It is highly possible that the Trojan War occurred, given the extent of the evidence that exists to support it; however, due to the amount of time that has passed since its event, it is likely that some details have been changed. There are various written sources to support it, from Homer’s Iliad to Hittite cuneiform tablets. Equally, there is a large amount of archaeological evidence found both at Troy and other ancient sites, such as Mycenae. It seems unlikely that evidence of this quantity and scale could have originated solely from a legend, and thus the Trojan War must have been, at some point, a reality.
There are many sources written after the time by Greek writers that support the Trojan War’s occurrence. The most famous of these …show more content…
Documents from the powerful Bronze Age Hittite Empire mention Wilusa, a city whose location at the approximate site of Troy, in northwest Turkey, was determined through an inscription on a mountain pass. A powerful port city close to the Hittite Empire, it seems strange that Troy is not mentioned in these tablets; thus scholars suspect that Wilusa was the Hittite name for Troy, as it is similar to a Mycenaean name, ‘Wilios’. Historians believe that ‘Ahhiyawa’, described as ‘across the sea’, was the Hittite name for Mycenaean Greece, given that there was no place for Ahhiyawa on the Turkish mainland. One letter from the Hittite emperor to the ruler of Ahhiyawa reads, “Now as we have come to an agreement on Wilusa over which we went to war” (Tawagalawa Letter c. 1250 BCE). As the date matches the period of the Trojan War, this makes it probable that there was a conflict over this city. Tablets also reveal that Troy and the Hittites, two wealthy and influential kingdoms, made an alliance that would prove a threat to the Mycenaeans, and provide motivation for them to attack Troy. Evidence of Mycenaean activity at this time and a relationship between the various city-states around Mycenae comes from Linear B, the earliest form of Greek writing. These clay tablets document goods currently under the control of the palace, and show a civilisation with an established trade between other cities. These primary
There are many sources written after the time by Greek writers that support the Trojan War’s occurrence. The most famous of these …show more content…
Documents from the powerful Bronze Age Hittite Empire mention Wilusa, a city whose location at the approximate site of Troy, in northwest Turkey, was determined through an inscription on a mountain pass. A powerful port city close to the Hittite Empire, it seems strange that Troy is not mentioned in these tablets; thus scholars suspect that Wilusa was the Hittite name for Troy, as it is similar to a Mycenaean name, ‘Wilios’. Historians believe that ‘Ahhiyawa’, described as ‘across the sea’, was the Hittite name for Mycenaean Greece, given that there was no place for Ahhiyawa on the Turkish mainland. One letter from the Hittite emperor to the ruler of Ahhiyawa reads, “Now as we have come to an agreement on Wilusa over which we went to war” (Tawagalawa Letter c. 1250 BCE). As the date matches the period of the Trojan War, this makes it probable that there was a conflict over this city. Tablets also reveal that Troy and the Hittites, two wealthy and influential kingdoms, made an alliance that would prove a threat to the Mycenaeans, and provide motivation for them to attack Troy. Evidence of Mycenaean activity at this time and a relationship between the various city-states around Mycenae comes from Linear B, the earliest form of Greek writing. These clay tablets document goods currently under the control of the palace, and show a civilisation with an established trade between other cities. These primary