The War From The Realm Of Myth And Poetry

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

The Greek forces won the Trojan War. The story of the war is a cornerstone of Greek legend, and pervaded Greek literature and culture. Though the evidence for the Trojan War as historical fact is scarce, it was a formative event in Greek cultural memory, producing some of the classical world’s most famous heroes and narratives. The War was won, Helen was retrieved from Paris, whose violation of ξενία was redressed, the heroes attained the κλέος that many of them fought for – and yet the positive outcomes of the Trojan War are difficult to grasp. For the victims of the Trojan War, the tragedy is obvious; the War ended in genocide and total cultural destruction. But such a war, burnt into legend, should have left the victors far better off; and yet, the Greek heroes only suffer because of it. They die tragic, dishonourable deaths; their households are left in ruin; their families are torn apart. From both modern and classical perspectives, the Trojan War is a tragedy, a “harrowing destruction of life” (Euripides, Andromache, 291). The victory is pyrrhic, the loss of life is horrific, the reparations non-existent.

Barry Strauss organizes his summary of the Trojan War by referencing Homer 's the Iliad and the Odyssey and compares it to the historical contexts of what he thinks happened. Most scholars agree that the Trojan War dates back around 1200 B.C. during the Bronze Age. The most popular tale of how the Trojan War starts is when Paris, Prince of Troy, goes to visit Sparta to mend relations. In Sparta, Paris is welcomed by Menelaus, King of Sparta and his beautiful wife Helen. According to ancient sources, Menelaus went to Crete for business and foolishly left Helen all alone with Paris (Strauss, 15). Afterward, Helen is seduced by Paris and flees Sparta to accompany him back to Troy, along with bountiful treasures.

The Trojan War is described as one of histories most legendary battles. This battle is told to have lasted ten years, resulting in the eventual collapse of Troy, under the siege of Greek forces. Modern knowledge of the Trojan War has survived mainly through the account given in Homer’s Illiad, and while having proved to be a rich source of inspiration for other writers, artists, and even filmmakers in recent history, much speculation still exists surrounding his account. I will analyze modern interpretations of the Trojan War and examine both speculation and support for Homer’s account. Concluding with sufficient evidence that has been collected surrounding this epic battle, proving Homer’s account of a massive battle between these two powerful city states to not be just a tale of myth and legend, but actual history.

Until the 19th century it actually was widely believed that Troy and the Trojan War were imaginary. It was not until 1871 that German-born American citizen Heinrich Schliemann excavated a site in Turkey. Schliemann surprised many by discovering the lost city of Troy. Although Schliemann did discover the ruins of Troy destroyed much of the discovery, he ‘blasted’ his way down into the lower levels. Schliemann however discovered nine cities at the sight, one on top of the other. Today we believe that cities six and seven seem to be the cities that the Trojan War was likely to be fought in.

The Trojan War. The Epic war. The war of Homer, and Hektor, and Achilles. It is so well known to us, yet so remote. Yet are the works of Homer mere flights of fantasy? Or is there some small (or even large) degree of truth to the stories that he so vividly brings to life in the Iliad and the Odyssey? Can it be demonstrated that far from being a culture-myth, the Trojan war was in fact a real event. This paper considers the evidence for the historicity of the Trojan war, utilising evidence from within the Homeric texts, archaeological and epigraphic evidence. The best approach to this issue is to ask a set of fundamental questions that underpin the issue of the Trojan War's historicity. These questions are:

The Trojan War has always been a mystery to many people, archaeologists, and historians. Troy, where the Trojan War was said to occur, was first mentioned in Homer’s Iliad. No one can truly prove if the Trojan War did or did not happen. In recent years studies have shown new evidence as to how the Trojan War may have happened. Researchers have made discoveries to help decipher why the Trojan War occurred. Artifacts found on land, the capital of the Roman Empire as well as a holy city, and Troy’s topography shows why the Trojan War happened and answers questions about why people may have doubts.

Tales of Waria, a critically acclaimed feature documentary, defines Indonesia’s “Waria” Community as one where biological men choose to live openly as women. (Tales of the Waria. Dir. Kathy Huang. New Day Films, 2011. Film.). Warias are historically and culturally significant members of the Indonesian society as they were known to be the “protectors of the Ottoman Kings.” (In-class discussion, November 22, 2016). Being home to the largest Muslim population today, Indonesia accepts the Warias as part of their society and culture, though not without suspicions and prejudice.

Despite there was no available primary sources, people still believed that the Trojan war was still in fact a historical event. When Herodotus, the ‘Father of History’, whom lived in the fifth century BC, asked the Egyptian whether this even happened although there was no other written sources besides Homer’s, perhaps written in late sixth century, BC. Where Homer states what could potentially has happened although historians have relied keeping into his piece of writing. (17 p27). Blaise Pascal wrote in Pensees that he believed that in Homer’s poems, the characters were not real and he only wrote this poem believing it will never make history and the book was to solely amuse others.

The Trojan War is a topic that comes with many discussions, questions, and beliefs that many people even today are looking into. The Iliad, created by Homer, is the oldest record many Historians use to start their research on the Trojan War. Unfortunately, his version of the Trojan War was made 480 years after it occurred, which leaves many people to question if Homer’s story was true or not. In today’s times we still may not have all the answers of the Trojan War but we do have evidence and possibilities of there being one. The Trojan War is discussed by many Historians of their different views and findings that we continue today to learn more about. Historians have analyzed, researched, and discovered new theories to the Trojan War from

After the readings, I believe that there was not a historical Trojan War. I believe Homer’s poems were historically inaccurate and just a fictional form of writing. These poems were mythical and made as a story for the public. Also, archaeological evidence fails to show proof of a major war, but instead shows that Troy may have been a major trade center which can cause tension and conflict between societies.

What is beauty? Some may say Helen is and was the definition of beauty. Can beauty be born or be simply made by the Gods. Beauty in this epic tale in The Iliad had the power to make any man do anything, Helen being a famous female character in this ancient time made the power of beauty strike. In this period of time walked many strong warriors, many famous warriors. But they all seemed to let Helen has the power. When being this beautiful I believe it came with a big price. She was blamed for the war. She was called the innocent, the guilty, the dangerous, the sinful, the irresponsible, and the woman who “launched a thousand ships”. She was blamed because these men were fools to her beauty. A woman’s beauty can’t possibly be the cause for all this death and destruction. But in the epic tale of The Iliad, these men made Helen the most powerful one of them all.

Many authors have pieced together different stories of the historic war. This draws a red flag as if this is if this is a popular myth or an actual historic event. The Trojan War can be called a myth because it uses supernatural forces, such as gods and demi gods, to teach a story and history to future generations. Its main purpose was to keep history alive, which has been done well beyond expected. The story of the Trojan War has been expanded and elaborated by several authors making it a myth and unrealistic in a historical stance. The story has also been passed down through several time periods and translated into different languages, the interpretation and language of the story could have also been

Barry Strauss, professor of classics at Cornell University attempts to redefine a one of history’s biggest love affairs, the Trojan War. Strauss explains how certain events and characters from Homers “The Odyssey” might have actually existed, but also uses modern discoveries from the Bronze Age to compare Homers account to those of Egypt, the Middle East, and etc. While Homer’s epic should not be read as a historical document which recounts the Trojan War hundred percent accurately, it can still be seen as document which embodies some historical truth. The novel as a whole explains the customs, economic standing, fighting styles and beliefs of the Greeks. Strauss’s writing style allows for the book to be accessible to both students and historians. He argues that just like Franz Ferdinand was the spark which ignited World War 1, Helen on the other hand was just a spark which escalated an existing tension between the Greeks and Trojans. Strauss’s personal input on the war itself gives the novel a different outlook on the Trojan War because, it allows for readers to see beyond the facts and make connections with ideas that Strauss had made with recent discoveries and Homers epic.

What was the intended message and intended audience of both texts? What evidence tells you this?