Why Did The Trojan War Happen

665 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What role does zeus play in the iliad

The Trojan war is a very controversial topic on if it did happen, or if it didn’t happen. Some archaeologists believe that the Trojan war was more than one battle, in more than one location, some people believe it is all a myth. Because there is no sufficient evidence that the Iliad is true, I think that it happened, but not how it was described in The Iliad. With the finding of the believed to be the city of Troy, to the jewelry of Helen, I still believe that the battle of Troy didn’t happen the way Homer described. Firstly the city of Troy has never been found, which has most people believing of the that the battle of Troy did not happen. All of the cities believed to be the location of Troy have some piece of the description by Homer in …show more content…

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. In summary, there is no solid evidence the battle of Troy did or didn’t happen. In whichever way you look at it, it could be said to happen or not have happened. Archaeologists are still trying to find the exact location of Troy, or family of Helen. No genetic proof is available to prove anyone is real… or if it is just a myth. Overall some groups of people have spent years trying to prove that the battle of Troy did or didn’t happen, but Homer didn’t describe the truth so the factual evidence isn’t there to make one idea 100%

Show More
Related

  • The Historic Accuracy of Homer’s Iliad

    2935 Words  | 6 Pages

    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 The reliability of Homers Iliad as a true historical document has been challenged for hundreds of years and only through archaeological studies can the truth be deciphered.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.

    Read More

  • Black Ships Before Troy Argumentative Essay

    944 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Trojan War is one of the most known battle or war in history, if not the most known. It was a very, very long war, but there was one main source or reason of conflict that drove it to last so long, it seemed endless. Paris, a Trojan prince, was promised a wife as fair as the goddess of beauty by Aphrodite herself. The particular woman she promised was already married to a Greek King by the name of Menelaus. This started not only tension between the Greeks and Trojans but also anger because they were recently married.Helen should have returned to the Greeks for a few reasons that could have led to a shorter war, or even no war.First off, Greek King Menelaus is her rightfully wedded husband. The war would have been totally prevented if a couple of decisions were better made. Finally, she never really was in love with Paris. It was all manipulated by Aphrodite.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Self-Serving Bias In The Aeneid

    1976 Words  | 4 Pages

    After he says this, the Trojans give him their full trust and decide to take the horse into Troy. This quote also displays the deception of the Greeks, because what happens turns out to be the total opposite of what Sinon says. When Laocoon objects about allowing the giant wooden horse into the city, a serpent devours him; consequently, this causes the Trojans to believe that the Gods want the horse to be accepted into Troy. After all of the Trojans fall asleep, the Greek army exits the hollow stomach of the horse and destroy the city of Troy.The Aeneid depiction of the Greeks shows them as untrustworthy people who use trickery and lies to win a battle rather than using sheer intelligence. The Trojans are seen in a much better lighting than the Greeks in the Aeneid. While Sinon uses his lies to deceive the Trojans, the Trojans listen and believe what he

    Read More

  • Archaeology and the Trojan War

    1694 Words  | 4 Pages

    Perhaps a more suitable question would be “Has archaeology proved the historicity of the Iliad?”, or even “Did the version of events Heroditus describes have any foundation in truth?”. If the existence of Troy itself is uncertain, then the historicity of the war can only be more so. Bibliography Ancient Sources:.. Homer, the Aeneid, translated by Samuel Butler, taken from www.patroclos.de. Homer, the Aeneid, translated by T.E. Lawrence (Wordsworth, 1995).

    Read More

  • Theme Of Loyalty In The Iliad

    1060 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Iliad by Homer is an epic poem separated in different books or chapters that shows a fictionalized account of the Trojan War. Book 6: Hector Returns to Troy is the specific portion of the poem that is being covered in this essay. Hector from the Iliad shows a very clear aspect of his personality, a strong sense of loyalty and tenderness for his loved ones and also his people by being on the front lines during the war and showing his people he is willing to fight with them and essentially sacrificing himself for his family. Hector even knows his forgiveness towards his brother, Paris even though Paris is the main reason the Trojan War is in existence.

    Read More

  • Troy vs. The Iliad

    1372 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion, although the Iliad is based upon Troy, it is not really fair to compare the two. A book and a movie are two entirely different things. It is almost like comparing apples to oranges. Homer’s Iliad is a classic tale, and even though many people might agree that such a masterpiece should not be tampered with, it is important to keep it alive and spread it to all those around.

    Read More

  • The Interference of Zeus

    1594 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Iliad is an epic poem and is one of the earliest works of ancient Greek literature (Murnaghan 2). According to most scholars, it was written by Homer in ancient Greece (Spievogel 47). The Iliad was considered by the Greeks to be Homer’s major work (Rieu 5). There is some debate as to who Homer really was, or if he was even responsible for The Iliad, but this had no bearing on the fact that The Iliad was important in Greek society (Murnaghan 8). The Iliad was most likely an oral story preserved over time and finally written down at the end of the Dark Ages (Murnaghan 3). It covers only a small portion of the ten year Trojan War. The Trojan War began over Helen, the wife of Gree...

    Read More

  • Rage of Achilles: A Study of Homer's Iliad

    2126 Words  | 5 Pages

    The momentary truce in book three showed that none of the men really wanted to battle, but now we see a sense of purpose and urgency. Both sides are fighting extremely rigorously and neither side wants to quit; they want to win. The Trojans’ decision to sleep outside near the Greeks shows a hunger for battle. When Homer describes this scene he compares their fires to shining stars in the night sky. It is a scene of peace and serenity. For a second we are able to forget about the constant battles and blood shed we’ve read about for eight books and live in this perfect moment. This book also sets up the return of Achilles. It has been very easy to forget that this is actually the story of Achilles’ rage. In the beginning of the story he said that he would sit out of the war until his fellow warriors realized how important he is. At this point in the story it seems as if his army has no chance of winning the war. They are cowering in their ships while the Trojans sleep just outside having a night of feasting and celebrating what seems like victory. I am almost certain that we will see the return of Achilles in book nine and another major shift in the

    Read More

  • Helen Iliad Analysis

    1724 Words  | 4 Pages

    Homer, Iliad is the narration of the Trojan war. The Trojan war was one of the most important and significant wars of Greek mythology, Homer described how the war was triggered by the abduction of the most beautiful women known as Helen. This paper will argue how the traditional view of this poem is accurate because it indeed was Helens beauty and her selfishness that sparked the Trojan war. Although Helen was not happy about the outcomes of her mistakes. This paper will present how Helen faced many forms of self judgment, how she created many relationships with significant characters, such as Paris, Priam and Aphrodite. Homers portrayal of this significant women was remarkable as we were able to feel her pain and anguish, the readers were

    Read More

  • The Classical Mythology

    1184 Words  | 3 Pages

    Homer is credited for writing epics that generate source materials for the modern world. The Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer are captivating stories with fascinating heroic characters. The Homer stories share with classical mythology typical recurrent motifs. The two Homer epic poems focus on the Trojan War, and its result. The epic poems contain the Greek mythology featuring the Greek gods, goddesses, mythological creatures, and the Greek heroes, and heroines. In addition, the principal motifs typical of classical mythological hero stories are; the dominance of fate, evil fighting against the gods, and death. In both the classic mythology, and he modern fiction hero stories, the heroes always have a helper in their expedition, but ultimately, they have to stand alone, face the darkness, and conquer it in order to become victorious.

    Read More

  • Homer Knew His Geography

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Homer knew his geography”, (ball, Philip, Nature News, Geologists show Homer got it Right) This is what researchers everywhere are acknowledging, especially after witnessing numerous excavation expeditions to the site that was thought to be Ancient Troy, Homer's Troy, the Troy referenced in the Iliad. Homer’s description of where the Trojan war had taken place in Ancient Greece was found to be accurate, having geographical, and archaeological facts that prove Troy is fact rather than fiction. (Ball, Philip) As a matter of fact, ruins discovered in Hisarlik, Turkey; ultimately, validate the location Homer described as Ancient Troy of the Iliad.

    Read More

  • Who was the Real Hero in Homer's The Iliad?

    914 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Iliad is not a story about the Trojan War at all, the war is just to set the stage for Homer to bring together the swift footed Achilles and Hector, the Prince of Troy, so they can be compared. The Iliad starts with how Achilles is dishonored by Agamemnon and withdraws from the war and ends with his return to the fight and eventually falling at the end. Hector is brought into the story and displays through his character what a real hero should be like.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Movie Troy And The Iliad

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    As we all know, Hollywood isn’t exactly accurate when it comes to the historical accuracy of movies. Although the Iliad is a myth, the movie Troy doesn’t follow the story quite as accurately as it could have. One major difference is the concept of time. In the Iliad, the battle spanned over a ten year period while in the movie, the battle only lasted about 17 days. However, it does have many similarities to the poem. Both the movie and the poem have similar plots as well as the feud of Achilles and Agamemnon, fall of Troy, the death of Patroclus, Achilles avenging the death of Patroclus and the supplication of Priam to Achilles. Other similarities include Thetis telling Achilles that if he is to stay home and refrain from fighting he will be forgotten. However, if he is to fight in the battle of Troy, he will be remembered forever. Another similarity can be found when Agamemnon confiscates Briseis from Achilles. There are many details in the movie that deviate from the epic poem as well. Some differences between the movie and the poem include the deaths of Agamemnon and Menelaus, the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, the portrayal of some of the characters and the role of the Gods in the plot. Also, according to the film, the capture of Troy seems to be the subject of the entire movie whereas in the epic poem, the subject is the wrath of Achilles. Also, the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is a little different. In the movie, Achilles and Patroclus are cousins and Patroclus is younger than Achilles. In the Iliad, Achilles and Patroclus are best friends. Patroclus is older than Achilles and acts as the advisor for Achilles. According to the epic poem, Achilles much more angry and violent than how he is portray...

    Read More

  • A Review of the Movie Troy

    802 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Trojans take the horse back to Troy and while everyone sleeps, the Spartans (who have been hiding inside the horse) open the gates of Troy to let in their army and burn Troy to the ground. In the process, Prince Paris sees Achilles trying to get Briseis to safety and Paris kills Achilles. Though we do see some similarities between the Iliad and Troy, these similarities are very loosely based. I think the movie made the characters seem less barbaric and some of the sets, especially the city of Troy, seemed a bit too elaborate. The movie, though enjoyable, was definitely not a factual representation of Homers classic Iliad.

    Read More

  • Allusions In The Iliad

    2512 Words  | 6 Pages

    The audience is dropped into the middle of a decade long conflict between the Greeks and Trojans, and the story continues from this point onward. The epic highlights the actions preceding the climax of the Trojan War, the duel of Hector and Achilles, the greatest heroes of the clashing nations. Allusions are made to past events, although the author, or authors, do not explore these allusions. The Iliad expects the reader to know of the fate of Achilles, arguably the most important character in the epic. An expectation of a knowledge base is reason to believe that the Iliad was heavily engrained in the epic cycle, so much so that single authorship could be dismissed. In contrast, The Odyssey follows Odysseus through space and time as he recounts past run-ins with Cyclopes, bondage to nymphs, and horrific scenes of warfare and retribution. The structure is much like that of the novel; the epic has a clear beginning, middle, and end. Between the two epics the Odyssey is often more appealing to modern readers. On the other side of the structure and coherence spectrum, the Iliad sets itself up to be all about the wrath of Achilles. The epic opens

    Read More

More about Why Did The Trojan War Happen

Open Document