Troy

The Iliad: Fact or Fiction?

By: Connie Brass

Teacher: Mr.Millican

Class: World History

Homer is famously known for his contribution to history through his fascinating works, the Iliad and Odyssey. These poems are known to describe the Trojan War on a large and disastrous scale. Much speculation has come as to whether these poems are accurate or false. "The Iliad is, on one hand, a social poem, describing a number of equals engaged in a national enterprise that requires their responsible and cooperative behaviour" (Clarke 71). It is likely that Troy did, in fact, exist and the Trojan War was fought, however, it is improbable that the Trojan War took the extent that Homer made it to be. Through looking at Homer's writing style, Troy's location, and the characters and gods, it can be determined that the Trojan War, as described in the Iliad, is an exaggeration of less significant events.

There are three important keys to understand before unpacking any of Homer's writings and understanding his epic poems. He is known to romanticize, allegorize, and criticize in his works, the Iliad and Odyssey. Homer often romanticized the battles, heroes, and emotions he created and depicted. In the Iliad, there is a common theme of love/lust over honour. The heroes in the Iliad are, in fact, not the attractive heroes one normally reads about. They are full of pride, vengeance, and lust. An example of this would be as Achilles and Agamemnon fight in a dishonorable fashion over something that shows no integrity on their part: their mistresses (Rabel 44). However, this romanticizing of ordinary events is a captivating technique used to interest the reader (Clark summary 1-59). Secondly, Homer often uses allegories in his poems. Allegories have been around for even longer than Homer himself. The Iliad and Odyssey are books that are full of them. The essence of these books, as compiled by Homer, can be used as a guide to information as well as a form of entertainment. "The Iliad and the Odyssey might be coherent stories on the surface, but they were also encyclopedias, and readers do not go to an encyclopedia for a single and constant message nor should readers expect from poetry a wisdom that is simple and straightforward" (Clarke 62). Often in Homer's works the character's names frequently resemble their personalities, appearances or functions. Hate and Terror followed Ares into battle in the Iliad and one can imagine what they were like as soldiers by their names (Clarke 65). Though sometimes it is hard to catch all of Homer's allegories, as one becomes acquainted with the work of Homer, one soon picks up and can find it easier to interpret the many allegories (Clark summary 60-105). The third aspect in understanding Homer is his criticism of humanity and the actions that appear in the Iliad. His heroes in the Iliad cared nothing for others and served themselves. His characters were inconsistent, crude and unworthy of praise. Was this Homer's reflection of mankind? This is quite possible (Clarke summary 106-155). Homer wrote about humankind through a Homeric viewpoint of man. "The first is a negative peculiarity, Homeric man has no unified concept of what we call 'soul' or 'personality'" (Bloom, 81) This view of humanity explains why he creates these god-like heroes. He is trying to awaken society to their imprudence and foolishness in regards to the things they fight over in war. His illustrations of humanity do not glorify man, but rather give a glimpse to the corruption of that time.

Many people know about the Trojan horse, as it is a commonly known as a trickery device that enabled Greek soldiers to get inside the walls of Troy. This was the case according to Homer, but in actual fact this too is most likely false. As the story goes, a Greek artist built a hollow horse that soldiers (including Odysseys) were able to hide in. As soon as the soldiers were inside, the Greeks sent the horse to the gates of Troy as a supposed peace treaty. They sailed away as to further deceive the Trojans. One man was left behind in order to further trick the Trojans into thinking it was safe. That night, Sinon let the Greeks out of the horse and they successfully slaughtered the Trojans (Clarke 232-233). Could this have happened? Perhaps. Is it likely that such a thing happened? No. With such a large horse, the question of its remains rings out. Though perhaps it could have burned, but there must be some historical evidence or writings to prove its existence. It is most likely that the Trojan horse is yet another interesting allegory that Homer to draw in the reader. Michael Wood confirms this by stating "Trojan horses, Achilles heels and Odyssey's have become figrues of speech in many language" (Wood 15)

Though it is clear that Troy did exist on a smaller and quieter scale, one must consider where these events took place, the history of this civilization and the army size of these people in comparison to those around them. In archaeological finds, Troy has been discovered in layers, suggesting that the city of Troy has been destroyed built, and rebuilt time and time again. Due to this, it can be determined that Troy was defeated more than once. There has been much speculation as to the exact location of Troy and there are, in fact, a number of possible answers. Dr. Felice Vinci, writer of Homer and the Baltic, claims that Troy actually lies in an area between Turku and Helsinki. This place, which he claims to be Troy, has often been known as Toija. "Its characteristics correspond exactly to those Homer handed down to us: the hilly area that dominates the valley with its two rivers, the plain that slopes down towards the coast, and the highlands in the background." (Vinci www.centrostudilaruna.com). Vinci took a map of the Mediterranean and a copy of the Iliad and set out to find the true location of Troy. What he stumbled upon was a small Finnish village, which he now claims, is the original Troy. Many scholars agree that this could be a possibility due to the climate change and migration of people. Some of the more common theories come from Frank Calvert and Heinrich Schliemann. According to these two men, Troy is located in a place called Troad. It is situated in the Mediterranean Sea and Asia Minor (Vinci www.home.att.net). Carlos Parada, author of Guide to Greek Mythology also agrees with this possible location. In his book, he discusses the location of historic Troy, which he feels is in Asia Minor (http://homepage.mac.com). These places correspond with the descriptions in the Iliad and