FREE ESSAY ON TROY

TROY

November 22, 19
World Civilization to 1500 Research Paper
When Heinrich Schliemann emerged from Turkey in June of 1873 with a hoard of treasure,
the whole world took note. He claimed to have found the ruins of ancient Troy. Schliemann
had rejected the prevailing scholarly doctrine that Homer was a mythmaker, not a
historian or scholar. Even today, some people argue that the actual ruins of the
historical city of Troy are in Croatia, not Hisarlik, Turkey, as Schliemann claimed. This
position is outdated now, just as it was when Schliemann first made his great
archaeological discovery. Evidence clearly shows that the majority of our present
knowledge of the famous ancient city of Troy comes of Homer's writing and from Heinrich
Schliemann's archaeological discoveries. In my opinion, Homer should be accepted as a
legitimate source of historical reference and, therefore, so should Schliemann.
Regardless of conflicting beliefs, the remains of Troy must, in fact, be at Hisarlik
since Schliemann was guided to this site by Homer's descriptions in The Iliad.
While the Greek people remained steadfast in their strong traditional heritage, most of
the non-Greek world at Schliemann's time asserted that the events set in Troy were
figments of a great imagination, and were intended only to entertain. Nevertheless,
Schliemann began to question these accepted beliefs regarding the existence of a real
Troy at a very young age. Heinrich's father had given him a history book, and intrigued
by its illustrations of the mythical city, he began his lifelong obsession to find the
lost city. He learned the Greek language and studied Homer's epics extensively.
Considering geographical descriptions, Schliemann began to believe that he would find the
city around Hisarlik, Turkey. In 1870, he and one hundred workers set out to prove his
theory (Time-Life, 10). In doing so, he took The Iliad as literally as if it were an
eyewitness account.
Regardless of much criticism of Schliemann's personal life, his business ethics, and his
methods of excavation, he is often regarded as the "father of archaeology." In this
field, few are better known than of Heinrich Schliemann. This assessment comes from the
impact of his excavations. Spanning a period of twenty years, he initiated the study of a
completely new period in world history; the Bronze Age Aegean, stretching from ca. 3500
to ca. 1050 BC. Having never studied archaeology formally, this achievement was
particularly remarkable (Bloedow, 1).
Schliemann's own personal journals and letters confirm and justify much of the criticism
he has received. Blatant deceit surfaced often throughout his career as an amateur
archaeologist, in his family life, and in his earlier career as a ruthless international
merchant. Although much valuable information was destroyed in his excavation, one must
consider the nature of archaeology prior to his study of Troy. Virtually non-existent as
a science, archaeology existed in the form of treasuring hunting. Most supported Jacob
Bryant's statement in the book In Search of Trojan War, "I would as soon as go in quest
of Utopia, or of the Carib Island of Robinson Crusoe, and his cabin; and I should return
with equal emolument." The fact remains that Schliemann was a true pioneer in the science
of archaeology. By today's standards, his methods would be unacceptable, however, at that
time, practices were advanced.
Greek tradition suggests that the Trojan War occurred in the twelfth century BC. The
upper classes of twelfth century Greek society were aristocrats and chiefains who
considered warfare as the major means to gain honor and a reputable position in society.
During times of peace, the warriors passed their time at great feasts where they were
entertained by minstrels and bards who sang songs and chanted poems about historical
heroes and heroines. The entertainers were also the vehicles through which a rich history
was passed down through countless generations. Greek tradition accepts Homer as one of
these bards, and The Iliad as his creation to preserve the historical events at the end
of the Trojan War.
There is no reason to doubt the historical accuracy of these epics and songs, considering
the high regard with which they were upheld in their society. Since the events generally
outlined in these long poems were already familiar to the listeners, a bard would be
subjecting himself to much ridicule should he vary what was accepted as fact. The dignity
of the art of storytelling depended upon the bard's recollection of important characters,
settings, and events.
"Among Homer's most famous characteristics as a poet are his lack of ornamentation,
sentimentality, and romanticism, and his complete objectivity... Homer understood that
some things are best left to the imagination of the audience because too much detail can
be a limitation rather than an asset and can constrain the thoughts of the individual
reader or hearer" (Milch, 20).
It is evident that Homer told his stories with little or no personal embellishment. To
question Heinrich Schliemann's dependency on Homer as a source of historical reference is
to question the integrity of Greek tradition which was, in fact, very carefully preserved
through minstrels and bards such as Homer.
Although many people doubt the existence of the city of Troy and the occurrences cited in
Homer's epics, factual evidence of the Trojan culture is still being found and studied.
The civilization of Troy I has been dated back to around 3100 B.C. A fortification wall
that still stands three meters high surrounded this civilization. Inside this wall, large
freestanding houses made of mud bricks were the main place for residence. Many small
tools made of copper, as well as a number of vases and sculptures, have been discovered
around these houses. Evidence of a fire that destroyed Troy I leads us to the next
civilization of Troy II. This settlement began around 2550 B.C. Fortifications were
greatly extended in the period of Troy II. Large amounts of gold, silver, as well as
tools and vessels made of copper and bronze were found. Many of the sculptures and
figurines found in the settlement of Troy II resembled those found in Troy I. Evidence of
the use of the fast wheel led to popularity of new shapes of shallow dishes and plates.
Pots and lids bearing faces were also found in the civilization of Troy II. Troy II, like
the first city of Troy, was destroyed by a fire. Troy III's fortifications, domestic
architecture, pottery and figurines were a continuance of the first two cities of Troy.
At the end of Troy III, the town was demolished for no obvious reason. Archaeologists
proposed that this culture be named the Maritime Troia culture. This name comes from the
close links with the material culture of a substantial number of other fortified, coastal
sites throughout Anatoilia and islands in the Aegean Sea. 
The civilization of Troy IV occurred around 2100 B.C. A significant shift in material
culture between Troy III and Troy IV lead archaeologists to refer to this period as the
Anatolian Troia culture. This shift includes a change in domestic architecture, the use
of organic tempering for pottery, and an increased attention to hunting. Figurines of
this time period were the chipped stones of flint and obsidian. Houses in this settlement
were rows of two room residential units that fronted the same street. Like Troy III,
there is no known reason for the demolition of Troy IV. The architecture of the houses of
Troy V were much the same as those in Troy IV. There is an increase in built-in
furniture, such as fixed hearths, ovens and benches in this settlement. These
developments suggest an overall rise in the standard of living in this town. No known
reason for the destruction of the city of Troy V has been found. The rulers of Troy VI
appear to have used the construction of fortifications surrounding the citadel as a
never-ending public works project. This royal citadel is the site of the king's palace,
the city's temples, and the residences of the king's principal officials. Columns,
thought to be related to a cult, were found in the city of Troy VI. Some authorities
believe that a Trojan cult, related with those of Minoan Crete, existed as the chief
religion of this period. Many Greek myth enthusiasts see the myth of the Trojan horse as
a metaphor for the earthquake that destroyed Troy VI. Some believe this because the horse
was sacred to the Greek god, Posiedon, the divinity responsible for earthquakes.