In Search of the Trojan War
by Michael Wood
Posted on 07/18/2007 11:14:32 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Schliemann's identification of Troy with a place near Turkey's Aegean coast called Hisarlik is more certain than ever. He wasn't the first to make the connection, but his excavations in 1870 proved the Bronze Age city was prosperous enough to match Homer's description... Among the subdued lands, Hittite texts tell us, was a place called Wilusa. Since the 1920s, shortly after Hittite was deciphered, some have identified Wilusa with Troy (Ilios in Greek, possibly Wilios before Greek lost its W sound)... several Hittite texts... use the place-name "Ahhiyawa," currently thought to refer to one or more Greek-speaking kingdoms. Ahhiyawa is phonetically similar to Akhaioi, a Homeric term for the Greeks... One document from about 1280 BC says a Greek ally named Piyamaradu had overthrown Troy's unnamed Hittite-allied king. In another text, circa 1250 BC, the Hittite king begs his "brother," an unnamed Greek ruler, to rein in Piyamaradu, who is again making trouble in Anatolia. This letter mentions an earlier Greek-Hittite war or dispute (translations vary) over Troy, presumably the one from 1280. The earlier conflict apparently ended with a Greek-Hittite agreement that removed Piyamaradu from Troy. A third Hittite document from about 1230 BC tells us the Hittites had then overthrown the Greek-allied ruler of Milawata (probably Miletus, also on the Anatolian coast). We learn that the rightful (read: Hittite-friendly) king of Troy, named Walmu, was to be reinstated, implying that the Greeks or their allies had ousted a Trojan king for the second time in less than a century.
(Excerpt) Read more at slweekly.com ...
In Search of the Trojan War
by Michael Wood
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Cute name to the article.
I knew Schliemann was right the minute I climbed into the horse that stands in front of the ruins at Truva today. (giggle)
The horse seats perhaps 30 people on benches that run along the sides under the windows. Thirty guys captured Troy? Perhaps, as the site is very small.
The Trojan War story had been passed down for many generations. Homer wrote the Illiad in the Eigth Century BC. He told the tale of Gods and demigods, heros and mortals. Helen, of great beauty, would "launch a 1000 ships"!
I still have Schliemann on my bookshelf. My History of Ancient Greece professor was born on the Aegean Island of Lemmnos was a noted Byzantine Scholar whose first love was this Epic Tale! Dr Charanis brought history to life by reminding us that History was not about dates but People! He insisted that the only date we needed to remember was 1453 when the Roman Empire fell! He was, as I said, a noted Byzantine Scholar and if he had his way Istanbul would be returned to Greece and Hagia Sophia returned to its Eastern Orthodox splendor.
Well, so much for Cussler’s idea that the Trojan was actually fought by a bunch of Celts...
:’) I don’t think Schliemann had anything to do with the horse — I believe that’s a fairly recent (last 20 years) addition to give the tourists something to do. Also, the only part Schliemann excavated was the citadel of the city — the contemporary excavations did indeed find a large Mycenaean-era town under the Roman and Greek towns which sprawled out around the citadel.
I think that idea (widespread, simultaneous large earthquakes shaking down city walls and whatnot, ending the so-called Bronze Age) has been around a good long time. Blegen claimed that the layer of Troy just before the Trojan War (IOW, Troy VI, which was most extensively excavated and mapped by Dorpfeld) was destroyed or at least dismantled by a quake, and that Troy VIIa was the already-wrecked city of the Iliad. Dorpfeld said it was VI, and I agree with that. :’)
Well, I was going to point to Edo Nyland’s website about Homer in the Hebrides, but the link was bad, so I Googled it, and found that he’s really gone off the deep end of that channel of Scylla and Charibdis. :’)
Well, I went to save that one, and found I had it on the drive already. :’D He’s also a peak oil guy (Nur, I mean), and attributes the 9/11 terrorist attacks to oil (IOW, I think he needs to shuddup about stuff not related to earthquakes etc).
4.3 MB 2 minute preview for a Discovery Channel show on the destruction of Alexandria, featuring Nur:
http://news-service.stanford.edu/zmedia/amosnur_discovery.mov
The region later known as the Troad was called Wilusa by the Hittites. This identification was first put forth by Emil Forrer, but largely disputed by most Hittite experts until 1983 when Houwink ten Cate showed that two fragments were from the same original cuneiform tablet and in his discussion of the restored letter showed that Wilusa was correctly placed in northwestern Anatolia. According to Trevor Bryce, Hittite texts indicate a number of Ahhiyawan raids on Wilusa during the 13th century BC, which may have resulted with the overthrow of king Walmu. -- Troas, Answers.com (this text no longer appears there)Tawagalawas is their transliteration of "Achilles", IMHO.Troy and the Trojan War: Outline 1e. The letter of Hattusilis III (ca. 1255-1230 BC) demands the extradition of Tawagalawas, the brother of the king of Ahhiyawa. In Linear B there is a name Etewokleweios; this may be the well-known Eteocles from Greek mythology. He is staying at Millawanda. Is this Miletus on the coast of Asia Minor? Hattusilis refers to the Achaean king as his brother; are they both "great kings?"
by David H. Kelly
Montclair State University
Of course Schliemann had nothing to do with the horse. I was being sarcastic.
As you can see, I corral deeply. [rimshot!] My favorite guffaw about the kinda odd smear campaign against poor Schliemann was about ten years ago, when the so-called Mask of Agamemnon which he excavated at Mycenae was called a fraud. :’)
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