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 Doerpfeld,
Carl Blegen, and Manfred Korfmann. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short
Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds
of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books
are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our
expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and
enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly
readable.
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