Troy: Evidence of Homer

The role that Homer played in our understanding of the Trojan War by his writing the Iliad has been one of great significance. The turn of the 8th Century saw the writing of the Iliad from the Ancient Greek writer, Homer, which was roughly 3,000 years ago. Heinrich Schliemann, a wealthy German business, dedicated his energy and considerable fortune to discovering the Troy Homer describes in the Iliad. By using the writings, Schliemann was able to locate the site of the Ancient city of Troy. Manfred Korfmann, a German archaeologist, interested in the city of Troy itself, set out to find out the truth about Troy through science, rather than using the Iliad as a guide, but when researching and discovering historic events in Troy, numerous finds matched up to Homer’s writings. Armed conflicts in 1200 B.C, around the same time as the Bronze Age, further highlights the impression that the Trojan War did in fact happen, just as Homer had stated in the Iliad. In the time when Homer’s Iliad stated the Trojan War took place, and when conflicts were apparent, the Greek “Mycenaean’s”, believed to have been involved in the Trojan War, were at the height of power and were known to be warriors. This can help prove the violent aspects and conflicts that were written in the Iliad. The Hittie Empire was that of superflous power, and over the great technology and riches they had, meant that the written tablets they had left behind were of vital importance. Much like what Homer had written throughout the Iliad, the tablets contained clues to a great battle fought over an Ancient city named Wulisa, the same exact name Homer had called the ancient city of Troy in the Iliad. Homer’s Iliad therefore shaped our understanding of the events that led to the Trojan War, and those that took place during it.
Our understanding of the Trojan War has been shaped Homer and the Iliad. Heinrich Schliemann arguably is one of the most famous archaeologists when reffering to the discovery of Troy.