Troia and the Troad

It is my pleasure to welcome you here on the occasion of the International Symposium, 'Landscape Troia between Earth History and Culture'. The topic Troia has stimulated many scientists, historians and experts in the history of arts to interpret data and adjust concepts regarding the de- velopment of early Troia. In the past two decades the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities has supported several research activities which are related to the Troia project. One of the aims of the archaeometry laboratory is to localize Aegean and Anatolian sources for the procurement of prehistoric metals such as gold, silver, lead, copper and tin. In particular in the Troad, numerous mining and smelting sites have been found and characterized, allowing one to investigate to which extent they might have been exploited by the acient Troians. When analytically comparing ores and slags with Troian metal artifacts, early trade connections can be traced. The landscape around Troia underwent rather fast and drastic changes.