The Trojan War, Fact or Fiction?

Was there a Trojan War


  • Total voters
    14

Bory

Active member
My Ancient History class are learning about this at the moment.
We all know (or those who care anyway) that Heinrick Schlimen discovered a city, that we recognise as the city of Troy, as described by Homer in the Illiad.
However, many people debate wheater there was a War at all

Lets here some opinons on this, and please back it up with facts. Make this debate interesting.

To get a basic understanding visit this, feel free to provide anymore info to support your argument
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy
 
I voted yes - and I believe their is enough written history to strongly suggest that Greece and Troy fought a war and that Greece won - after that I think a lot of myth, legend and story telling gets in the way of true history. Whether Schliemann's Troy is the real Troy is hard to say for certain as the archaelogical evidence is inconclusive but I don't support the England or Finland theories (we've been there before in another thread)

One of the things that gives Herodotus away as both story teller and historian is his account of Thermopylae. 500 Spartans hold an army of a million men at bay only losing when they were betrayed by a traitorous shepherd. Its the kind of story that would appeal at the time it was written. (rather than a small spartan army was sent to use harrassing tactics to delay the Persian army as long as possible - which is strategically logical). The problem with Herodutus' story is that without a technological advantage, there is no ancient structure or natural defense that could withstand those sorts of odds - but apparently there were no Spartan survivors to dispute his story! IMO, Herodotus et al were writing for the time - to entertain and to tell history, and sometimes entertainment got in the way of history.

Despite this, I think that the stories were based on real events. Troy was real. Greece captured and destroyed it. End of story.
 
Many of these old tales are based on facts, there city has been traced and was destroyed but with things so far back in history just who much of the story is true is up to you. If you want to take it as gospel then so be it
 
We were taught in AP World History that Troy was a Persian city-state in Asia minor and that the Trojan War was one of many skirmishes between Greece and Persia.
 
They have evidence, that one of the levels (Troy 7) was destroyed by fire, and they also found alot of Bronze weapons and broken bones. So there is evidence to support a war there, but the stories of Hector, Achillies, The Wooden Horse are beleived to be just myth.
Though the hero's of thew battle may have also been based on actual or many actual people at one of the battles, just severly exagerated to tell a good yarn.
 
Homer's work, like the bible, is full of simile, metaphor and symbolism. Its accepted by most historians and archeaologists that some war took place at the city we think was Troy. I say think because no one has found a "Welcome to Troy" sign at any of the digs yet.

Follow me now...

One of the most interesting symbols is the Trojan Horse itself. Poseidon was the god of the sea and he also was considered to be the force behind earthquakes. He travelled about in a chariot pulled by horses (I know god of the sea being pulled by horses, go figure).

Anyway the archaeologists have shown evidence of a great earthquake in about the same layer as the fire that was mentioned previously. They also know that troops were camped about laying seige and the walls of Troy held for a number of years.

In the story it is when the horse is wheeled inside the walls that Troy finally falls. It is argued that this symbolism represents an earthquake that damaged the walls of Troy allowing the Greeks to breach them and finally defeat the Trojans, sacking their fine city.
 
The Army Academy at West Point did tests on Homer's stories to see if they were feasable and the computer and the officers there agreed that it was certainly possible, they also agree that it might have taken 7-10 years because the greeks were becoming quite rich by pillaging the land around Troy and had no real reason to take the city immediately. Instead they could wait for the perfect opportunity to strike.
 
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