Was the Battle of Troy Real? Separating the Myth From Reality
‘Was the battle of Troy real?’ has been a subject of debate among scholars with many of them agreeing that the battle was mythological due to some characters and events described in the play.
They feel that those events were fantastical and the characters in the Greek epic poem displayed superhuman traits. However, was the Trojan War based on a true story?
This article will discuss that and analyze the opinions of those who think that the Trojan War took place.
Was the Battle of Troy Real?
The answer is doubtful since the historicity of the Trojan war as described in the Illiad is in doubt due to certain occurrences and the description of some characters in the story since Homer’s imagination was phenomenal.
Most critics point to the intervention of the gods in the Trojan War as a fantasy which is a major feature of Greek mythology. Established myths such as Heracles, Odyssey and Aethiopis all feature the gods interfering in human affairs. One major instance is when Athena deluded Hector by pretending to come to his aid when actually she came to facilitate his death.
The gods also took sides in the battle with some disguising themselves as humans and taking part in the direct combat. For instance, Apollo, Aphrodite, Ares and Artemis fought on the side of the Trojans while Athena, Poseidon, Hermes, and Hephaestus aided the Greeks.
Additionally, without the direct help of Hermes, Priam would’ve been killed when he ventured into the camp of the Achaeans to ransom the corpse of his son Hector. Events like these seem too unrealistic to support any claim that the Battle of Trojan War really took place.
Another issue is the characters of the Iliad who had qualities that could only be found in myths. Achilles is said to be a demigod who was stronger than Heracles and Aladdin and was near immortal with his only weakness being his heels.
Helen of Sparta, the main reason the Trojan War occurred, is the daughter of Zeus and Leda (a human) and has godlike qualities as well. Hence, the intervention of the gods and the godlike qualities of some of the characters suggest that the battle of Troy may have been the fantastic imagination of the author, Homer.
Another Reason to Doubt the Reality of the Trojan War
Another event that seems too good to be true is the 10-year siege of the city of Troy. The Trojan war was set in the Bronze Age between 1200 – 1100 BC and the cities of that age could not withstand a year’s siege not to mention an assault that lasted 10 years. Troy was an important city in the Bronze Age and may have had walls around it according to modern excavations but it wouldn’t have lasted for that long.
The City of Troy: Fiction or Reality
Scholars believe that the town of Hissarlik in modern-day Turkey is the exact location of Troy. Although, people point to the existence of Troy during the Bronze Age as proof that a war could have taken place.
In 1870, Henrich Schliemann, an archaeologist discovered the remains of the ancient city and even found a chest of treasure that he believed belonged to King Priam.
According to his findings, there was a battle that caused the sacking of the city as evidenced by scattered bones, burnt debris, and arrowheads. Also, surviving Hittite texts allude to a city known as Tairusa, sometimes referred to as Wilusa.
Newly discovered texts prove that the Trojans spoke a language that was similar to that of the Hittites and were allies of the Hittites. Historically, the Hittites were the enemies of the Greeks so it is plausible that the Trojans were enemies of the Greeks. The Greeks expanded their empire to the region of Anatolia thereby conquering Troy with historians placing the Trojan war between 1230 – 1180 BC.
The ancient Greeks used to refer to Wilusa as Wilion which later became Ilion, the Greek name for Troy. Contrary to popular speculations, the Trojans were not Greeks but Anatolians according to evidence found at the site.
Their culture, architecture and art were more similar to the Anatolian cities surrounding them than the Greeks to which they were closely linked. It was also discovered that religious places and cemeteries were Anatolian as well as pottery from Troy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Achilles Real?
The answer is that of uncertainty. Achilles may have been a real warrior with exaggerated human qualities as found in the Iliad or may have been completely fabricated. Others think that Achilles was a conglomeration of other heroes.
One cannot just dismiss the question that Achilles never existed because until the 19th Century Troy many believed Troy to be a fictional place. Hence, we cannot be sure whether she really existed or was just a figment of Homer’s imagination.
How Did The Trojan War start?
The battle of Troy was fought between ancient Greece and Troy which began when Paris, the prince of Troy, eloped with Helen, the wife of the Spartan king, Menelaus.
After his requests that his wife’s return fell on deaf ears, Menelaus called on his elder brother Agamemnon to organize a military expedition to Troy to get his wife back. The Greek army was led by Achilles, Diomedes, Ajax, Patroclus, Odysseus, and Nestor. The Trojans were under the command of Hector, the finest soldier to ever grace the ranks of the army of Troy.
Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter, Iphigenia, to the goddess of childbirth, Artemis, for favorable winds that’ll speed their journey to Troy. Once they got there the Greeks defeated all the cities and towns surrounding Troy but Troy itself proved a mouthful.
So, the Greeks built a Trojan horse – a huge wooden horse as a gift to the people of Troy, signaling the end of all hostilities. They then pretended to leave the shores of Troy for their homes.
Unknown to the Trojans, the Greeks had hidden a small number of soldiers in the ‘belly’ of the wooden horse. During the night, while all of Troy was asleep, the Greek soldiers who pretended to leave came back and those inside the Trojan horse also descended.
They launched an unexpected attack on the Trojans razing the once impenetrable city to the ground. As mentioned earlier, the gods were heavily involved in the war with some taking the side of the Greeks while others supported the Trojans.
How Did the Trojan War End?
The war ended when Odysseus suggested that the Greeks build a horse as a pretend gift to the Trojans who valued horses. Under the guidance of Apollo and Athena, Epeius built the horse and gave left it at the entrance of the city gate with the inscription, “The Greeks dedicate this thank-offering to Athena for their return home“. The Greek soldiers then boarded their ships and sailed for their home countries to the delight of the Trojans.
Once the Greeks had left, the Trojans brought the large wooden horse inside the walls and argued amongst themselves as to what to do with it. Some suggested they burn it while others insisted that the gift horse be dedicated to Athena.
Cassandra, a priestess of Apollo in Troy, warned against bringing the horse into the city but she was not believed. Apollo had placed a curse on her that though her prophecies would come true, her audience would never believe her.
Thus, the wooden horse was left in the city while the Trojans celebrated and made merry throughout the night. Unknown to them, it was all a ruse to get the Trojans to lower their guard so the Greeks could take them unawares.
The Greeks had hidden some of their soldiers in the huge wooden horse led by Odysseus. During the night, the soldiers in the wooden horse came out and were joined by the others who pretended to leave the shores of Troy to destroy the Trojans.
Was the Trojan Horse Real?
Historians believe that the horse was not real though the city of Troy really existed. Today, the wooden horse gifted to the Trojans has become an expression that refers to a person or program that breaches the security of an enemy or a system.
Was Helen of Troy A Real Person?
Helen of Troy was a mythological person who was the most beautiful lady in the whole of Greece. Originally, she is not from Troy but Sparta and was abducted by Paris to the city of Troy to make her his bride. According to the Iliad, Helen was the daughter of Zeus and Leda and sister of the twin gods Dioscuri. As a child, Helen was kidnapped by the early king of Athens, Theseus, who gave her to his mother until she become a woman.
However, she was rescued by the Dioscuri and later given to Menelaus in marriage. The Trojan war timeline began with her abduction and ended when the Trojans were defeated. Later, she was taken back to her husband Menelaus in Sparta.
Conclusion
Though we can safely conclude that Troy existed due to archaeological discoveries, we can’t say the same for the reality of the Trojan War. The same can be said of some of the characters in the Trojan War due to the following reasons:
- The battle of Troy, according to most scholars, did not occur partly due to the fantastical characters and events that took place during the war.
- The gods taking sides and their subsequent intervention in the plot makes the story more incredible and does not support it.
- Characters such as Achilles and Helen who were born out of a union between a supernatural being and a human lend credence to the fact that the battle of Troy was more fictional.
- Before Henrich Schliemann discovered Troy in 1870, the city was also thought to be fictional.
- Henrich Schliemann’s discovery helped scholars to realize that the Trojans were not Greeks as originally portrayed but were Anatolians allied to the Hittites.
So, Henrich Schliemann’s discovery taught us one thing which is not to discount the Iliad entirely on suspicions of fantasy. Rather we should keep digging for lack of evidence doesn’t necessarily mean that an event did not take place.
