Supposedly, the Trojan War was fought sometime around 1200 BC or so, followed by the temporary collapse of civilization in the Mediterranean world-the first "dark age". We have little to no record of the war other than Homer's Iliad, so it's safe to assume that the exact details of this piece of classic literature are less than relevant to the actual events that went down when the war actually happened.

We know that a settlement did exist on the supposed location of the city of Troy-it was still an important city as late as Alexander's time-in fact, when Alexander began his legendary conquests his first stop after crossing the Hellespoint was the ancient city, where he supposedly traded his own shield for one that was said to have belonged to Achilles-a shield he took with him all the way to India.

So we know Troy existed. It may not have been ruled by King Priom, but there's good evidence to suggest that during the late bronze age it was an important city, linking the trade routes from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. This is why the Greeks invaded the place-not for some kidnapped princess, but for access to the trade routes through the narrow straits between Greece and Anatolia, which were controlled by Troy.

Greece had been flourishing at the time as well-the great Mycenaean civilization was at it's height around 1200 BC. It seems that the Agaean just wasn't big enough for the two superpowers, and it's generally accepted that there was a great clash between them. Mycenaen Greece emerged victorious, only to be defeated themselves shortly after by the Dorians. Mycenae was deserted, and 400 years of savage civil war and illiteracy set upon Greece.

Other empires were falling around the same time. The Hittites had just been defeated by the Egyptians, and their empire was doomed to fall shortly after. Egypt's New Kingdom was in for it's own decline as well. Babylon was in decline, paving the way for the Assyrians to ravage Mesopotamia. The great megalith builders of Britain and Ireland-the people who traded with the more "civilized" Mediterranean world *Britain was where they got their tin, as you know a key ingredient in Bronze* were also beginning to disappear around this time. The world was being plunged into chaos.

So what exactly happened in 1200 BC to cause practically every great civilization from Ireland to Babylon to go into decline? The most logical explanation seems to be climate change. As far away as Ireland, civilization was being affected by it. In "In Search of Ancient Ireland", the authors go through the environmental records, namely ancient tree rings found in bogs. Each ring on the inside of a tree trunk represents one year of growth-in the trees found in this book, they find that there's no summer growth from 1159 to 1157 BC-this strongly suggests a climate catastrophe was occuring at the time-the climate got colder, and therefore crops failed, people starved, wars broke out, etc. etc. This not only affected Ireland, but the whole ancient world. Not only that, but it was right around the time the Trojan war was said to have been fought.

So perhaps due to a cross between deteriorating political affairs and a rapidly cooling climate, civilization was brought to a standstill. This is almost identical to the deteriorating politics and climate changes that occured some 1500 years later, around the 3rd-4th centuries AD. Once again the climate cooled, and starving barbarians were forced to head south in search of greener pastures... but of course this only led to the collapse of Rome and the beginning of a dark age. If the later, more well known dark age is any indication, the original dark age that set upon Greece and other bronze age cultures was probably the result of very similar circumstances.

Sure, the Troy of Homer's Iliad may have been mere legend, but all too often are we reminded that most myths have some, if not much, basis in fact.

From what I have read of Troy , it was trade routes they were fighting over and more than likely there was no Helen or Paris that incited the war.
For a community as Troy to have fought for that leghnth of time they would have to have had allies and it is suspected that the Hittites(typo) were their allies.

No remains were found of a giant horse at the sight of the battle, but then if it was made from wood it could have long eroded by now.
Also they would have had defence wall , yrds or miles from the city walls, but when that was breached many ran underground in secret tunnels, that were under neath the city.
It is also been speculated that someone opened up these underground tunnels and let the advancing greeks into the city.

I love Homers Illiad, but,it is more storytelling than fact.

I don't know, Darla... The Norse composed epic poems in a similar way to recount historical events. They also combined a lot of fiction with their sagas as well... Still, The Iliad was thought to be complete fiction until they actually found Troy.

The point I was making Hodge, was that although the Illiad had truths in it, it was mostly romantic fiction when it came to Helen and paris.(Hence storytelling).
There is no doubt that the war of Troy took place, that's why Homer wrote of it...it is widely disputed in some areas as to how and why it was fought and the movie was just hollywood making sweeping gestures on the old Helen and Paris love story. (packs the audiences in though).

Hodge, Darla, Steroidcow, what do you think of the stories about the gods fighting alongside humans over Troy? Again just romantic fiction which helped Homer make his story more exciting or were these gods Aliens who joined in the fight? What's your takes?

Rich :smokin:

Fiction. Just like the Norse sagas. The truth embellished with a little mythology.

I tend to agree with you Hodge. But, doesn't it seem interesting that they would choose gods and not giants or herculean types more reasonable and human?

Rich :confused:

Nah. The Gods are always present... A lot of warriors would go into battle saying, "I have Odin's strength behind me" or "Zeus is at my side." I think Homer was either exaggerating or romanticizing it for dramatic effect.

You also have to take into account that Homer wrote the Iliad 500 years after the war took place, and therefore poetic license is expected-same reason they still embellish the romantic side of the story today in Hollywood. The really far fetched stuff was added to make the story more compelling.

Beowulf supposedly took place around the same time as Troy too, roughly 1200 BC. Coincidence?? Food for thought.

Actually, they don't know when Homer wrote The Iliad... They're not even quite sure when he lived.

It's disputed whether he was one person or a collection of various storytellers, or whether he even existed at all.

He was supposed to have lived in the 8th century BC, which was long after the Trojan war took place. Since the story was passed down orally at first, it's safe to assume it may have been told a few centuries before, too.

I still cant believe,how thick headed these trojans were that the brought in a huge horse without checking it. Above all they thought it was some kind of gift from spartans. Spartans were badly decieted, they were not victorious, why they will build a horse as a gift or why they will put in so much labour for their enemies. I will kick the ass of that stupid king who let the horse in on the Day of Judgement