Trojan War

"There is no historical basis for the Trojan War, the location of Troy is debatable and therefore there is little conclusive evidence to support the Iliad"

For years the ancient story of Troy and the epic Trojan War has sparked dispute among archaeologists. Did it really happen? Was there a troy like the one Homer describes? What caused it? Historians are today still trying to prove the existence of troy and the Trojan War.

Our main source of interest in troy and the Trojan War is the Iliad. It is an account of the war, describing the events and people associated with it. It was written by Homer, the Greek bard who lived approximately 400 years after the war is said to have occurred. Our knowledge of Homer is very little and it is unknown whether he was a single person or a group of authors. He described Troy as being a colossal city of great wealth with enormous walls protecting it. The war lasted for 10 years, with the Iliad accounting for 55 days of it.

The Iliad cannot be taken on face value. It is littered with metaphors and inaccuracies. It is nonetheless an extremely useful piece of evidence that holds a foundation of truth.

An example of one of the inaccuracies in the Iliad is in Homer's description of Troy. He details the buildings present, naming a temple of Athena, who was a Greek goddess, a temple of this god would not be present in a town such as Troy. Instead of describing Troy he described an ancient Greek city.

Despite its flaws, the