There are settings in stories that are believed to be real places in the world. One place in particular that really sends people through a loop is Troy. With all the stories and information on Troy scholars think it was real, but some of the stories also make it sound imaginary. The Iliad is a good example of that. With some of the events that happen in The Iliad, It makes the place sound believable but then again some are far out there and they seem unrealistic. Another reason that historians believe Troy is real is because Homer lived in or around the area of Troy, more commonly known as the western Asia Minor. The first question then is if Troy was a real place or not.
If you ever ask a historian, they will say that Troy was a real place. The mythological stories that are out there about Troy make it sound otherwise. In mythology Troy was said to be a place built by the Greek gods including Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, and many others. It is also said that “The walls were so impressive that they were said to have been built by Poseidon and Apollo” “Troy”. It wasn’t until the Trojans used the Trojan horse that they finally broke through Troy’s defenses. However, in The Iliad the events go a little differently. “Achilles seeks to avenge Patroclus by slaughtering Trojans. Apollo, a god who protects Troy, opens the gates of the city so that the Trojans can rush to safety inside the walls” “Iliad”. There are some notable differences between the two and some slight similarities. Troy is still protected by the god Apollo, but The Iliad has nothing to do with the Trojan horse. There were no doubts in the time that the Trojans were being aided by the Greek gods.
When looking at the historical side, Troy is said to have progressed nine different time. Each time historians can see that Troy’s inhabitants were learning and progressing their way of life. The nine eras include, “The first from 3000 to 2550 BCE, the second from 2550 to 2300 BCE, the third to fifth from 2300 to 1750 BCE, the sixth from 1750 to 1300 BCE, the seventh was split into two from 1300 to 1180 BCE and from 1180 to 950 BCE, and the eighth to ninth from 950 to 550 BCE” “Troy”. Historians believe that during the sixth year of progression is when the trojan war took place.
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Now that it is established that Troy did exist, it brings up the question of what Troy was like. The site of Troy is now called Hisarlik and It is located in northwest Turkey. “When Heinrich Schliemann excavated part of Troy in 1873, he discovered a cache of treasure, which he believed belonged to King Priam” “Ancient”. King Priam was the father to Hector. In The Iliad Hector is killed by Achilles and Priam asks for his sons body back. “Even as he spoke, the end came, and death hid him; spirit from body fluttered to undergloom, bewailing fate that made him leave his youth and manhood in the world.” and “‘It is for him that I have come among these ships, to beg him back from you, and I bring ransom without stint’” (“Iliad”).
Another set of archeologists reported that, “They used the ancient epic poem to cross reference their findings, including geographical elements and other pieces of information” “Did the city”. One of their finding includes, “Troy matches up with the credentials set by the Iliad. Troy was on the banks of the Scamander River. It’s also about 5 kilometers from the sea, which is similar to the descriptions in the Iliad. Another feature of the city of Troy as described in the myths is that it appears to have been a walled city.
The city that Schliemann and Calvert found also shows evidence of being a walled city” “Did the city”. The archeologists also stated, “Unfortunately, back when Schliemann and Calvert began exploring the site back in the mid-1800’s, the archaeological principals that are around today that are designed to help preserve sites today weren’t in place, which means that some of the original information could have been lost” “Did the city”.
