Trojan War Research Paper

Since the discovery of Troy in 1870 numerous extensive archaeological excavations have taken place in order to determine whether the conflicts that clearly occurred at Troy have any association with the Trojan War described in Homers Iliad. Though sources relating to the topic are limited besides the city of Troy itself, we are able to make some conclusions about the events that took place at Troy around 1200 BC.

Troy was a well built Bronze Age city that was designed to withstand attacks. The city had large fortified walls that were sloped as well as tall towers obviously built well to protect. As Troy was built on a mound that overlooked the sea and sounding land, it would have been impossible to attack without first being spotted by the

Korfmann noticed hastily repaired fortification of the citadel and a significant drop in the quality of the building structures. The newer houses were built smaller and more cramped, while the existing houses were divided to allow for an increased population. He also found storage vessels placed deep underground indicating that in this period of time the Trojans were not comfortable storing their belongings above ground because they did not feel secure. Korfman uncovered layers of thick charcoal dating back to approximately 1250 BC showing signs of fire as well as the remains of human bodies, carelessly buried, burned in the wreckage and others entirely unburied. Slingshots, bronze spearheads and arrowheads where among artefacts unearthed, scattered in debris and embedded in walls of the city. All this physical evidence portrays the likely events that the citizens of Troy were a growing population in a threatened situation, trapped inside their city and storing away supplies to withstand a siege. The destruction by fire and the scattered weapons are indications of Troys final decimation, because had the people successfully defended their city, the weaponry would have been gathered for future use but a conqueror would not. This large scale destruction clearly matches the descriptions of a conflict as large as the Trojan War. It is