Why Did The Trojan War Occur Essay

Did the Trojan War ever occur? This is a common question that cultivates debate among many historians around the world. Although some research and studies may display the war as a myth, stronger physical evidence proves otherwise. Through Heinrich Schliemann, an archaeologist, and other valued archaeologists, the work of a poet named Homer, who revealed the great mystery of the Trojan War, was discovered. Homer’s literary evidence, as well as linguistic and historic evidence from the Homeric Greek language and the Hittite documentary strongly supports the existence of the Trojan War. This complex area of study has aroused and captivated researchers and historians. The location of the Trojan War, the city of Troy is an important setting to Greek
culture because it outlines the way a city and civilization should operate. The Trojan War continues to be a topic of hot debate in the historical community but with ongoing discoveries and research it is evident that Homers poems may in fact hold truth as well as important life lessons that continue to shape society.
The Trojan War has been and still is a mystery to many historians, archaeologists and Greek believers around the globe. It is a story that has segregated the believers of its existence, to its non-believers. Generally, a story consists of acts and events that deliver meaningful messages and morals to its audience. The components of the story are what determines its reality and whether those events truly existed or not. The themes in the story of the Trojan War include love, battle and vengeance; the key components and recipe that make a story so great and interesting. However, the sophisticated portion of the Trojan War is the debate and dispute of its historical existence based on these components. Although portions of the story of the war may appear unrealistic or fantasized, literature, linguistic and historical evidence strongly support the existence of the Trojan War. Homer’s literary, linguistic and historic evidence from the Homeric Greek language and the Hittite documentary strongly reinforces the existence of the Trojan War. Due to Homer’s elaborate story archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, set out to find the city. Schliemann started to dig where he thought the city might be and he found a city which was very extensive. In the city he found “slanted walls, found many round pieces of crystal such as an eye glass lens which was a very odd discovery of such a time and all of the findings were done using Homeric geography.” (lecture notes). The findings of Heinrich were in Homer’s writings which made a strong support for the existence to the Trojan War. After the death of archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann other archaeologists were interested in finding more proof of the Trojan War. In addition to the literary findings, linguistic findings were discovered as well. Many documents were found that discussed the ancient writings were similar to Homer’s account. In the ancient documentation there were mentions about the prince of Troy named “Alekshandu which was similar to Homers Alexander.”(lecture notes) Other names such as “Attarsiyes was similar to Homers Atteus and Trias which was similar to Homers Tarwisa” (lecture notes). In addition to the literary and linguistic findings archaeologist discovered a historical finding in “1970 of a very vast royal library, where they were able to discover a lot of information on Wilusa that was from the Hittie community, and how there were many ancient writings found about a city that had a water channel” (Dass, 2011). The writings discovered about the city that had a water channel were similar to the city of Troy that Homer wrote about. Through the evidence found by many archaeologists it is evident that the Trojan War may in fact be more than just fiction.
Through Homer’s writings it is apparent that the city of Troy is an important location because of its historic significance.
The city shapes the Greek culture as it outlines the way a city and civilization should behave and live together. The poem Iliad emphasizes “the importance of honour, vengeance, and feud in the society that Homer imagines [...] but it also suggests a society in which conflicts could be resolved peacefully through gift exchange and where assemblies, courts, and other communal institutions existed side-by-side with an individualistic honour” (The Ancient Mediterranean World, pg 57). Despite all the disagreements, arguments and fights an individual may experience, this poem conveys the message that these unnecessary clashes between individuals may be avoided and resolved peacefully in appropriate and reasonable manners. Over the long ten years of the Trojan War many lives of innocent people were taken and an immoral acting tendency was created. In the end the poem emphasizes that killing is wrong and that one must learn to think independently. One must be capable of differentiating between what is right and what is wrong as it will help them further evaluate from morality and immorality. Killing is wrong because it is taking something that does not belong to you away from someone else. In most cases, the one held responsible for death cannot understand the feeling of loss others experience. From the story of the Trojan War, people learn to think for themselves and solve fights and arguments in a reasonable manner. The city of Troy allows us to see how a city should be
run. The Trojan War may contain some elements that seem unrealistic and create a group of people who do not believe the war existed. However, there continues to be an ongoing network of researchers set out to prove its existence. Through the examination of literary evidence, linguistic connections to the evidence and the Hittite documentary the existence of the Trojan War is strongly supported. Many Greek believers still find the Trojan War a mystery and have a deep appreciation for Homer's writings. With the help of the archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, the city of Troy is no longer simply a place in Homer’s writings but is a valued city that allowed ideas to emerge.