Around 1200 B.C., a group of Greeks attacked Troy in modern Turkey. The Trojan War is now a legendary conflict. In reality, it was probably a glorified pirate raid. In the end, the Greeks plundered and torched Troy and the Trojan War passed into legend. Oral historians and story tellers kept the legend alive until Homer wrote it down in The Iliad around 800 B.C.
Hollywood tried to merge history with Homer in 2004's Troy. Here is the fight between Hector and Achilles as portrayed in Troy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf4IoxEUmHM
Showing posts with label Troy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Troy. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Thursday, May 7, 2009
The Trojan War (1200 BC)
Did the Trojan War occur? If so, did it happen in the way Homer describes? What is the evidence?
The places Homer names all exist and they are located as he describes. Next, during the period in question, the dominant Greek cultures engaged in raids. So, it is possible Homer's account is a glorified instance of Mycenaean Greeks plundering Troy.
Next, Troy was found over a century ago. At one level, there is evidence of a catastrophe which dates to the alleged war's era. So, there was a conflict at Troy at about the right time. However, there is no evidence that the people portrayed in the war exist. Considering the time elapsed since the Sack of Troy, it is logical to assume that evidence may no longer exist or has not been discovered yet. Also, the characters may have been a literary invention.
The most famous character was a woman. Helen supposedly launched a thousand ships. However, women were little better than property at this point in Greek history. It is unlikely Greeks would war over a woman UNLESS it was an excuse to plunder.
So, did the Trojan War occur? Probably. Was it as Homer describes? Probably not. What probably happened? Mainland Greeks used Helen's kidnapping as an excuse to raid and plunder Ilium (Troy). They burnt the city to the ground and killed all the inhabitants. The glory of the Trojan War comes from Homer and those that passed the stories down to us as opposed to the actual historical events.
The places Homer names all exist and they are located as he describes. Next, during the period in question, the dominant Greek cultures engaged in raids. So, it is possible Homer's account is a glorified instance of Mycenaean Greeks plundering Troy.
Next, Troy was found over a century ago. At one level, there is evidence of a catastrophe which dates to the alleged war's era. So, there was a conflict at Troy at about the right time. However, there is no evidence that the people portrayed in the war exist. Considering the time elapsed since the Sack of Troy, it is logical to assume that evidence may no longer exist or has not been discovered yet. Also, the characters may have been a literary invention.
The most famous character was a woman. Helen supposedly launched a thousand ships. However, women were little better than property at this point in Greek history. It is unlikely Greeks would war over a woman UNLESS it was an excuse to plunder.
So, did the Trojan War occur? Probably. Was it as Homer describes? Probably not. What probably happened? Mainland Greeks used Helen's kidnapping as an excuse to raid and plunder Ilium (Troy). They burnt the city to the ground and killed all the inhabitants. The glory of the Trojan War comes from Homer and those that passed the stories down to us as opposed to the actual historical events.
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