Troy - Homeric World

Where most knowledge comes from

• Most likely the most famous Mycenaean site.

• However, most knowledge of Troy relies heavily on Homer’s Iliad than the actual site itself.

What might the stories be based on

• Oral tradition - possibly not very reliable ?

• Could have been a myth based on the real city of Troy

• Many cities and civilisations invent origin myths and tales so it wouldn’t be surprising.

Location of Troy

• Northwest Turkey

• It was rebuilt several times in ancient times and each new city was built on top of the old one.

• near the village of Hisarlik

Evidence and Importance of the location

• It’s the site of the Trojan War and Homer’s epic, The Iliad.

• Archaeologists have debated about which version of Troy is the one depicted in the Iliad, scholars in recent decades is in favour of it being Troy VIIa ( Troy 7 )

• However, there is overall little evidence of the riches Homer described in the Iliad.

Homer’s Troy

• There was one war that lated 10 years

• Troy was under siege for 10 years

• Trojan war dated to about 1200 BC

• The city was expansive and rich

• High walls with towers

• Troy was destroyed by a fire ( burnt down by Greeks )

Troy VI

Bolded = agree with Homer’s Troy

• Here were several wars fought in Mycenaean times - could have been combined into one by Homer or confused

• Troy VI was destroyed c.1250 BC

• Troy VI was rich and had large houses

• Troy VI had towers

• Troy VI had a suggested population of 10,000

• Troy VI had walls that were over 7m tall

• Troy VI was destroyed by an earthquake

Troy VIIa

Bolded = agree with Homer’s Troy

• There were several wars fought here in Mycenaean times

• It had large towers

• There were single-storey houses which were crowded - looks like emergency housing - suggest they were under siege.

• Crammed together houses suggest that it wasn’t a rich city.

• Storage jars were sunken into the ground as if being stored in a siege.

• Troy VIIa was destroyed by a large fire.

• Partial human remains + 3 arrowheads found which suggests warfare.

Scholars think this Troy is the closest to Homer’s

Comparison of all of the found features between each Troy