The Trojan War : a very short introduction / Eric H. Cline.
This introduction considers whether the Trojan war actually took place and whether archaeologists have discovered the site of ancient Troy.
"The Iliad, Homer's epic tale of the abduction of Helen and the decade-long Trojan War, has fascinated mankind for millennia. Even today, the war inspires countless articles and books, extensive archaeological excavations, movies, television documentaries, even souvenirs and collectibles. But while the ancients themselves believed that the Trojan War took place, scholars of the modern era have sometimes derided it as a piece of fiction. Combining archaeological data and textual analysis of ancient documents, this Very Short Introduction considers whether or not the war actually took place and whether archaeologists have really discovered the site of ancient Troy. To answer these questions, archaeologist and ancient historian Eric H. Cline examines various written sources, including the works of Homer, the Epic Cycle (fragments from other, now-lost Greek epics), classical plays, and Virgil's Aeneid. Throughout, the author tests the literary claims against the best modern archaeological evidence, showing for instance that Homer, who lived in the Iron Age, for the most part depicted Bronze Age warfare with accuracy. Cline also tells the engaging story of the archaeologists--Heinrich Schliemann and his successors Wilhelm Dörpfeld, Carl Blegen, and Manfred Korfmann--who found the long-vanished site of Troy through excavations at Hisarlik, Turkey. Drawing on evidence found at Hisarlik and elsewhere, Cline concludes that a war or wars in the vicinity of Troy probably did take place during the Late Bronze Age, forming the nucleus of a story that was handed down orally for centuries until put into final form by Homer. But Cline suggests that, even allowing that a Trojan War took place, it probably was not fought because of Helen's abduction, though such an incident may have provided the justification for a war actually fought for more compelling economic and political motives."--Publisher's description.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780199760275 (alk. paper)
- ISBN: 0199760276 (alk. paper)
- Physical Description: xviii, 130 pages : illustrations, maps ; 18 cm.
- Publisher: New York : Oxford University Press, ©2013.
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Formatted Contents Note: | pt. I. The Trojan War. The story according to the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Epic Cycle ; The Trojan War in context: Mycenaeans, Hittites, Trojans, and Sea Peoples. pt. II. Investigating the literary evidence. Homeric questions: did Homer exist and is the Iliad accurate? ; The Hittite texts: Assuwa, Ahhiyawa, and Alaksandu of Wilusa. pt. III. Investigating the archaeological evidence. Early excavators: Heinrich Schliemann and Wilhelm Dörpfeld ; Returning to Hisarlik: Carl Blegen and Manfred Korfmann. |
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Subject: | Troy (Extinct city) Trojan War. Turkey > Antiquities. Excavations (Archaeology) > Turkey > Troy (Extinct city) Greece > Civilization > To 146 B.C. |
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- 1 of 1 copy available at Kirtland Community College.
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Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kirtland Community College Library | DF 221 .T8 C55 2013 | 30775305475932 | General Collection | Available | - |
The Trojan War: a Very Short Introduction
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Summary
The Trojan War: a Very Short Introduction
Homer's tale of the abduction of Helen to Troy and the ten-year war to bring her back to Greece has fascinated mankind for centuries since he related it in The Iliad and The Odyssey. More recently, it has given rise to countless scholarly articles and books, extensive archaeological excavations, epic movies, television documentaries, stage plays, art and sculpture, even souvenirs and collectibles. However, while the ancients themselves thought that the Trojan War took place and was a pivotal event in world history, scholars during the Middle Ages and into the modern era derided it as a piece of fiction. This book investigates two major questions: did the Trojan War take place and, if so, where? It ultimately demonstrates that a war or wars in the vicinity of Troy probably did take place in some way, shape, or form during the Late Bronze Age, thereby forming the nucleus of the story that was handed down orally for centuries until put into essentially final form by Homer. However, Cline suggests that although a Trojan War (or wars) probably did take place, it was not fought because of Helen's abduction; there were far more compelling economic and political motives for conflict more than 3,000 years ago.Aside from Homer, the book examines various classical literary sources: the Epic Cycle, a saga found at the Hittite capital of Hattusas, treatments of the story by the playwrights of classical Greece, and alternative versions or continuations of the saga such as Virgil's Aeneid, which add detail but frequently contradict the original story. Cline also surveys archaeological attempts to document the Trojan War through excavations at Hissarlik, Turkey, especially the work of Heinrich Schliemann and his successors Wilhelm Dörpfeld, Carl Blegen, and Manfred Korfmann.