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/
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.
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.
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
To those who already knew the stories of the Trojan War heroes (which all of the original Greek audience of the epic would),
Throughout the Ancient Greek world, there have been many wars and standoffs. However, there has been only one which changed the course of Greek history forever; the Peloponnesian War. Caused by the growing tension between Athens and Sparta, it came and left, leaving only destruction in its wake. The defeat of Athens in the Peloponnesian War caused the downfall of Greece, and the end of the Classical Age.
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.
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
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.
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 gods in power, like Zeus, exhibit bias, dishonor, betrayal, deception, and many other humanly characteristics. One memorable scene is when Zeus and Poseidon are in conflict with each other over the Achaens versus the Trojans. Zeus controls the battle by “lifting the famous runner Achilles’ glory higher,” (Homer 13: 404). Zeus plays both sides in this scene, acting like a double agent which is dishonorable. Zeus’s bias is prevalent throughout the poem; specifically, he is “bent on wiping out the Argives, down to the last man,” (Homer 12: 81-82). Just like mortals such as Agamemnon and Achilles view each other with suspicion and intolerance, the gods experience identical emotions of wariness, anger, and irritation. This human-like behavior is not restricted to Zeus. Later in the text, Hera lies to Aphrodite to use her powers to manipulate her own husband Zeus. If one looks at Hera as a heavenly entity, her reaction may not make sense, but when it is viewed as a manifestation of human emotion, it become almost reasonable. Her scheming response to Zeus’s meddling with the war is spurred by her support for the Trojans. Hera’s manipulation and Aphrodite’s ego don’t stand alone as examples of this divine humanity. These instances suggest that the deities are being presented in this unique way to help explain behavior of the humans in The
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%
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
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