadest and deep-swirling river
the gods call Xanthus, but all men name Scamander. (Iliad 20.73-74)
When the Trojans reached the ford across the Xanthus,
lovely swirling river born of immortal Zeus,
(...) He crammed
half the Trojans in along the river,
trapped by its deep currents and its silver eddies.
They fell in there, making a huge commotion.
The noise roared down along the rushing river banks
amplifying the din. Men thrashed around, back and forth,
as they were sucked down in the current screaming.
Just as fire drives flights of locusts to seek refuge
in some river, when the tireless flames attack them
in a sudden onrush and they sink below the water-
that’s how, faced with Achilles’ attacking charge,
a confused mass of chariots and men filled up
the deep and swirling waters of the river Xanthus. (Iliad 21.1-16)
The ‘broadest’, ‘deep’, ‘deep-swirling’, ‘sucking down in the current’ - these are definitely not the characteristics of the river Menderes (Turk. Kara Menderes, ‘Black’ Menderes) near the excavation site of an ancient city identified as ‘Troy’ by Schliemann in Asia Minor in the 19th Century. It is neither broad, nor deep-swirling:
in photos: low and middle Menderes
Also, Kurkelanjoki river identified as ‘Scamander’ by Felice Vinci in the South-West of Finland, near to the village of Toija, is neither broad, nor deep-swirling:
in photo: Kurkelanjoki
In the middle of the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, however, one finds a river ideally fitting the description of Scamander in the Iliad: the river of Narova (Narva), the broadest among all of the rivers of the southern coast, carrying the waters of all rivers absorbed by lake Peipus, further into the Gulf of Finland. The upper Narova has an incised channel 150-200 meters wide, further broadening to 300-400-500 m wide. The river bed is full of rapids, the slope of the river is 0.5 ‰. The prevailing depths of the river are 5-6 meters, in whirlpools - up to 9-11 meters.
See https://water-rf.ru/Водные_объекты/1183/Нарва
in photos: Narova, its rapids and the two ancient fortresses on its banks, facing each other: Narva and Jaanilinn
The Iliad also tells that Scamander periodically overflows its banks: during the battle, “The plain (...) was all full of flooded water” (Iliad 21.300); and, after the defeat of Troy, Scamander will demolish the ruined walls with its flood (Iliad 12.17-22). Considering that the battle takes place during the period of ‘white nights’ (the amphilýkē nýx, the “dimly-lit night” at summer solstice) allowing the battle to be fought uninteruptedly for two days, without a night break, these descriptions are very consistent with the characteristic floods on the Narova river. On average, the annual spring floods of Narova commence on April 2 and end on July 9. Surge fluctuations in the water level at the lower part of the Narova river reach 2-3 meters.
See https://water-rf.ru/Водные_объекты/1183/Нарва
Floods also happen at the source of the river. In the photo: a spring flood in Vask-Narva in the 1920s - “it was possible to move around in the village only upon the special lifted pavements or by boats”:
Settlements of Ponarovye: https://www.facebook.com/leonid.mihhailov.984
Book 12 of the Iliad, in the description of a huge flood that shall wash away the ruined walls of the defeated Troy, also enlists the rivers which contribute to the rise of the waters:
...Poseidon and Apollo decided
to destroy the [Trojan] wall by flinging the rivers at it,
all that run from the mountains of Ida to the sea:
the Rhesus, the Heptaporus, the Caresus and the Rhodius,
the Granicus, the Aesepus,
the divine Scamander and the Simois (Iliad 12.17-22)
In Asia Minor the river of Granicus (called Biga now) flows 60 km east of Hisarlik, directly into the sea, and thus cannot join waters with Kara Menderes traditionally considered to be the Scamander, where Schliemann’s Troy stands. The nearby river (identified as Simois, but never called so) is also not affluent of Menderes. Nor are any of the other rivers mentioned in Book 12 of the Iliad present anywhere near to Hisarlik.
If Ida hills are identified with the Luga-Lauka highland, however (see map attached), there are multiple rivers that flow from these hills into the lake Peipus, and eventually all feed Narova-Scamander, which is the only river outflowing from Peipus lake into the Gulf of Finland - the wide Hellespont. Indeed, Narova ovefloods frequently.
This placement also explains the above quoted passage in Iliad 12.18-19:
...to destroy the [Trojan] wall by flinging the rivers at it,
all that run from the mountains of Ida to the sea...
I.e. Homer might be telling about an intermediate sea (Lake Peipus), which is not found in Asia Minor, nor in the south-west of Finland, where Felice Vinci placed Troy.
As regards the river names, one should start with the largest river feeding lake Peipus - riv. Velikaya, on which the city of Pskov stands. Velikaya translates from Russian as ‘Great’ river, rio ‘Grande’, which may well correspond to Granicus. Heptaporus might correspond to river Keb’; Caresus - to Kira or Čereha; Aesepus - to Issa; Rhodius - to Rietupe; Rhesus - to Rika - all being the tributaries of Velikaya.
However, these are distant rivers, and the above coincidences may well be random consonances. Of primary interest are the divine Scamander and the adjoining it Simois, logically completing the list, where the fortress of Troy, the sacred Ilion, was located.
...that broadest and deep-swirling river
the gods call Xanthus*, but all men name Scamander. (Iliad 20.73-74)
* Xanthus, Ξάνθος - probably, the 'divine', the 'sacred', literally - Latin Sanctus, Ital. Santo, Eng. Saint. Compare also to Greek Ξανθός (with emphasis on the last syllable) - "light", "blond", "light-haired" (a common personal name in the Greek mythology).
It is noteworthy that Scamander (Xanthus) in the Iliad is also often referred to as "silver-swirling", "light-streamed".
See SUN, SUNNY, SHINY (“sun”, “sunny”): https://anti-fasmer.livejournal.com/135866.html
Let us first of all pay attention to the Narova river itself and the areas closely adjacent to it.
The Narova river, flowing from lake Peipus into the Gulf of Finland, starts its waterway at the former town of Skamja, Kamja (Скамья, Камья, likely meaning ‘a sandу, scummy or foamy bank’) on its eastern shore. Almost immediately after Skamja, Narova meets the Söömoja river (Söömoja, from Estonian meaning ‘a feeding creek’, or ‘a swampy stream’), also called Vtroja, Utroja (Втроя, Утроя) - name preserved to nowadays (and also the name of one of the villages on its banks). Hydronym Vtroja, Utroja is common in this geographic area: e.g. Utroja river is one of the tributaries of Velikaya river, further to Pskov; Udria creek is flowing directly into the Gulf of Finland 15 km west of the city of Narva.
The three names, Skamja, Vtroja and Söömoja, are curiously reminiscent of a combination of the three main place names in the Iliad - the Scamander, Troy and Simoent (Simŏis, Σιμόεις) - not found together in such combination anywhere in the world!
Ironically (or by means of preservation of the historic memory?), on the likely site of the former sacred Ilion (the alternative name for Troy used in the Iliad), in the former town of Skamja, a white-stone church of Saint Elijah was erected. On the opposite bank, in the village of Syrenets (Vask-Narva), a second white-stone church of Saint Elijah was built. Together they formed a kind of sacred white Ilean “gates” at the source of a mighty river (marked with two crosses in the map of 1938 below):
source: http://www.etomesto.ru/map-europe_estonia_topo-2km-1938/
There was a kind of rivalry between the two villages - the churches of both settlements were dedicated to the prophet Elijah, and they both celebrated the feast of their saint patron Elijah for three days in early August (Ильин день):
https://narova.spb.ru/service/ekskursii.html/#4551ecd5b96c5ad5d
There is also a curious potential connection of worshipping Elijah to that of God Lug, about which Felice Vinci wrote in Chapter 3.4 as follows: “...the Celtic summer festival known as Lughnasa, dedicated to Lug, a god and hero of Irish sagas. Of the four main feast days in the Celtic calendar (one for each season), Lughnasa, on August 1, which became largely a harvest festival, was originally dedicated to the king, good government, family and marriage, social welfare. The fact that this feast is celebrated in summer emphasizes Lug’s solar, or Apollonian, features, which Jean Markale claims have been “far too ignored: his name means whiteness, light; in Irish epos he is referred to as a solar, radiant hero, who never really dies, but rises every morning.”
Interestingly, name Log is comparable to Icelandic loga - “to burn”; Old Icel. lоg - “a flame, light”; Est. lõke, lõkke - “a flame, bonfire”; Greek λευκός, levkόs - “bright, glistering”.
And Elijah, by name, resembles the Greek Sun God, ήλιος, Helios, Compare further to Votic eliä, Fin. heleä - ‘bright, light’, etc: https://eesti-keel.livejournal.com/210402.html . It is likely that the Christian Elijah has its roots in the pagan religions, continuously brought forward in the rural communities, such as those of Skamja and Vask-Narva up until the early 20th century.
According to some researchers, before the adoption of Christianity in Russia, Perun's Day was celebrated, which then became called Ilyin's Day, incorporating many pre-Christian traditions. The image of Elijah the Prophet, due to the similarity of functions, organically replaced the Thunderer Perun. The idea that Ilya “rides across the sky in a chariot, thunders and shoots lightning, is chasing a snake”, is not a Slavic innovation. A.N.Veselovsky cites the opinion of the Greek researcher Nikolai Politus, according to whom some features of Zeus and the sun god Helios passed to the saint Elijah (thanks to homonymy, the presence of a fiery chariot, etc.) - see https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ильин_день .
I could run away on foot from the wall elsewhere,
toward the Ileian Plain, until I reach
the gorges of Ida and hide in the bush (Iliad 21.557-559).
Although the name of Ileian Plain could derive from the name of the city (Ilion), it is curious to compare the name of Ileian Plain to Rus. елань, алань [jelan’, alan’] - “a low grassy place, convenient for pastures and mowing”; Fin. alanko - “a lowland”; Tatar алан, аланлык [alan, alanlyk], Turk. alan - “a lawn, a clearing in a forest”. [Spoiler (click to open)]
The possible stem word: Est., Fin., Karel., Livon., Veps. ala, alla, alā, alaz, Erzia, Moksha al, Mari ül-, Udmurt ul, Selkup. i̮l, Hung. alá - “below, under”; Turk. alçak - “low”; Turk., Azeri alt, altı, altında - “under, below”.
Compare further to Holland, Ital. Olanda, (= the Netherlands, literally, “lowland”; Ital. Paesi Bassi) - nevertheless, etymologists prefer to deduct a different etymology for Holland.
Primitive hunters and fishermen began to settle at the source of Narova river already 10 thousand years ago. The sites of the ancient human settlements were found by the archaeologists also near the former town of Skamja.
It is also known that there was a Russian fortress of at least the 14th century, called Skamja. “The exact location of the fortress is unclear, but it is assumed that it was located in a place where it was most convenient to cross the river. Most likely, this wooden fortress stood at the mouth of the Vtroja River” [Söömoja]:
https://narova.spb.ru/service/ekskursii.html/#291c8bca0348371a2
Exactly opposite to Vtroja estuary, in Vask-Narva, there stood a Livonian fortress, also attributed to the 14th century (Neushloss, Nyslott) - thus, ‘copying’ the situation closer to Narova’s estuary, where the Livonian castle of Narva is faced by the Russian fortress of Ivangorod (Iaani-linn).
in photo: Vasknarva castle ruins, 1935
in drawing: Narva-linn castle facing Ivangorod (Jaanilinn) closer to Narova estuary.
Presumably, the names (V)Troja~Troy, Skamja~Scamander, Elijah’s place~Ilion, Söömoja~Simois - could have been used as mere indicative, identifying in the Homeric epic, been the local well-known placenames at the source of Narova river, at the important point of the ancient trade waterway. The Homeric fortress Troy itself (let’s call it “Vtroja-2”), most likely, was at the site of the current Ivangorod-Jaanilinn (on the eastern bank of Narova-Scamander, as Iliad informs us), while the Homeric Simois was the river of Plüssa (let’s call it “Söömoja-2”), the eastern tributary of Narova just above Jaanilinn.
The ancient Homeric ford was likely located on the rapids between Narva-linn and Jaanilinn, where the river ‘dries’ its rapids in July-August.
As for the Trojan battle, it likely took place on the plain between Jaanilinn and the old sandy coastline of the Gulf of Finland, the place of landing of the “1200” ships of the Achaean alliance, gathered from all the shores of the Baltic (clearly described in the Catalog of Ships in the Iliad).
The likely reason for the Trojan War was the abduction of Helen, marriage to whom gave royal powers to Paris. As Felice Vinci additionally points out, the Achaeans did not even leave a military garrison in Troy, after its conquer.
One should not undermine, however, such important factor as the control over the ancient Amber Road (the Hellespont - https://eesti-keel.livejournal.com/210402.html ), which branches passed also via today's Pskov and Novgorod - and which also brought an immense wealth to Troy (not the copper mine near the Finnish Toija, associated by Felice Vinci with the wealth of Troy).
Noticeable is also the fact that until very recently, the settlements at the source of the Narova River (the Homeric Scamander), who worshiped St. Elijah through centuries, prospered from construction of cargo ships and cargo transportation:
“In the first half and in the middle of the 19th century, any trade from Pskov (Pihkva) was carried out by the Pskov merchants, but they did not have their own fleet. The cargo ships sailing between Pskov, Derpt (Tartu) and Narva were hired from and belonged to the inhabitants of the towns of Syrenets (Vask-Narva) and Skamja, located at the source of the river Narova, on its Estonian and Russian banks. The inhabitants of these villages were called "lodja carriers"”: https://lake.peipsi.org/trade/shipbuilding-in-modern-times
“Lycia”, the main ally of Troy, and other allies
The frequency of mentions of Lycia, the ally of Troy, is immense in the Iliad. In The Mycenean Origin of Greek Mythology Martin P. Nilsson states that “The passages where Lycia and Lycians are mentioned are too numerous to be enumerated”. This even led Andres Pääbo to locate Troy itself in Lycia in Asia Minor (The Iliad and evidence that many details about Troy and the Trojan War came from ancient Lycia, http://www.paabo.ca/papers/pdfcontents.html ) .
All this makes one take a closer look at the regions and rivers adjacent to Scamander-Söömoja-Vtroja-Narva. The second largest river after Narva, along the Southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, all the way between today’s Tallinn and St.Petersburg, is the river called Luga (in Votic - Lauka) - with its lower valley located just 15 km east of Scamander-Narva estuary!
Scamander-Narva was an important waterway from the Gulf of Finland (Wide Hellespont) via Peipus lake to Tartu and Pskov. Likewise, Luga-Lauka (Lukka-Lycia) was a no less important ancient waterway connection of the Gulf of Finland to Novgorod (using the on-land dragging passages of Bolshoi Volok and Ozhogin Volochek to the rivers Kiba-Mšaga-Šelon’ leading to the lake of Ilmen - see maps below). The rivers of Scamander-Narva and Lycia-Luga were like twin brothers, located on the strategic trade crossway, with many prehistoric settlements on their banks - and no wonder the frequency of Lycians mention as the most important allies of Trojans in the Iliad.
Indeed, early in the text of the Iliad the Trojan side is described as “Trojans and Lycians”; later Homer adds the “Dardanians” (allies that hurried to help from Tartu? or from the castle of Tara west of Narva?).
As the matter of fact, also many of the placenames identified by Felice Vinci in Finland sounding like the other allies of Troy, as well as their commanders, and other Homeric names, can be frequently found on the Southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. Many of these names are actually replicas of the place names in the South of Finland, as this was a part of the same domain. Per Edgar Walter Saks’ studies, the names in the South of Finland were given by migrants of ‘Kogela culture’ from the Northern coast of the Gulf of Finland (E.W.Saks, AESTII. An Analysis of an Ancient European Civilization, Montreal, 1960). For example, Askala just to the west of Narva, according to Saks, corresponds to Askala and Askainen in Finland, and represents the 1st Millenium coastal settlement “well known for its seafaring activities” (E.W.Saks, AESTII, p.254).
https://www.digar.ee/viewer/en/nlib-digar:352121/307333/page/1
Similar to the analysis made by Felice Vinci for the South-West of Finland, the following comparisons may be made for the Southern coast of the Gulf of Finland (the Homeric Large Hellespont):
• Askala to Ascanius, the leader of a contingent allied to the Trojans (Iliad 2.862-863).
• Pada, Päite or Päide - to Paiso, the native town of Amphius, Priam’s ally.
• The village of Moonaküla, or island of Monis (Mona) next to Tholis - might correspond to Troy’s allies “Maeonians, who had been born under Tmolus” (Iliad 2.864-866).
• The coastal Eisma is comparable to Homeric Ismar, looted by the comrades of Ulysses on the way back from Troy.
• Abaja - to the Abii, “the most law-abiding of men” (Iliad 13.6).
• Aro-Vainu, Aruküla, Aresi-Vanaküla or Aresi-Altküla - to Homeric Arisbe.
• The 1st Millenium BC castle of Kele west of Narva, or the village of Killi on the river Solka (tributary of the Luga) east of Narva - may correspond to Cilla (Kílla), 'the Apollo’s shrine'.
• Saula Siniallikad springs to the west of Narva, now a national springs park - to Alybe, “the birthplace of silver”.
• The estuary of river Purtse west of Narva, or the coastal village of Perjatse (Perjatsi) between the estuary of Narova river and Sillamäe - are comparable to Percotes, place of the alternative landing of Troy’s ally, Iphidamas, who “left his fine ships in Percotes / and reached Ilium going on foot” (Iliad 11.229-230).
• Ida-Virumaa (all the north-eastern area, whereas Ida in Estonian means ‘east, eastern’) reminds of the ‘Ida mountains’, which can be associated with the Luga highland to the northeast of the Lake Peipus.
• Niso and Pjata, a few kilometers to the east of Narva might correspond to the Lyrnessus and Pedasus in the Ida area “plundered by the Achaeans” (Iliad 20.89-92).
• The river of Sista, flowing into the bay of Kaporje, approx. 40 km to the east of estuary of Narova (the Homeric Scamander), or the river of Sestra 100 km further to the east - are comparable to Homeric Cyster, Caystrius (“And as the many tribes of winged fowl, / wild geese or cranes or long-necked swans / on the mead by the streams of Caystrius”, Iliad 2.459-463).
• Kovaši (Kovaš, Kovaša, Kava-joki) river, approx. 60 km to the east of estuary of Narova, is comparable to: “…had just arrived/ from Cabesus” (Iliad 13.363-364). In the Mediterranean world, the only Kabes (Gabes) is the Lesser Sirte bay in Tunisia - and from there no "Cabesian" could "immediately" come to assist the "Trojans" in Schliemann's "Troy" in Asia Minor, when the Achaeans would have attacked her there.
Homeric Cabesus is also comparable to Kavastu - the village at the mouth of Emajõgi ('Mother river') in South Estonia, at its entrance into Peipus lake (Kavastu might be also the old name of Emajõgi).
Similar river names are also observed to the East of Novgorod (Koboža or Kaboža), and in Karelia (Kavoža).
See https://new-etymology.livejournal.com/943984.html
• The Izhorian place-name Sipilä recalls the legendary Mount Sipylus, place of the burial of the mythical Tantalus, King of a region adjacent to Troy.
• Karja, Karjala (Karelians and Karelia) is comparable to Carians, the allies of Troy.
It is noteworthy that Homer repeatedly draws “a background” with swans, wild geese and cranes (herons): “flock / of winged birds, which are feeding by the river, / geese, cranes or long-necked swans” (Iliad 15.690-692); “When the cries of the cranes fleeing from winter and incessant rain / come to heaven…” (Iliad 3.3-4). In June 2023 we visited the village of Skamja at the outflow of the river of Narova from Lake Peipus and the confluence of the river of Vtroja (Söömoja) into Narova, we had the pleasure of observing, in less than a day, both a wedge of flying wild geese, and a marsh heron catching fish, and very many swans!
Narva-Luga interfluvial zone - the center of an ancient civilization
“The history of archaeological study of the Narova-Luga interfluvial zone dates back about a century and a half, but the systematic search for archaeological sites of the Stone Age that began in the 1990s showed a truly unique concentration of such objects for the eastern part of the Baltic region. The systematic searches and study of Stone Age - Early Metal Age sites in the Russian part of the Narova-Luga interfluvial zone, began in the mid-2000s. To date, 86 archeological sites have been recorded here (64 on the Russian side). Obviously, not all objects have been identified. But the results obtained allow us to speak of a unique concentration of the remains of ancient human sites in the entire region of the Gulf of Finland”.
See Monuments of the Stone Age of the Russian part of the Narova-Luga interfluvial zone; St. Petersburg, Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2019, pp. 8, 26.
https://lib.kunstkamera.ru/files/lib/978-5-88431-379-8/978-5-88431-379-8.pdf
It is noteworthy that section "Landscapes, geomorphology and paleogeography" of the quoted scientific digest, hypotheses of repeated immediate significant rises and falls of the sea level are mentioned. At the same time, it is reported that not enough research has been carried out to accurately reconstruct maps of the former coastlines in the Narova-Luga interfluvial zone, with an allocation to different periods. It is also noteworthy that the scholars do not mention the well-known hypothesis of a gradual slow rise of the land over the sea level after its release from the glacier (an outdated theory?).
Back in the 1980s, it was proposed to carry out additional extensive excavations in addition to those already commenced, for the Ivangorod (Jaanilinn) Neolithic site: “The cultural layer reaches 2 meters in some places, and the presence of remains of various structures in the layer was recorded in a number of areas; the chronological range of finds obtained as a result of named studies, is extremely large”.
in photo: medieval fortress of Ivangorod (on the left) and the more ancient archaeological site to be explored (to the right)
However, in 2019 the Russian Academy of Sciences declared the Ivangorod Neolithic site to be... “incorrectly included in the lists of protected monuments of archeology” (!) See pp. 153-162. This reminds of the story of Cape Okhtinsky and the ancient Nyen fortress and even more ancient settlements in its place in the center St. Petersburg, which impede the commercial development of the respective zone: “The conclusion of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation of 1 December 2021 states that there are no grounds for creating a full-fledged museum-reserve on the territory of the Okhtinsky Cape, where unique archaeological layers were previously discovered, including settlements of people from the Neolithic era, early metal era, fortresses of the 14th and 17th centuries” (The ‘groundless’ grounds!) See: https://www.rbc.ru/spb_sz/10/12/2021/61b30af89a79479db364a90a?from=from_main_6
The excavations on the Estonian banks of Narova river are led by the team of Aivar Kriiska, archaeologist from Tartu University. One of the recently excavated settlements near the Narova river, dates back to the Stone Age (2800-2000 BC), another is presumably to the Bronze or Iron Age. “If we also take into account the excavations that we, together with our Russian colleagues, conducted on the other side of the Narova, then there are more than 60 such settlements in the lower reaches of the Narova,” Kriiska specifies. “Ancient people densely populated the lower reaches of the Narova”. One of the sites was excavated in the center of the city of Narva, near Lipovka:
See https://rus.postimees.ee/4670460/pod-narvoy-nachalis-raskopki-poseleniya-kamennogo-veka
“…The main discovery of Kriiska [in one of the last excavations near Narova] was that wooden buildings existed on the territory of Estonia as early as 2800 BC. “Before, the oldest structures found in Estonia were dated back to around 900 BC. They were discovered near Tallinn. Of course, this does not mean that there are no more ancient buildings. Perhaps they have yet to be discovered,” notes Aivar Kriiska. Two buildings were found - a house, a “farm”, and a small structure. Archaeologists say that farmers lived on this site, whose genetic code coincides with the code of peoples which inhabited the lands near the Black Sea at the same time. These are the ancestors of modern Europeans, including Russians, Belarusians, Estonians.”
See https://rus.delfi.ee/statja/78894218/foto-v-rezultate-raskopok-u-narva-yyesuu-sdelany-vazhnye-otkrytiya
In Riigi (Riigiküla), near to Narova estuary, the 7,000-year-old human sites have been found. “Given the location, the nature of the finds, and the fact that more than 7,000 years ago the seashore was literally a couple of hundred meters from Riigiküla, scientists suggest that the discovered settlement was once also a fishing village. At the moment, archaeologists know more than 500 ancient settlements on the territory of Estonia. The settlement in Riigiküla, according to Kriiska, is interesting because it is here that the history of local ceramics originates.”
See https://rus.err.ee/1110593/vozle-narvy-vedutsja-masshtabnye-arheologicheskie-raskopki
“The reason for such a dense population of these places in the Stone Age is the presence of two large rivers, Narova and Luga, as well as the sea. “At that time there was a lagoon system where it was easier for people to get food. It was unexpected that the ancient settlement was found not directly on the bank of the river, but at a distance from it - this indicates that the inhabitants of the settlement were also farmers,” Kriiska explained.
See https://www.seti.ee/modules/news/article.php?storyid=102441
href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/new_etymology/76787120/444337/444337_original.jpg">
http://www.etomesto.ru/map-europe_estonia_topo-2km-1938/
“... The importance of the Narva culture is well known in archaeology. Ceramic production called the Narva culture testifies to the advanced production technology of the local population. There is also a little-known fact - in the excavations of an ancient archaeological city in Northern Italy near Rovigo, items made of Baltic amber were found, dating around 1500 BC; their processing was called Narva processing [by similarity with amber items found in excavations near Narova river]. In the laboratories of experimental archeology, directed by Mauro Cesaretto, this Narva processing technique was successfully used to obtain the same type of chipping that were found on amber during the archaeological excavations near Rovigo.
This curious connection brings us back to the ancient Amber Road [which branches passed through Narova and Luga].”
Ülle Toode, Gianni Glinni. La Bella Elena di Troia indossava l'ambra? https://www.italiaestonia.org/single-post/la-bella-elena-di-troia-indossava-l-ambra ; Gianni Glinni is an Italian philologist who translated the study Hõbevalge. Sulla rotta del vento, del fuoco e dell'Ultima Thule by Lennart Meri, Estonian anthropologist and historian (1929-2006).
La Bella Elena di Troia indossava l’ambra?
...E’ ben nota in archeologia l’importanza della cultura di Narva, collocata in questa zona tra il 5000 e 2000 AC. La produzione di ceramica chiamata di Narva testimonia una buona capacità tecnologica di produzione di questa popolazione.
Una curiosità poco nota riguardo un'antica città archeologica nel Nord Italia vicino a Rovigo, dove nel 1500 a.C. veniva lavorata ambra del Baltico, è che la lavorazione delle schegge di ambra viene chiamata lavorazione di Narva. Infatti, nei laboratori di archeologia sperimentale condotti da Mauro Cesaretto questa tecnica di lavorazione di Narva e stata con successo utilizzata per ottenere lo stesso tipo di scheggiatura che hanno ritrovato nell’ambra degli scavi archeologici in quella città.
Questo curioso collegamento ci riconduce alla via dell’ambra. Come Centro Studi sull’Estonia e il Baltico già dal 2012 iniziammo ad approfondire gli studi sulle vie dell’ambra che collegavano il Baltico con il Mar Caspio, il Mar Nero e il Mediterraneo.
da Ülle Toode e Gianni Glinni
https://www.italiaestonia.org/single-post/la-bella-elena-di-troia-indossava-l-ambra?fbclid=IwAR08-1mP3sbLq-t1MpJVIBZW6nKzhBiRl4FIUeMgxbf7Mv_LcrKaYHTjOL0