Trojan wars

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To what extent can the details of the Trojan Wars described by Homer in the Iliad be proven? Are these events mere myth or can Homer be considered in any way a reflection of real events and “real” history?


The Trojan Wars seemed to be an event, which occurred sometime in the 1th century B.C. This story has been recorded in many different ways but has been recorded first and foremost in the two books written by a man called Homer.


The only written source and recordings of the Trojan Wars is from Homer, written in his two books “The Iliad and the odyssey” The search for the remains from the war began from this famous tale.


Both of Homer’s books are based on the classic tale that was transmitted orally or handed down from the actual time of the event for five hundred years before it was finally put to paper, and recorded in written from. “Homer lived before 700B.C in the coast of Turkey an ionic new world, which saw the birth of psalms and philosophy.” Before the story was written it could have been possible for it to change drastically before Homer recorded it. There is also the Roman equivalent called the Aneid. Known for the language that maintains rhythm, structure, metaphors, themes and repetition the main points are emphasised and easily put forward clearly to the reader. The text is repeated in chunks, lines, motifs and phrases to make it more memorable. Homer reproduces human themes in a human event ; he used these themes to demonstrate the actual events that could have occurred in history. Even in translated form he manages to capture the reader’s imagination. The older the translations are the more accurate they have proven to be. 550 B.C is the age that the earliest texts or manuscripts have dated from. They are now in the Modigi library in Florence . The tale describes the archaeological image of war and universal suffering, the destruction of cultures and the religious Mycenaean Gods who for entertainment purposes are the cause for the beginning of the wars. He describes actual sites, locations and objects some of which have been thought to have been found or located today. He creates an entertaining and interesting story that due to its increasing popularity it has continued to be told for three thousand years. Homer was not a historian. He wrote to entertain. The question that is to be answered is Homer telling this story just for entertainment purposes and is recalling a myth or was history a major feature in his tale? Why was the story passed down orally for so many years? This story has had such an impact on our human culture; there must be a reason for the story to last for so long.


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Homer describes Troy in such a way, with such suspense and metaphorical meaning that archaeologists were drawn to the tale to uncover more. Homer describes the sophisticated cities with such detail that they suggest that they could have existed. He describes them as wealthy, traders who created well-built walls, had wide streets and were known for their excellent horse breeding skills. The people were war-like and brutal and strongly believed their lives were controlled by the gods. The people’s central authority was based at the city of Mycenae; the cities were almost always built with great walls and were situated on hills or naturally defended areas that were either high or rocky. There were high towers and palaces built like a fortress. The cities tended to be Citadels . Homer explains that there was a break in the western wall, that some walls were breached and that the city was sacked and burned. He describes that the entire royal family was exterminated. He tells of one thousand ships, of a wooden horse and mentions over one hundred cities including Sparta, Thebes, Pylos, Mycenae and Orchonmenos. The period Homer is describing is clearly the Mycenaean period . Homer’s writing points to a real society and civilisation. To some extent Homer’s descriptions have been archeologically proven. If Homer can identify real geographical areas, real places, real sites and walls is he talking about a real war? Homer’s style, identity and Bardic texts affect our understanding of the validity of the Trojan wars. To prove Homer’s stated facts, they must be first be pieced together with evidence to find the site of Troy.


With this first step we can slowly start to prove if the events were mere myth or a reflection of “real” history.


The story of Troy tells of the last great adventure of the heroic age. It begins with a golden apple and an impossible choice. Three great goddesses, Hera, Athene and Aphrodite ask Paris of Troy to ask who is the loveliest. This is just the beginning of the story, the story of beautiful Helen and the judgement of Paris; of the gathering of the heroes, and the siege of Troy; of Archilles reared by the Centaur on wild Honey and the marrow of lions; of Odysseus and the great strategy of the first wooden horse, and of his many adventures on his long journey home to Greece .


“The legend has been told and told again, passed down for thousands of years. Yet they still remain as vivid and exiting as they were all those years ago” .


The excitement and suspense to figure out if these events really did exist has consequently made many archaeologists search for the Trojan wars. Research to see how much of Homer’s story was true and how much is myth has taken place numerous times over the years, and has created many new ideas, theories and discoveries from different people. All the different opinions have contributed to trying to uncover history, which in turn has made up history itself.


Any book or reading material can be read or interpreted in different ways. Many believe that Homer’s poetry contained many metaphors that were symbols for “real” events that may have actually occurred. Helen herself could have been the metaphor for the women flax weavers that were often stolen from the Asian coast by the Myceneans/Trojans and bought back as slaves. She could have also been a metaphor for the riches of Troy and the Black sea trade that the Mycenaeans did not have access to as it was controlled by the Trojans. The wooden horse may have been a metaphor for an earthquake. Particularly because at this time the horse was also a symbol for earthquakes and the God Poseidon (normally associated with the sea) or the Roman equivalent Neptune who was associated with natural disasters . Was the entire story a metaphor for the end of the Bronze Age? Perhaps the hidden messages were purposely created metaphorically so that in years to come we would be able to discover the code and realize “real” history was being described here.


The three main archaeology heroes that made the biggest impact on discovering the Trojan wars were Schlieman, Blegan, and Dorpfeld; each had a huge contribution and passion to uncovering the story of Troy and proving that it actually may have occurred.


Schlieman was one of the first archaeologists. As Archaeology was a new science he discovered, found and established some very important details that were the first of their kind at this time. Although some mistakes were made he was doing it to the best of his ability and did manage to teach his followers of the problems he had and of the achievements he made. Schlieman had the Drive, bravery and the money to travel out there and begin to dig. Schlieman discovered what was thought to be his version of Troy, in Hisalick named Troy VI. While Schlieman was the first to dig in levels he made a major mistake by digging straight to the bottom and ruining all of the upper layers. He believed Troy was at the bottom but was really on the third or fourth level. Schlieman’s main source of research was Homer’s Iliad. At first he couldn’t find any evidence of the city because he didn’t have a proper understanding of what he was looking at. The search for Troy with the big “strong walls” and that was “rich in gold” seemed impossible; this was especially as he was looking at the wrong level . In 187 a miraculous treasure was uncovered. Schlieman found some elements of the Gold he was looking for as well as copper and silver items. Suddenly Homer’s past was coming to life. He found hundreds of rings, earrings and jewels. He believed they were the Jewels of Helen herself but they were found to have been dated one thousand years too early. “Everything I discovered appeared strange and mysterious” Frank Calburt stated.


Schlieman also found a Bronze Age citadel under a Roman Hellenistic city; the city had great walls, evidence of war, and Mycenaean pottery. Nine layers were uncovered in Hisalick. This makes a connection between Troy and Mycenae, and proves they existed at the same time. No one had ever done this before. All of these discoveries were described exactly by Homer, as he was describing something that could be proved true, it is possible that other details described by Homer could be proved true also. He also identified the prehistoric Greek and Mycenaean ages accurately. Schlieman found frescoes, murals and paintings; whether he discovered Troy or not he still found many new things and the world that Homer was describing seemed to exist.


Dörpfeld was another archaeologist that discovered new artefacts. He was an architect and archaeologist. His major discoveries were Troy VI and much evidence about Troy VI. Here he found evidence of total destruction and also found signs of a struggle and warfare. His Troy was also a rich city that like Homer described had “great walls” and “tall towers”. Dörpfeld uncovered pottery, bronze weapons, arrow heads and axes which all supported the theory that war occurred here. The Troy that Dörpfeld uncovered (VII A) Is the city that is believed to be the closest to Homer’s descriptions .


Finally there was Blegen the archaeologist that was the most technologically advanced. Blegen was an American; he had a fresh new vision a “modern” way of thinking and formed his own ideas and theories. Blegen began excavating his site of Troy VII A the Shanty Town, which was at the height 1th century B.C situated in Mycenae. He excavated further with an American team and at this time knew more accurate and scientific methods of excavation. Blegen discovered that there was clear evidence of an earthquake occurring from architectural remains. In his Troy he found remnants of a lost civilisation, grinders, ovens, fireplaces, bins, slop trays, wine dispensers, an arrow head and sunken storage jars were all uncovered. All of these discoveries were proven scientifically to be destroyed by fire . Blegen also made a remarkable discovery, which cancelled out some past theories that had been hypothesized. In Pylos known as “sandy Pylos” he discovered some tablets with writing on them. The writing was named Linear B. No one had ever excavated around this area before and so he made a great discovery. The text was a very difficult and archaic form but was translated as a very early Greek style. The translation indicated that at the time of the Trojan wars there was an emergency situation and there was a need for more soldiers, weapons and supplies; it clearly describes a city on the brink of war . Especially as like Homer described the Mycenaean world seemed to be preparing for war. A clear indication that “real” history had been shown to some extent here.


Many other records that provide more support to the extent the wars can be proven are the Hittite, pottery, fresco and Egyptian records. The Hittite records are a non-subjective record that recalled the events that occurred in that region. They explained Troy’s downfall after being attacked from the sea. Pottery and fresco records allow the rate of technology to be measured and to see the style of art used. Art represents one aspect of the original information displayed. The Egyptian records were found in tombs of Egyptian kings who were living at the time of the Trojan wars. Many artefacts from Mycenaean cities were found indicating that trade contacts had been made and the rich goods indicate prosperity.


With the combination of all of the facts we are able to conjure a conclusion, depending on how history is written we can see here that there are as many conclusions as beginnings.


The many hypothetical statements, discoveries and deciphering have meant that many conclusions have been made. There is no right conclusion. “In archaeology truth depends on interpretation” meaning that “Everybody’s Troy is different from everybody else’s Troy” . With all of the archaeologists that devoted themselves to locating the truth, with Homer, the other records and the artefacts themselves we can measure the extent to which we can prove the Trojan wars. But without all of this clearly we would be far from knowing if the wars were just myth or a reflection of “real” history, each discovery brings us a step closer to proving the Wars but without more evidence the forever-famous tale will always remain a mystery.


Bibliography


1. Bahn Paul G. (ed.) (16) “The Story of Archaeology”. London George Weidenfeld & Nicoloson Ltd.


. Lancelyn Green R. (158) “Heroes of Greece and Troy”. London Penguin Books Ltd.


. Lancelyn Green R. (158) “The Tale of Troy”. London Penguin Books Ltd


4. Khanduri Kamini (18) “Tales of the Trojan War” London Usborne Publishing Ltd


5. Lawless J., Cameron K., Young C. (16) “Unlocking the Past” Victoria, Melbourne Nelson Australia Pty Limited


6. Roebuck C. (166) “The World of Ancient Times” USA Charles Scribner’s Son’s


7. Usborne (11) “The Usborne Book of Ancient World” London Usborne


8. Woods M. (185) “In search of the Trojan Wars” Video.


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