Assess the Trojan War, comparing the myth of the Iliad and other primary sources with the archeological evidence provided supporting the story of the sack of Troy. Focus Questions: 1. Where is it believed Troy is located? 2. When is it believed that Troy fell? 3. What was the importance of Troy in the ancient world? 4. What do we learn of the fall of Troy through the Iliad? 5. Which archeologist found the alleged site of Troy? 6. When was the alleged site of Troy discovered? 7. What is the importance of the discovery of Troy? The story of the Trojan War has played a crucial role in shaping the way the history of ancient Greece has been formed, and is an infamous example of ancient warfare. The writings of Homer in the Iliad and the Odyssey provide the main source of information regarding the Trojan War. However this proved an exaggerated account of the fall of Troy, with the other archeological evidence provided being limited and hard to find. Due to these reasons, it is hard to find any proof of the war of Troy as anything more than speculation and myth, excepting the discovery of a site that is believed to be the place of Troy in a village in modern day Turkey by Heinrich Schliemann in 1862. The archeological evidence has since been widely accepted as the ancient city of Troy, however, there is still large amounts of speculation regarding the content of the war, as there is little evidence suggesting the war occurred. The story of the fall of Troy as portrayed by Homer is one of not only conflicts between humans, but also conflicts between the gods, who were “interested themselves as much in this famous war as the parties themselves” (Thomas Bulfinch, 1855). The legend itself begins with conflicts between the gods, Hera, ... ... middle of paper ... ...e beginning and end of civilizations” makes it a highly reliable source to research into ancient societies. Works Cited M. Cartwright, 02/08/2012, Ancient History Encyclopedia http://www.ancient.eu.com/troy/ G. E. Daniel, 18/07/2013, Encyclopedia Britannica http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/527668/Heinrich-Schliemann/6487/Discovery-of-Troy Homer, Translated by Robert Fagles, 1990 The Iliad Homer, Translated by W.H.D. Rouse, 1937 The Odyssey, the Story of Odysseus M. Korfmann, May/June 2004, Archeology Magazine http://archive.archaeology.org/0405/etc/troy.html T. H Maugh II, 22/02/1993, LA Times http://articles.latimes.com/1993-02-22/news/mn-438_1_trojan-war S. Quinn, 01/03/2000 Why Vergil?: A Collection of Interpretations T. Valdes, 26/08/2012 http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/10/26/a-mans-primer-on-greek-mythology-part-iii-the-trojan-war/
Homer’s Iliad has been a European myth for many millennia , the long poetic narrative written in the 8th century B.C. recounts a fearsome war fought over a beautiful woman. The reliability of Homers Iliad as a true historical document has been challenged for hundreds of years and only through archaeological studies can the truth be deciphered. The Iliad was written five centuries after the war, where the stories had been passed down through the oral tradition, therefore the type of society reflected within the poems resemble much more the time of Homer . The fact and fiction of the Iliad has been uncovered through archaeology. Archaeologist found a site in which they thought to have been ‘Troy’ destroyed by the powerful country of Mycenae in the late Bronze Age. They found large amount of material culture from where they could reconstruct the society, this included pottery, engravings, murals and clay tablets. A reason for the Trojan War has always inspired great controversy. The Trojan War according to Homer was fought over the abduction of a beautiful women but this theory appears improbable. Other causes which could have sparked a war is Troy’s geographical positioning. This made it extremely opulent, where other countries of the Aegean would trade there goods and use its harbour. The Mycenaean’s being an extremely imperial, violent and militaristic country would have seen Troy as a great opportunity to gain territory and wealth, on this motive the war took place.
The debate over the historicity of Homeric Troy directly impacts the work done at Hissarlik. The near east is littered with Tells and mounds that were once ancient settlements and cities. Schliemann’s declaration that Hissarlik was the Troy of Greek legend bought with it many implications. This signified that the Homeric troy was not a story nor myth but history. The literary characteristics and sporadic historical elements of Homers poem lead the works to critical observations of academic nature. Several areas of Homers Iliad historically should be critiqued. First Homers oral tradition. Secondly, archaeological finds from Mycenaean sites found in the poem.
The Trojan War and its characters are detailed in the writings of Homer, Vergil, Dante and many others. It is a fantastical tale of a decade-long siege of a powerful city by a massive pan-hellenic force. However, even though it has proved to be such a rich source of inspiration for writers, poets and artists throughout history, it is debated whether it actually took place. Heinrich Schliemann famously said “I have gazed on the face of Agamemnon.” on discovering tombs with the bodies of Mycenaean chieftains in Turkey. The German businessman-turned-archaeologist claimed to have discovered the city of Troy at the hill now called Hisarlik – about three miles from the Dardanelles. However, his claims are still disputed today. Before tackling the question of whether the Trojan War actually occurred, we must ask in what form. What exactly do we mean by “the Trojan War”? There is no definitive version of the events in the war, as our knowledge of it comes from a myriad different sources. Then we should consider Schliemann’s discoveries, and the other archaeological evidence for the Trojan War. Finally, after we have defined “Trojan War” in context of archaeology and historical fact, we must then draw conclusions about the extent to which archaeology proves its historical authenticity.
At this site, scientists found a ditch that was used as a defensive barrier. This ditch was two meters deep and was easy for men surpass this obstacle. But horses weren’t able to get over this wall, and horses were considered a somewhat extraordinary tool in battle. Horses were very unlikely in Troy’s climate area and so they were a great commodity. Scientist that excavated this site believe that they have found the remains of human bones and skeletons of men who might have died in the Trojan War. These scientist found millions of bones since 1988 in the area where Homer says the Trojan War was fought.
The decision of Achilleus is a crucial moment in understanding how fate works in epic (Homerian) literature. Thetis tells Achilleus of his opportunity to win renown as the greatest warrior of all time, earning glory through his fearless acts in battle against a foe who is sure to overcome the Achaians. The fate of ten years of attack on Troy hinge upon the decision of Achilleus, who is given the choice to win glory for the Achaians and, more importantly, himself.
In the book The Trojan War, by Bernard Evslin, Ulysses and Agamemnon both contribute to the Greek’s victory. Many considered Ulysses to be the real brains behind the Greek forces. Although Agamemnon was the leader of the Greeks, many would say he was not a good one. Even though Agamemnon did some good deeds during the war, many of his actions caused problems, and Ulysses often had to come to his rescue.
To those who already knew the stories of the Trojan War heroes (which all of the original Greek audience of the epic would),
The argument against the site can supported by saying that the site could have belonged to civilizations other than Troy. However, the lack of definitive answers on the historicity of Troy is reason the University should have purchased the collection. With such “a rare and valuable collection of Trojan, Greek, and Roman antiques,” the University would have been able to validate the historicity of the site as being or not being Troy (“Terrell to Walton” 4). Subsequently, this would have allowed scholars at the University to make progress in answering the age old question: did Homeric Troy exist? If the site was not Troy, the University would have still aided archaeologists by ruling this site out, narrowing the search window, and allowing the search for Troy to move
The book The Spartacus War by Barry Strauss is an in depth look at one of Roman history’s most legendary events, the gladiator revolt led by Spartacus. Spartacus has become a legend, creating a storyline that has inspired many movies and television shows, such as Stanley Kubrick’s epic Spartacus in 1960, starring the legendary Kirk Douglas. Spartacus has inspired a perfect mix of men over time with various backgrounds and beliefs, from Stalin and Marx, to Voltaire, and even to Ronald Reagan. How though, did Spartacus create a massive revolt of slaves that would create a massive problem for the mighty Rome? Strauss attempts to create a chronology of the Spartacus War using his vast knowledge of the Italian landscape, ancient documents, and archaeological evidence, as well as provide the reader with the historical reasons that might have created a perfect combination of causes to create the Spartacus legend.
Throughout our lives, we continuously misinterpret events that happen to us. For example, when told by our loyal friends we are arrogant, we tend to reply with, “You are just jealous you are not successful as I am.” One can say misinterpretation occurs because we are afraid of the truth. However, honestly, the simple answer is misinterpretations is in human nature. For millions of years, people persistently misinterpret events, believing their opinions are always correct. This happens to the best of us, including the Trojans and Julius Caesar. During the Trojan War, the Trojans received a giant wooden horse from the Greeks. Believing the gift was a given to them by the gods for winning the war, they accepted the present. However, the Trojans purposely misinterpreted the gift since they wanted to believe they won the Trojan War. It was due to their misinterpretation that caused them to lose the battle. Similar to the Trojans, Julius Caesar
Countless defining moments of Greece’s chiliad could be dated back to the hostile rivalry between the two superior cities at that time, Troy and Greece. Ranging from the legendary Trojan War to the battle of imperial dominance, the abhorrent ambience between Troy and Greece have created many of the most storied myths and novels of all time. However, there is one myth that is not as recognized as the others, but has shaped the rivalry to a greater depth and is the origin behind dew, the myth of the Tears of Troy.
McKay, J/P/, Hill, B.D., Buckler, J., Ebrey, P.B., Beck, R.B., Crowston, C.H., & Wiesner-Hanks, M.E. (2008). A History of World Societies, Volume A: From Antiquity to 1500. New York, NY: Bedford/St. Martin's
Schliemann wrote extensively about his excavation, both with books and articles that he sent to major news publications such as The Times and The Daily Telegraph. In these writings he detailed his findings and created a new level of fascination and excitement in the city of Troy and the Trojan War. Whilst what he wrote at times was somewhat embellished as was his style the interest he generated helped make the story of the Trojan War and the city of Troy become a more well known story and location. This interest he helped generate around the site along with the findings of his assistant Wilhelm Dörpfeld helped increase public interest at the time in Ancient Greek Mythology. It is by creating this interest in the story of the Trojan War and the city of Troy that Schliemann helped secure an interest in the site well into the future. Whilst this isn’t a direct contribution to the historical investigation of the Trojan War it did open a new interest in Archaeology in the general
The Battle of Troy, also known as the Trojan War; the Bronze Age conflict between the kingdoms of Troy and Mycenaean Greece. Greece is a peninsula, which is the size of Louisiana. It is very close to Egypt. It’s also has a very mountainous landform. Because of where they were located this helped them develop a great navy for trading and fighting. Helen’s husband Menelaus talked his brother into his brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, to lead an expedition to go and get her In order to win things for the journey that they were going on, Agamemnon ended up sacrificing his daughter Iphigenia to Artemis. Agamemnon had many Greek heroes with him for the expedition; Achilles, Odysseus, Nestor and Ajax, plus many more.
The lines between reality and fantasy might be meshed together, particularly when Zeus, Hera, and other gods become involved in the war. There is every likelihood that the Iliad and the traditions of the Trojan War, however immortalized in epic narrative, do indeed preserve a memory of actual events of the Late Bronze Age. In addition to the Greek literary evidence from both Homer and the Epic Cycle. More than three thousand years after the original events, some variation thereof, or misunderstanding and warping of an original story took place took place.