Possibility of the Trojan War Using you own knowledge and the sources provided in the case study, evaluate whether the evidence supports the possibility of a Trojan War. From my own knowledge and the sources provided, a Trojan War likely occurred. It was not sparked by Helen of Troy and wasn’t as exasperated as in Homer’s Iliad. Evidence of a Trojan War will be examined including major figures of Homer’s Iliad, written sources and the archaeology of Mycenae and Troy. Authoritative and powerful people have been described to be major figures during the Trojan War such as Helen of Troy, Hector and Achilles.
Hector and Achilles as Classic Heroes of Homer's Iliad Literary heroes have been important to stories and poems throughout history. Each author develops his hero through a unique writing style, combining conscious use of detail, diction, tone and other narrative techniques to outline a hero's personality. Homer, in his epic poem The Iliad, develops two classic heroes who are totally different at first glance, but upon a closer look are very similar in terms of their basic characteristics. Hector and Achilles both are courageous soldiers, relatively honorable men, and respected leaders, but they also both have human failings that eventually lead to tragedy. In Homer's lyrical verses and in his use of detail, diction, and imagery, he paints his own portrait of a classic hero through the brave deeds as well as the human flaws of Hector and Achilles that eventually lead to the downfall of proud and powerful Hector.
However, these different texts provide historians with a range of accounts that challenges the various evidence in presenting a singular, reliable account of the Trojan War, but they are useful in presenting the idea that war did take place. A text that provides historians with information about the Trojan War is Homer's Iliad. Written in 8th century BC, the Iliad is an epic poem that presents evidence to suggest the Trojan War was a significant event in society. Homer's Iliad gives an account of the events that caused the Trojan War. He writes that the war began when Helen, the wife of King Menelaus left for Troy with Paris, the son of the Trojan King.
The history of the city of Troy dates back to the Bronze Age era and is depicted through Homer’s traditional stories. Homer was a blind poet famous for his epic poems, the “Odyssey” and the “Iliad”. The poems of his Iliad depict the siege of the city of Troy, also known as Hissarlik, during the Trojan War. The characters of the fighters, their battle cries and all the intricate details of the war are mentioned in the Iliad. The epic has strong religious and mythical influence.
Architecture/Art Homer wrote of a Gorgon shield (Iliad 11.32-37), ‘a thing of splendour’ belonging to the Greek hero Agamemnon. Gorgon shields have been found in Greek art, an example of which is held in the Museo Archaeologico in Syracuse (DVD1, section 2, track 2). The earliest example of Gorgon shield found has been from the seventh century BC. Whether this is an example of Homer’s work inspiring others or whether Homer himself was inspired by older artefacts that did not survive into the present day is irrelevant. That figures from Greek mythology were still being represented artistically in Homer’s time shows that the people still respected the tales after centuries had gone by.
Even if the film's focus is on a moregeneral conflict, our hero Achilles is not totally thrown off the periphery. He still is a very importantcharacter in the story. The direction of the war became dependent on his participation. The film is alsovery compressed and comprehensive. And to fit everything into place, some twists on the characterswas made (which will be discussed in On the Characters ).
Sparta was eventually the victor of the conflict but at a terrible price to Greece. The Peloponnesian War began in 431BC and ended in 404BC. The Peloponnesian War is broken up into three phases. Phase one (431BC-421BC) is known as The Archidamian War which ended in a stalemate. Phase two (421BC-415BC) erupted from a 6 year truce which was broken by military skirmishes.
Athens had an ever changing relationship with its allies during the period of 500- 440 BC from its alliance with the city states including Sparta during the Persian Wars to the formation of the Delian league and the establishment of Athens as an empire. The main source we have for this period is the work of Thucydides and his insights written in his work The Peloponnesian Wars. He describes the build up and the history behind the Peloponnesian Wars and the relations between the Greek city states focusing on Athens and Sparta. Thucydides writings are generally considered as an accurate and unbiased account of the Peloponnesian wars however other sources are needed to fill in the gaps in Thucydides writing. At the beginning of the period of interest, that is, the beginning of the 5th century Athens is one of the most powerful Greek city states attempting to gain support of other States.
The book “The Hidden History” reunites information that links together helping us to understand about the existence of these organized ways of life. Atlantis a civilization mentioned in this book has some stages of discovery throughout the years: primary stage and the revival stage. Lemuria or Mu is another civilization discussed in a chapter that shows researches on the distribution of similar species, cultures, and building remains. Troy and its famous war are also detailed along with some other theories about its discovery. ATLANTIS In the chapter “The Lost Land of Atlantis”, the prime written source about this civilization was registered by the Greek philosopher Plato on Timaeus and Critia; and his source was Solon, a distant relative (Athenian lawmaker and poet).
In this sense, Malouf continues an ancient tradition of narrative. The ancient Greek gods were highly respected and were often feared. The Greeks co-operated with them in fear of their powers. They believed that the gods took an active role – either benevolent or