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Writings on The Trojan War

Summary:   Homer's The Iliad, Herodotus' The Histories, and Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War all present alternative views of the events of the Trojan War. While the reliability of each work as historical evidence can be questioned, they all validate and reinforce the idea that the Trojan War did indeed occur.

There are a variety of written sources that suggest that the Trojan War did in fact occur. Homer presents details of the Trojan war in his epic poem The Iliad, this poem presents many of the ideas that we have today of Troy and the Trojan War. However, we must also consider Homers reliability- who he (or she) was, why and when s/he was writing and from where s/he was getting his/her sources. After looking at Homers work, we look to other sources to validate what is being said. Herodotus confirms some of Homers ideas but also reveals some discrepancies. Whilst Thucydides also confirms some ideas and brings into play others. However for both Herodotus and Thucydides, reliability must be questioned.

Homer's The Iliad presents many key details on the Trojan War. The Iliad tells of the Trojan War, saying that there was a war and that it was an expedition to rescue Helen after her abduction by Paris. It tells us that "Agamemnon King of Men" (Homer, p.1) moved the Greek people to unite and take up arms against Priam's city of Troy where Helen was being held after she was stolen from Menelaus. The Iliad, however also brings myth into the mix with the idea that when Paris was asked to judge the beauty of the Goddesses, Athena, Aphrodite and Hera, he picked Aphrodite who offered him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world (Helen). It is these ideas that lead us to question the accuracy of The Iliad, and before considering The Iliad to be true, Homer's reliability as a creditable writer must be considered.

When considering Homer's work, his reliability must be questioned. Homer was in no way writing to accurately describe history, but instead he was writing to entertain people with epic poetry. It is through the poetic form that Homer was writing in that there would be great exaggerations made and the truth quite possibly stretched. Very little is known about Homer as a person, however it is known that he was writing in the 8th Century BC, approximately 400 years after the Trojan war was supposed to have taken place. The fact that Homer was so far removed from the events that took place brings in a greater question on where Homer gained his information. Homer most likely gained his sources from oral traditions, passed through the generations, this presents a problem in that the facts would become distorted over time. Over all, The Iliad isn't an entirely reliable source, however, once compared to other sources, The Iliad may be of some use.

Herodotus' The Histories validates some of Homer's ideas, while also giving an alternative view. Herodotus like Homer states that the Trojan War did in fact take place, and that it was caused by the abduction of "a girl from Sparta" (Herodotus, p.42) called Helen, by a man called Paris. Herodotus goes onto say that Helen did in fact never go to Troy but instead to Egypt. When on the way home to Troy, Paris' ship met bad weather, that "drove his ship towards Egypt" (Herodotus, p.171). Upon learning of the "Trojan stranger" (Herodotus, p.171) who had committed an "abominable crime" (Herodotus, p.171), the Egyptians arrested Paris, sending him back to Troy without his "ill-gotten gains" (Herodotus, p.172) of Helen and the treasures that he stole from his host Menalaus. The Greeks not knowing this moved against Troy, where they were told by the Trojans that neither Helen nor the treasure were in their possession, not believing the Trojans, the Greeks "laid siege to the town, and persisted until it fell" (Herodotus, p.173), not finding Helen, Menelaus went to Egypt where both Helen and his property were returned to him. Herodotus brings up some valuable points, confirming further that the Trojan War did in fact take place and that Helen, Paris, and Menelaus were involved.

Herodotus' reliability should also be questioned when considering his work as a piece of historical evidence. Unlike Homer, Herodotus was writing for the expressed purpose of recording history. However, it is important to note that Herodotus was writing in the 5th Century BC, even later than Homer. Herodotus however does state his sources; he interviewed Priests, who told him the story of Paris coming to Egypt. Herodotus also uses the Cypria and The Iliad, however he places less importance on these two texts. Herodotus agrees with the idea that the Trojan War did in fact occur.

Thucydides also confirms many of the ideas of Homer whilst bringing in yet another view of the events. Thucydides maintains that there was a place called Troy, that the Trojan War did occur, and that it was partly because of a woman called Helen. Thucydides also mentions Agamemnon and he suggests that Agamemnon as "the most powerful of the rulers of his day" (Thucydides, p.39) was able to raise the Greeks in a united force to move against Troy. Thucydides claims however that it was not entirely because of Helen that the Greeks united in a joint force but because of the fear that they had of Agamemnon. Thucydides further validates the ideas of Homer and of Herodotus.

Thucydides reliability must be questioned to determine its usefulness as a historical source. Thucydides was writing in the 5th Century BC, very removed from the events that he was talking about. As a writer he often analysed events, bringing his own personal opinion into what he was saying. Unlike Herodotus, Thucydides does not state what sources he used, this brings a problem into his reliability. However, Thucydides does further validate Homer's idea of Troy and the Trojan War.

After summing up the evidence it is entirely valid to consider that there is a fairly good possibility that the Trojan War did occur. Although not an entirely reliable source, Homer's The Iliad has some ideas that are reinforced in other sources. Both Herodotus' The Histories and Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War reinforce the idea that the Trojan War was a real historical event that involved such figures as Helen, Paris and Agamemnon. All these sources point to the one conclusion and it is entirely possible that they are right and that the Trojan War did take place.

Bibliography

Herodotus, 1955, The Histories, translated R. Warner, Penguin, Harmondsworth.

Homer, 1965, The Iliad, translated E.V. Rieu, Penguin, Harmondsworth.

Thucydides, 1972, History of the Peloponnesian War, translated R. Warner, Penguin, London.