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/
Heinrich Schliemann’s archaeological break throughs on the “Tell of Hissarlik” provided a substantial awareness of the civilizations of the Bronze ages1 and hence our understanding of its relationship to Homeric Troy. Many aspects of the Historicity of Homeric Troy include the existence of the Trojan War, the accuracy of Homers Iliad and contributions of Schliemann and other Archaeologist.
Goldwyn, Adam J. "A Literary History of the Trojan War from Antiquity to the Middle Ages." Order No. 3426747 City University of New York, 2010. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Web. 13 ‘May 2014.
The City of Troy’s destination has been a mystery for hundreds of years until lately. Scientist now say that the mythological city of Troy existed on what is now called Turva. According to Homer’s Iliad and the Odyssey, scientist dug at a location written about by Homer in his tales of The Iliad and The Odyssey. Excavating the site where the Trojan War was fought, has brought lots of evidence to the prove that there was in fact a Trojan War. The research team at Turva found an early settlement, that appears to be a gravesite that dates back to Trojan times. Calculations of this area were measured at around twenty hectares.
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.
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.
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
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
During the Trojan war, was the Greek hero Achilles more selfish, or more self-preserving? There is much evidence supporting both claims, but only one is more prevalent.
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.
While there isn’t enough evidence to fully prove that the Trojan War described in Homer’s Iliad actually happened, there is evidence that wars may have happened during the time specified in the Iliad. Archaeologists and artefacts show that there was a war between Greece and Rome. Hittite records show that there was a military and political tensions around Troy around the 13th century which was around the time of the Trojan War written about in Homers Iliad.
First and most disappointing, was the absence of the Gods in the movie Troy. Divine intervention was a major variable in Homer’s Iliad. The Gods affected every aspect of this poem. While the Gods were mentioned and the viewers were made well aware that the characters believe in the Gods, the only God that was physically seen was Thetis, Goddess of the Sea and Achilles’ mother. One memorable quote from the movie was in a conversation between Achilles and Briseis. Briseis states, “All the Gods are to be feared and respected” (Troy 2004). Achilles answers by saying:
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
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