Why Did The Trojan War Socially Happen?

When viewing Basset’s anti-historical argument for the existence of Homer’s great epic through the lens of hindsight, one may view his argument as flawed or unfulfilling in today’s world filled with modern technology. With the ability to excavate and turn up centuries of dirt in search for clues with ease, the ability to look down on earth with crystal clear images from a satellite and other magnificent tools that allow historians to explore so much than what was readily available to those of Basset’s time-it is important to remember the significance of past works. While the views upon Basset’s argument may have changed due to new found evidence, the fact is that Basset still laid down the groundwork for research on the Heroic Age of Greece and still raises a great number of questions about Homer, his purpose and motives that modern historians should still ponder over, for the questions still must be answered. History as a whole is a collection of experiences, each building upon the other. Basset, while possibly outdated is still an important level in the foundation of history in the search for the truth about the heroic age of

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.

Schliemann was obsessed with the Iliad, having been read it as a child and seeing a depiction of Troy in a common history book by Ludwig Jerrer triggered his desire to find the remains of the city. He wasn’t a trained archaeologist but had a crucial guide to the location of sites that would prove the reality of the Homeric poems. Schliemann discovered that there were nine major levels, their chronology ranging from c. 3000 to 1100 B.C. From the beginning Troy had been a fortified stronghold as explained in the Iliad. “The well-walled city of Troy” . Finds also indicated that its occupants were wealthy. Therefore primarily Schliemann thought Troy II in which he found gold diadems, gold earrings, rings, buttons and bracelets discovered in the citadel wall was the treasure of king Priam. Later it was discovered that Troy II was far too early by more than one thousand years to have been the site of Troy described in the Iliad. Schliemann found artefacts in the 6th layer of Troy which could be used as verifiable artefacts. Arrow heads and spears found in the destruction level enabled Schliemann to unwittingly connect the city of Mycenae (as Mycenae an weapons were found) to the city of Troy, which proves correct when relating it to the

"We could describe (Heinrich) Schliemann's excavations on the hill of Hissarlik and consider their results without speaking of Troy or even alluding to it," Georges Perrot wrote in 1891 in his Journal des Savants. "Even then, they would have added a whole new chapter to the history of civilization, the history of art" (qtd. in Duchêne 87). Heinrich Schliemann's life is the stuff fairy tales are made of. A poor, uneducated, and motherless boy rises through his hard work and parsimonious lifestyle to the heights of wealth (Burg 1,2). He travels the world and learns its languages ("Heinrich Schliemann"), takes a beautiful Greek bride, and together they unearth the treasures of Troy and the citadel of

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

The epic poem called The Iliad written by Homer concerns the Trojan War. It shows Trojan and Achaean warriors’ courage, bravery and their attempt to become the best fighter to get fame, glory, and honor. The heroes in The Iliad follow Homer’s heroic code, striving for excellence. Hector and Achilles’ strength comes from their desire for fame, glory, honor and their acceptance of fate. These qualities are considered to be characteristics of Homer’s heroic code. However, the actions of Paris are not heroic causing trouble and conflict for many people. In fact, Paris’ non-heroic action started the Trojan War and the hatred between Greece and Troy.

In addition to the city ruins, ancient artifacts such as weapons and armor, Hittite clay tablets, and ancient pottery could also be evidence to prove the existence of Troy and The Trojan War. Weapons and armor believed to be from the Bronze Age, the time when the Trojan War occur, have been discovered at Greece and during the excavation of Troy VI and Troy Vlla. Moreover, an arrowhead believed to be used by an invader was found west of the main street in Troy. Also, a vase, approximately 3200 years old, showing Mycenaean warriors who with helmets like the ones described in Homer's Iliad was discovered. There is also evidence of a great deal of sling bullets. This implies that the city was defeated by an attacker for those who have successfully defended their city would have gathered the sling bullets and put them away, but a defeater would have done nothing with them.

No one is absolutely certain that Homer's lliad is actually real and many believe that the Trojan War may not have happened in Troy.

In November 2001, geologists John C. Kraft from the university of Delaware and John V. Luce from Trinity College, Dublin, presented the results from an investigation they had made into the geology of Troy that began in 1977. The geologists compared present geology with the landscapes and coastal features described by Homer in the Illiad and other classical sources. They came to the conclusion that there is a regular consistency between the location of Troy as Hisarlik, the geological evidence and the topography and accounts of battles described in the Iliad.

Historians expose the true scale of Troy 's defenses and supplies, and examine the evidence that discounts theories of an earthquake or siege machine weakening Troy 's defenses, and the possibility that a Trojan Horse could have been used to take Troy.

In ancient times, people thought that the great War of Troy was just a myth of Homer's. Then in the mid 19th century, a German businessman, Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890), discovered Troy. Heinrich had always loved Homer's poem. Since his childhood he had believed that the story of Homer was truth and not a myth. He absorbed the beauty of the epics, but his practical mind also caused him to analyze the facts behind the poetic fiction. He became convinced that the Greeks were right; the War of Troy was not a myth but historical reality. He carried on his excavations from 1870 to 1873, 1878 to 1879, and in 1881. The results were fantastic. Nine cities that had been successively destroyed emerged from the excavations. According to the archeologists' studies, Priam had ruled Troy. Priam was one of the kings who ruled Troy

“Tell me, O Muse, of that ingenious hero who traveled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy.”(Butler 1835-1902) The epic poem The Iliad and The Odyssey, is the story of the Greek struggle to rescue Queen Helen from the Trojan captors. Which led to an all-out war between the Achaean Greeks and the Trojans, the name of this war is called the Trojan War. The Trojan War was a legendary conflict between the early Greeks and the people of Troy in western Anatolia. In the original story, Paris, son of the Trojan king, ran off with Helen, wife of Menelaus. Menelaus demanded to have her back, but the Trojans refused, so his brother Agamemnon built a wooden horse that he took into battle with him and led a Greek

Due to the geographical location of Troy, the cities distances from major land routes and ports proved Troy to be a major contender

Even the weapons used were inaccurate because soldiers used spears, not swords. The entire city of Troy was also not as big as it was portrayed. It didn’t make sense to me that Troy was burned to the ground when the city was known for being made of stone.

When the Greeks arrived in Troy they were unable to enter the city due to the 25-foot-wall that surrounded Troy. The Greek army