The Fall of Troy: More Than a Legend

In the pantheon of epic poems, few can claim to be as resonant and timeless as the Iliad. With lavish words and vivid imagery, the bard Homer successfully carved one of the world's most haunting battles into the annals of literature. The Iliad is the history of the Trojan War - the protracted war that led to the defeat and destruction of the ill-fated Trojans in the hands of the Greeks. Homer's portrayal of gods and men in a perpetual deadlock - each seeking power and authority over the other - remains one of the most illustrative and realistic to this very day. Rather than pander to the gods, Homer reveals their folly and weaknesses, deftly presenting their own squabbles and power struggles that mirror the strife on earth.

The story begins with Paris, prince of Troy, stealing away Helen, the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta. To avenge the insult, the Greeks form a coalition headed by Agamemnon. Thus begins the Trojan War, a war that lasted nine years and caused the death of thousands of men. Homer depicts the bravery of heroes from both the Trojan and Greek sides, though occasionally revealing the folly even of the best of men. The Greeks, in particular, are shown to be quarrelsome and egoistic, with several clashes between key leaders and warriors leading to defeat and humiliation in the hands of the Trojans. In the end, however, the Greeks, aided by Athena, succeed in defeating the Trojan warriors and leaving the city in smoking ruins. Troy was no more.

Certainly, no one can deny that Homer's Iliad is a glorious epic. But how much of his account is historical and not fiction? Was there ever really a city of Troy? Was Homer presenting his view of historical events, or were the battles of Troy no more than a bard's imagination? The answer might be a yes and a no. As Max Muller wrote, "Mythology does not always create its own heroes, but that it lays hold of real history, and coils itself round it so closely that it is difficult, nay, almost impossible, to separate the ivy from the oak, or the lichen from the granite to which it clings. We ought to be prepared even in the legends of Herakles, or Meleagros, or Theseus, to find some grains of local history on which the sharpest tools of comparative mythology must bend or break" (Benjamin 1880, p.152).

Historical evidence from the archeological diggings of Heinrich Schliemann revealed a city that resembled the Troy described by Homer. The site, located in northwestern Turkey, had nine cities, each built on top of the other. Most archeologists today believe that the sixth city is Homer's Troy, given its massive, imposing walls that would have best suited the Bard's description (Lovgren 2004). Moreover, the description provided by Homer of the topography of Troy in his epic poem may be described as too familiar. It is highly detailed and, to a certain degree, matches the excavated city. There is also enough evidence to support its location in present day Turkey, as Homer's description of the Trojans borders on a few Asian traits (Benjamin 1880, p.151).

What is not proven, however, is the presence of an actual war in the city identified as Homer's Troy. The sixth city of the nine excavated in the site now believed to be Troy was indeed very much similar to the one describe din the poem. However, the city was destroyed by an earthquake, rather than a war. Some archeologists believe that the "Trojan Horse" may have been a metaphor for an earthquake; Homer, they believe, may have been referring to an earthquake sent by Poseidon, god of the seas and associated with horses. It is a theory quite stretched, and few archeologists willingly accept this as fact (Lovgren 2004).

However, the seventh city in the site was indeed destroyed by war. Archeologists found arrow heads on the streets and the diggings revealed damage made by fire and possibly, looting. The city, however, is far removed from Homer's grandiose description. The seventh city is comparably small and lacks the massive gates described in the epic poem. Some archeologists posit that Homer may have amalgamated the story of the two cities in an attempt to present a much more flourished tale (Lovgren 2004). It remains to be seen, whether or not the Trojan War actually existed, and the Bard truly told a tale more fascinating in fact than in fiction.

Works Cited
Benjamin, SGW. Troy: Its Legend, History and Literature. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1880
Finkelberg, Margalit. "The Trojan War". The Historian, 68(3): 2006, p.652
Lovgren, Stefan. "Is Troy True? The Evidence behind Movie Myth." National Geographic
News, 14 May 2004. 15 April 2008, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/05/0514_040514_troy.html