Year 9
Unit 1 - Bronze Age Greece
Lesson 5 - Troy
There are many Greek legends about the ancient Mycenaeans. Perhaps the most famous of these tells of how the love-life of a beautiful princess resulted in a terrible war between Mycenae and the city state of Troy.
There was once a very, very beautiful princess called Helen of Sparta. She was married to Menelaus, the brother of King Agamemnon of Mycenae and they lived together quite happily in Menelaus palace.
All the trouble began when Paris, a prince from Troy, came to visit the palace. He was madly in love with the beautiful Helen, who had been 'promised' to him by the Goddess of love (whose name was Aphrodite), as a reward for having chosen Aphrodite as the most beautiful of all goddesses during a 'Miss Goddess' contest. One day, while Menelaus was away from home, Paris and Helen sneaked off together and sailed away to live in Paris' city of Troy. Menelaus was furious when he learned that his wife had gone off with the treacherous Paris, Menelaus' brother, the King, was equally furious. Together they organised a great army of Mycenaeans and other mainland Greeks and set off for Troy. They were determined to get Helen back and to teach the Trojans a lesson that they would never forget.
Troy - a well defended city with tall, thick walls -could not be easily captured. So the Greeks laid siege to the city. They surrounded it in the hope that they could eventually make it surrender. For ten long years the siege went on. Many battles were fought outside its walls. Deeds of great bravery (and of great savagery) were carried out by both sides. But, no matter what they did, the Greeks could not capture the city. Then a Greek called Odysseus thought of a trick...
All the trouble began when Paris, a prince from Troy, came to visit the palace. He was madly in love with the beautiful Helen, who had been 'promised' to him by the Goddess of love (whose name was Aphrodite), as a reward for having chosen Aphrodite as the most beautiful of all goddesses during a 'Miss Goddess' contest. One day, while Menelaus was away from home, Paris and Helen sneaked off together and sailed away to live in Paris' city of Troy. Menelaus was furious when he learned that his wife had gone off with the treacherous Paris, Menelaus' brother, the King, was equally furious. Together they organised a great army of Mycenaeans and other mainland Greeks and set off for Troy. They were determined to get Helen back and to teach the Trojans a lesson that they would never forget.
Troy - a well defended city with tall, thick walls -could not be easily captured. So the Greeks laid siege to the city. They surrounded it in the hope that they could eventually make it surrender. For ten long years the siege went on. Many battles were fought outside its walls. Deeds of great bravery (and of great savagery) were carried out by both sides. But, no matter what they did, the Greeks could not capture the city. Then a Greek called Odysseus thought of a trick...
Troy rediscovered?
The story of the Trojan War was told in an ancient epic poem called The Iliad by a famous poet named Homer. Most people assumed that there was no truth at all in the old legend and that there had never been such a city at Troy. There was one nineteenth century German archaeologist, however, who was convinced that there was some truth in the story. The archaeologist's name was Heinrich Schliemann.
Guided by the descriptions in Homer's poem, Schliemann and his team began digging for Troy in AD 1870 in a place called Hisarlik in modern Turkey. This 'dig' was an archaeological excavation. Everyone was astonished when they found the remains of an ancient city. Schliemann was a pioneer archaeologist, but he was also an amateur. His work has been subject to criticism by modern professional archaeologists because his haste to find evidence of Troy led him to unintentionally destroy important archaeological evidence. However, was it not for Schliemann and more importantly his money, the site at Hisarlik may never have been uncovered.
The story of the Trojan War was told in an ancient epic poem called The Iliad by a famous poet named Homer. Most people assumed that there was no truth at all in the old legend and that there had never been such a city at Troy. There was one nineteenth century German archaeologist, however, who was convinced that there was some truth in the story. The archaeologist's name was Heinrich Schliemann.
Guided by the descriptions in Homer's poem, Schliemann and his team began digging for Troy in AD 1870 in a place called Hisarlik in modern Turkey. This 'dig' was an archaeological excavation. Everyone was astonished when they found the remains of an ancient city. Schliemann was a pioneer archaeologist, but he was also an amateur. His work has been subject to criticism by modern professional archaeologists because his haste to find evidence of Troy led him to unintentionally destroy important archaeological evidence. However, was it not for Schliemann and more importantly his money, the site at Hisarlik may never have been uncovered.
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Schliemann famously uncovered gold jewellery at the site and had his wife photographed wearing the ‘Jewels of Helen’ (right). It generated a lot of publicity but in reality, the gold came from a much earlier period. Part of what makes the excavation of Hisarlik difficult is that there are at least nine cities built on top of one another. This makes it difficult to distinguish one civilisation from the next. (see below)
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The most recent excavation began in 2006 and continues today (see the film below). Possible evidence of a battle was recently found in the form of arrowheads found in layers dated to the early 12th century BC, the time of the Trojan wars. Other corroborative evidence has also been found in the writings of the Hittites, an empire to the east of Hisarlik. Geophysical surveys also support the view that this was a large city.
It seems possible, therefore, that Troy really did exist and that it met a violent end. Whether or not there was a wooden horse, a Helen, a Paris or even a siege, we shall probably never know.
It seems possible, therefore, that Troy really did exist and that it met a violent end. Whether or not there was a wooden horse, a Helen, a Paris or even a siege, we shall probably never know.
The end of Mycenaean rule.
The break-up of Mycenaean culture and rule did not come suddenly as in the case of the Minoans. It happened gradually round the thirteenth century BC and seems to have been caused by several successive years of bad harvests. With the decline of the Mycenaean civilisation in the twelfth century BC, Greece entered into what has been called "the Dark Ages". This period lasted from about 1100 to about 800 BC. It is called the Dark Ages because historians are "in the dark’ (which means they know little) about what went on during this period. There are perhaps three reasons for this:
It seems clear that there was a general decline in Greek influence and civilisation during the Dark Ages. One reason for this was the frequent wars in which Greek tribes fought each other at this time. Farming communities were destroyed and entire tribes were driven from their homes to other parts of the country.
The break-up of Mycenaean culture and rule did not come suddenly as in the case of the Minoans. It happened gradually round the thirteenth century BC and seems to have been caused by several successive years of bad harvests. With the decline of the Mycenaean civilisation in the twelfth century BC, Greece entered into what has been called "the Dark Ages". This period lasted from about 1100 to about 800 BC. It is called the Dark Ages because historians are "in the dark’ (which means they know little) about what went on during this period. There are perhaps three reasons for this:
- The art of writing was lost among the Greeks during this time.
- During this time, few people built strong, stone buildings that lasted.
- Trade seems to have declined during the Dark Ages. We therefore know little about the Greeks from the records of their trading partners.
It seems clear that there was a general decline in Greek influence and civilisation during the Dark Ages. One reason for this was the frequent wars in which Greek tribes fought each other at this time. Farming communities were destroyed and entire tribes were driven from their homes to other parts of the country.
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Activities
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Extension
There is an exhibition currently at the British Museum about ancient Greece. This article in The Guardian is about the exhibition and focuses on Helen of Troy.
There is an exhibition currently at the British Museum about ancient Greece. This article in The Guardian is about the exhibition and focuses on Helen of Troy.