The Troy That Homer Knew

The city of Troy (Troy VI-VIIa) which Homer speaks of in his epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey, lasted from 1800 until 1250 B.C.E. In his writings, Homer described Troy using standard epithets - a "well-walled," "broad" city with "lofty gates" and "fine towers," one capable of holding a large population. Unfortunately, these descriptions have no unique value to historians; his descriptions are simply stock phrases and are not to be taken seriously.

Some of Homer's phrasings, however, speak specifically of Troy and lend historical content to the epic. Frequently, Homer refers to the Trojans as "horse tamers" or as "having fine foals," a description singular among all the cultures Homer describes in his works. Perhaps Homer's unique characterization of these people reflects beliefs widely held in his day - that the Trojans were excellent horsemen and horse-breeders.

Later in his story, he details the layout of the town, giving explicit locations of Priam's palace, a temple to Apollo, and an agora where the citizens met. Homer depicts Troy as a sizable city with towering walls and an expansive acropolis. His rendering of Troy should also be taken with a grain of salt, however. The vision of Troy Homer puts forth contradicts the findings of archaeologists and historians.

In reality, the city of Troy was not as grand as the expansive metropolis of which Homer speaks. Troy served as a royal citadel, with approximately 100 people living in the city and just over 1000 living along the perimeter. Ultimately, scientists have concluded that Troy served as little more than a walled palace.

The Iliad - History or Fiction?

The story which Homer sang has been questioned as a reliable information resource; this skepticism has come from all sides, and rightly so. The Iliad was not recorded until hundreds of years after Homer died, and, even so, the manuscript came together from a variety of sources. Each version of Homer's story had mutated in form considerably since the story's inception; numerous discrepancies were found between the many versions. With considerable haste, however, the story was recorded, with the credit trickling down to an author who had long since passed on.

Though no proof existed of the Trojan War, historians in Homer's day generally assumed the war to be an historical event. Thucydides and Herodotus, two of the "fathers of history," both wrote papers outlining their beliefs on the Trojan War. Though they both believed the war had taken place, they found fault with the exaggeration of Homer's tale; as such, they used The Iliad only as a guideline in creating their own versions of the war.

After scouring through Troy's history, one may conclude that Homer's Iliad and Odyssey can't be classified as fact or fiction - his tales blur these lines. Though he had a penchant for storytelling (exaggeration, in other words), his tales serve an important purpose for historians. His stories offer the first accounts of an important event in history - one which has not since been forgotten.

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