The Historicity of the Trojan War

Tom O’ConnorIn Greek mythology, the Trojan War was a war waged against the Trojans by the Achaeans, after Helen left Sparta with Paris, the prince of Troy. After being dismissed as merely being a fable of Greek literature, archaeological discoveries made at Troy VIIa and the discovery of Troy in Hittite texts, it can be proven that the Trojan War was remotely based off a historical conflict that took place in the Bronze Age.

The Trojan War is based on the works of Homer in his Iliad; however, Homer is not a historian, but rather a poet. Blaise Pascal claimed that: “Homer wrote a romance, for nobody supposes that Troy and Agamemnon existed any more then the apples of the Hesperides. He had no intention to write history, but only to amuse us.” Herodotus claims that “our faith in the Trojan War is founded above all on Homer, but Homer is not a historian. First of all he is a poet; what he relates is not history but myth”. Herodotus’ version of the Trojan War would have been seen by an audience as boring as it lacked dramatic potential. A grand war on an epic scale and proportion, with influences from the supernatural, and characters that an audience can love or hate, would be far more interesting then a run away bride. The very nature of the gods interacting with people has led it to be questioned by man after Greek mythology died out, and Homer cannot be viewed as a reliable source.

Heinrich Schliemann was the first archaeologist who worked on the excavations of Troy. Since his childhood, he had grown up hearing stories of Homer’s Iliad, the Odyssey, and Vigil’s Aeneid. He had narrowed the possible locations for Troy down to Hisarlik, in modern day Turkey. Schliemann began work at Troy in 1871. He wanted to reach the ‘Homeric’ level, which he believed, was one of the sites earliest. Schliemann had workmen cut an enormous trench through the site, and destroyed substantial portions of the sites earlier levels. However the site that Schliemann had originally thought was the ‘Homeric’ level actually belonged to the Early Bronze Age, at least one thousand years before any conceivable date for the Trojan War. Troy VIh is the most likely setting for the Trojan War, dated at around 1250 BC. Homer lived in either the late eighth or seventh century, then he must have composed the Iliad half a millennium or more after the alleged incident.

If the archaeological site of Troy is correct, then it would have stood at a very influential position within the ancient world. It had a commercially strategic position on the Hellespont, modern day Dardanelles, with an almost unlimited supply of fish, and field surveys have shown that it is surrounded by rich arable soil for farming, enough to sustain a substantial population.. In 1988, excavations were conducted adjacent to the citadel, and this brought to light the remains of a large settlement, estimated to house about six thousand people. Also, Homer writes of how Patroklos, a friend and ally of Achilles, attempts to scale the Trojan fortifications by running up them. This is supported by a discovery at Troy VI,

where the slopes of the walls are quite distinctive. The location of Hisarlik, the topography of its surroundings, and the nature of the of the last phase of its sixth level are sufficient to provide one with a historically plausible setting for the Trojan War, however, this is not enough evidence to say that it ever happened.

Archaeology has shown that Troy VIh defiantly suffered a violent destruction, however, there is no clear indication as to whether this was due to human or environmental forces. Carl Blegen believed that Troy VIh was destroyed by an earthquake. He found evidence for this in the cracks in the tower and citadel walls and floor subsidence. One theory is that the citadel’s fortifications were seriously weakened by an earthquake, to the point were it became vulnerable to defeat. It could have been a combination of both natural and human influences that destroyed Troy. This can also explain the wooden horse. Poseidon, the sea god, was often symbolized as a horse. He was also known for creating earthquakes. The theory is that the Greeks saw the natural earthquake as an act of the gods, in particular, Poseidon, and they symbolized his actions through the use of a giant wooden horse. Others see the wooden horse as some sort of siege engine or battering ram that could destroy the fortifications of Troy, however, the Trojans could have easily burnt down the horse.

A Hittite text was found and on it was a list comprising of twenty-two countries, which apparently formed a confederacy. It included the names of two cities: Wilusiya and Taruisa. These names are believed to be the Hittite way of writing the Greek names Troia (Troy) and (W)ilios (Ilios). In Homeric tradition, Troy and (W)ilios were two names for the same place. Michael Wood claims that: “the similarity of both names seems too close to be merely coincidental”. In one Hittite text, Wilusa is referred to as part of the diverse Arzawa lands. These lands were largely, if not predominantly, inhabited by Luwian speaking people. This closely relates to the Luwian seal found at Troy, and could be first evidence of Trojans speaking Luwathian.

In the 1980’s the Manapa-Tarhundra letter was discovered. It is a Hittite text that dates back to 1295 BCE. The letter mentions fighting in Wilusa, and how the irksome ruler of Wilusa, Piyama-Radu, is harrowing some of the Western lands. It states that a Hittite expeditionary force will go to help Wilusa, but it will camp in the Seha River Land first. Historians have discovered the actual route of the Hittite armies and their expeditions into Western Anatolia, which never went through the Seha River Land, so the only place to go would therefore be North, into a region known as Troad. Therefore, Wilusa is in the same region as Hisarlik, and is also found in the Hittite texts. This is significant, as the Hittite texts were written separately from Homeric tradition. Also, the name Piyama-Radu is very similar to the king of Troy’s name, Priam. Another letter, the Milawata letter, also mentions Piyama-Radu, but in a past tense. It states that Alaksandru ruled over Wilusa after Piyama-Radu. Alaksandru, or Alexander, was the alternate name for King Priam’s son, Paris. Coincidently, it also states that Alaksandru made a treaty with the Hittie king, invoking the god Apaliunas, which is very similar to the god Apollo who was the Trojan’s foremost champion, and who helped Paris slay the otherwise invincible Achilles.

However, the start of Trojan War may go back as far as one hundred and fifty years or more before the generally accepted date of the Trojan War. A well known Hittite text, known as the ‘Indictment of Madduwatta’, describes Ahhiyawan, the Hittite way of representing Greek name Achaia, military action on the Anatolian mainland and the island of Cyprus. The leader of the Ahhiyawn was called Attarsiya. This evidence suggests that the Trojan War could have begun over a military conflict between Mycenaean Greeks and Anatolians in the early fourteenth and fifteenth century. One theory is that several small battles along the Anatolian coast were fought, until the climax at Hisarlik, providing a battle ground and a physical location for the Trojan War.

It can now be concluded that the Trojan War might have happened, however not as Homer recorded it. First of all, one can remove the involvement of the gods in war. This leaves the war without a motive. The most likely option is that the war was fought over something much more practical, like riches and goods, claiming an influential area of trading and agriculture, or perhaps to even control a base in the Eastern world for further conquest by the Greeks. Evidence for the Trojan War can be found in Homer’s Iliad, the archaeology and excavations of Hisarlik, and the mention of Wilusa in Hittite texts. The Trojan War could have been based loosely off a war that was fought in the Bronze Age, between the Mycenaean Greeks and the Anatolians, at Hisarlik, in which an earthquake, seen as the act of Poseidon and symbolized as a giant wooden horse, weakened Troy’s impressive defences enough for the Greeks break through into the citadel, and ultimately win the war.

The Historicity Of The Trojan War Tom O’Connor

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