The Trojan War - Fact or Fiction - 1674 Words

The Trojan War Ââ€" Fact or Fiction? The Trojan War. Confined totally to the pages of Homers The Illiad, the indulgent fantasy of a Greek poet who lived over two and a half thousand years ago- or a historic fact at the centre of the most famous quarrel ever? The Illiad is the ancient tale of a mighty city called Troy that lay at the edge of Asia Minor whose prince abducted Helen, the most beautiful woman of all time, from the king of Greek Sparta, causing the Greeks to send an army in a thousand ships to attack and lay siege to Troy for 10 years. Historians have long doubted the credibility of Homer as a reliable historical source. However evidence has been uncovered by archaeologists to suggest that The Iliad has some basis in truth†¦show more content†¦The city that was revealed had characteristics of classical Greek and Roman times- a much later period. Korfmann noticed one faint feature that was out of place- a deep ditch cut into rock that marked the boundary of the lower city. Korfmann surmised that it s purpose was to keep enemy chariots from entering the city, located it in the fields below and found remains from the late Bronze Age buried in it. This evidence proves that the ditch marked the boundary of the city in the late Bronze Age, making the city a lot larger than was originally thought with a population of between four and eight thousand and completely supporting Homers description of Troy. Korfmanns team found that Bronze Age Troy had been destroyed by war and burnt to the ground. They found evidence of violence, arrowheads and sling pellets heaped together suggesting close quarter fighting and many skeletons are found e.g. the skeleton of a sixteen year old girl with burnt feet. That a young girl would be buried rapidly in a public place is highly unlikely unless the city was under attack resulting in civilians dying in the streets. Homer states that it was Mycenae that attacked Troy, and two and a half thousand years later modern archaeology supports him. The excavation of Mycenae as it was in the Bronze Age revealed that all roads in the country led to Mycenae, indicating that it was the centre of Greek civilization and therefore also the political centre Ââ€" any expedition ledShow MoreRelatedTrojan War: Fact or Fiction?1298 Words   |  5 PagesThe war began with a grand wedding between Peleus, the son of Aeacus, and Thetis, the sea-goddess. Eris, the goddess of discord, was not invited to the wedding. Enraged at this, she stormed into the wedding and threw a golden apple of discord on a table. The apple had the inscription â€Å"For the fairest† a quarrel soon arose between three powerful goddesses. The three goddesses; Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena all wanted the title of fairest. They wanted to Zeus to be the judge of this contest. NotRead MoreAnalysis Of The Iliad And The Odyssey785 Words   |  4 Pagesthought of as works of fiction, but there has been data proving otherwise. What if these epics could be scientifically proven to have actually happened? The epics take place near Greece during 12th century BC, following the hero named Odysseus as he fights in the Trojan War, and journeys home. Although the piece of literature features mythical creatures, magic, and unrealistic circumstances, we shouldn’t immediately disregard the idea of the literature being completely non-fiction. Archaeological evidenceRead MoreBarry Strausss The Trojan War1664 Words   |  7 Pagesis fiction, whereas some believe that it is nonfiction. As seen in Barry Strauss’s The Trojan War: A New History, the author argues that the Trojan War was significant and then shows evidence from as of late that supports the concept of the Trojan War actually occurring. Throughout his book he explains and gives insight into what happened during the Trojan War and how it developed based off of Homer’s writing. Strauss’s sole purpose is to inspect what was previously said about the Trojan War andRead MoreThe war between the Trojans and the Achaeans, which resulted in the Fall of Troy1084 Words   |  5 PagesA war is a behavior patterned of organized violent conflict, which the causes are extreme aggression, societal disruption and high mortality. It involves two or more groups which has found a conflict which may not be resolved, only through war. In all cases, there is always one participant or group which remains successful at the end. Leaders always enter a war with their nation even though they s ay their actions were defensive; however when viewed objectively, their actions may more closely be dueRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s The Iliad 1348 Words   |  6 PagesFor thousands of years the Trojan War, spoken of in Homer s epic poem the Iliad, has been believed to have been a legend made up by Homer rather than a poem based on historical fact. It was only in 1865 that archeologists began digging up Hissarlik, the supposed site of Troy based on the Iliad, situated in Troad in the North-West of the Asian Minor. The first archeologist at this site, Frank Calvert, was convinced that Hissarlik was the site of the ancient city of Troy. After numerous archeologicalRead MoreAchilles, Aeneas, and Roland979 Words   |  4 Pagesget through their very insecure days, people would tell oral stories of great heroes, like those of Achilles, Aeneas, and Roland. Achilles was a Greek war hero who fights in the Trojan War, a ten year long war between Greece and Troy (present day Turkey). Aene as was an epic hero in ancient Roman folklore. He was a soldier who fought in the Trojan War and after surviving the destruction of Troy, he later founded the city of Rome. Roland was an epic hero of the Franks, a Germanic tribe in present dayRead MoreThe Trojan War Essay1479 Words   |  6 Pageshas gone into the excavations there by many archaeologists, and many interesting artefacts have been found. The story of the Ancient City of Troy is a great one, however many people believed it didn’t exist and that Homers Iliad, the story of the Trojan War was just some story. This has since been proved untrue as the city of Troy was discovered, and the pieces of this amazing puzzle have fallen together. Homer described Troy as an exceptionally large city with large high powerful walls, wide streetsRead MoreThe Odyssey by Homer1210 Words   |  5 Pagesoverhears reciting two poems, one is an account of the Trojan War, the other a love story between two of the gods. Odysseus then a sks Demodocus to return to the theme of the Trojan wars, specifically about the Trojan horse, which he played a large role in executing. Odysseus accidently reveals his identity to Demodocus since he cannot hide his passion for the event. Prompted by Demodocus, Odysseus recounts the events since the end of the Trojan War. Odysseus then goes on to tell the stories of theRead MoreHomer’S Two Tales, The Iliad And The Odyssey, Are Both1749 Words   |  7 Pageswith our culture today. Homer is a name that needs little introduction, but to understand ones works you must first possess the right knowledge of the creator of said works. For the longest time the Iliad and Odyssey were considered historical fact by most all the way up until approximately the 17th century CE (Burgess, 21). The term â€Å"creator† may not even be correct since many scholars now believe that â€Å"Homer† is likely a number of different poets and authors who either came together to createRead MoreThe Odyssey vs the Lord of the Rings1526 Words   |  7 Pagescertainly is present in the Greek myths, for example, or in Homer’s epic poems that draw on these myths—both of which describe a world in which men and gods mix freely, a world that is no more. Tolkien’s own work is something between mythology and fiction, locating itself in a middle ground between a past that is remembered only in song and the everyday present of the reader. This sense of ancientness is constantly present, brought to life in chants, poems, and graven inscriptions. As Tolkien shows