Discovery and Excavation of Troy

There is very little written evidence of the Trojan War. The main source being Homer's 'Iliad'. Some of the issues associated with this source include the date when it was supposedly written (some four hundred years after the events it describes) and the fact that it is an epic poem, not a historical account.

Written in the mid-8th Century BCE, “The Iliad” is usually considered to be the earliest work in the whole Western literary tradition, and one of the best known and loved stories of all time.

Although attributed to Homer, "The Iliad" is clearly dependent on an older oral tradition and may well have been the collective inheritance of many singer-poets over a long period of time (the historical Fall of Troy is usually dated to around the start of the 12th Century BCE).

Homer is thought to have been in the first generation of authors who were also literate, as the Greek alphabet was introduced in the early 8th Century BCE.

Discovery and Excavation of Troy

Application of Knowledge: Debating

In your groups, you will critically discuss whether or not the Trojan War occurred, and if Homer's account is a reliable source.

You must have at least four pieces of evidence to support your argument.

Be prepared to share your group's argument (and evidence) with the class.

Homer's 'Iliad':

Is it an authentic historical source?

Understanding: Heinrich Schliemann

In 1863, at age forty-one, Schliemann retired a millionaire. This permitted him to travel, and he visited the island of Ithaca and Mycenae, the homes of Odysseus and Agamemnon, two of the kings who had fought in the Trojan war. Then he crossed the sea to Turkey to look for the city of Troy itself.

Most historians and archaeologists of the time believed that there never had been a real city of Troy. But Schliemann, using geographic clues from his copy of the Iliad, discovered another hill near the village of Hissarlik.

Schliemann Cont'd

Excavations started in 1871.

What he discovered was not the ruin of a city, but the remains of ten cities, each one built on the ruins of the earlier settlements.

The bottom-most city, which is referred to as Troy I, Schliemann thought must have been destroyed by an earthquake because of the cracks in the foundations.

Troy II, the next layer up, had been burned. Schliemann decided that this must be the Troy of Homer's tale.

He hired 160 men to dig down to this layer of the hill. Scientific archeology had not really come of age yet and unfortunately this work destroyed much of the later history of the city

Finding Troy:

Understanding Perspective(s):

The name of Troy has been kept alive since ancient times in myths, legends and literature (most notable is Homer's account within 'Iliad').

However the location of the city remained unknown until the 19th century.

The location of the Troy site (Hissarlik) was first considered by British archaeologist Frank Calvert, but later excavated by German amateur archaeologist (and self-made millionaire) Heinrich Schliemann.

http://study.com/academy/lesson/bronze-age-greece-schliemanns-quest-for-troy.html

Where was Troy found?