obviously, i can't really get a yes or no answer on this,but what i'm actually looking for is, what proof is there that the trojan war could have possibly happened?so far i've got- Parry's experiment in regards to how the story was passed down- Ancient Historians (herodotus, [he spoke about wife stealing])- Archaeological evidence (they found a possible site of Troy)- I NEED MORE!!!!!! any other ideas, even if they are just your own stupid theories)
Troy also is mentioned in Thucydides, The Peloponnesean War, book i. Of course, the fundamental problem is that the story does not get written down until about 400 years after it happened. Best estimates for the war are 1250 BCE; Homer lives in the 800s BCE, so there is a major time period in between. This is shown by some of the errors in Homer's account, for example, the claim that the Greeks and Trojans burned their dead on funeral pyres. In fact, much of what we know of Troy and other Achaean sites comes from grave shafts -- buried people. So, the Homeric accounts are distorted by time and include some invention. At the same time, Troy VI does have many of the characteristics of Troy as described, and Troy VIIb does show signs of destruction by fire. From Thucydides, we know Greek armies were not very competent at storming walled positions, so the possibility of a lengthy war of siege is quite real. Troy is mentioned in other Greek legends, and it could be that there is a fusion of accounts -- the earlier, greater Troy (Troy VI) gets transplanted into the story of the war (Troy VIIb). This kind of compression is common in such ancient accounts, including Genesis in the Bible, where long periods of time separate event and history. Other Achaean sites discovered include Mycenae, Sparta, and Pylos, all mentioned in the poem. There is a great deal of Cretan and Mycenaean art recovered, including some displayed in the New York Times about 35 years ago. You should be able to find books on this subject. Archaeological evidence from the other Achaean sites include large numbers of account tablets, suggesting that any war which did occur was more likely about trade rather than the hand of a woman.
Troy really existed...But it was actually, in Britain. When the Dorians and Ionians went from northwest Europe to Greece, they carried the tale of the Trojan war with them. This is the subject of a book called 'Where Troy Once Stood.' Some of the ideas of such accounts are: The current ruins of Troy are very small; hardly big enough to be the stuff of a great war. The sea is described as ''wine-red' in the Greek tales, and has tides--something you'd find in the Atlantic, not the Mediterranean. And most convincingly, the area where Troy stands is described as a plain drained by five rivers, all of which are named--such a place does not exist in Turkey, but there is such a place in Britain; right down to the same names of the rivers. www.where-troy-once-stood .uk/
This Site Might Help You. RE: Did the TROJAN WAR happen? obviously, i can't really get a yes or no answer on this, but what i'm actually looking for is, what proof is there that the trojan war could have possibly happened? so far i've got - Parry's experiment in regards to how the story was passed down - Ancient Historians...
IS there any truth to the Trojan war or is it just a story that gained popularity and embellishment as it travelled by word of mouth before it was actually transcribed? Heinrich Schliemann has already been mentioned and who as a boy had read Homer's epics. It was this enthusiasm that stayed with him until he died and it was this passion that led him in 1870 to start digging at the town of Hissarlik in Turkey where he believed Troy was buried. This find made people sit up and listen. Schliemann also realised that there was more than one city built at this location and in fact a total of nine levels were discovered, suggesting that there were nine cities over a period of time. Each of these cities and up to level V lasted for roughly about a hundred years were often destroyed by fire. Level VI, built at about 1900 B.C., saw a change in being inhabited by a new people who were the first to bring the horse to the Greek mainland. There was no evidence of horses prior to level VI. Troy VI was destroyed by an earthquake in 1275 and Troy VIIa as was named by archaeologists was constructed soon after the destruction of Troy VI by the same people. There are interesting facts about the remains of this level which point to the fact that the Trojan War did actually happen. Many of the houses had huge storage jars which would be needed to store a lot of food when under siege and this level was also destroyed by fire which was often the usual fate of a conquered city. Skeletons were found with what appeared to be wounds inflicted by a weapon. Finally, Troy VIIa was inhabited at a time when Greek historians, without the benefit of archeology, said the Trojan War was fought. The likely date for the destruction of this level is 1250 and this is backed up by the Greek historian, Herodotus of the fifth century B.C. Therefore if there was a Trojan War this is where and when it was fought.
