Troy Today

While the first researchers at Troy often attempted to verify or refute the occurrence of a “Trojan War”, fought between the Greeks and the Trojans, current excavation efforts have shifted focus somewhat. As Manfred Korfmann, the current director at the Troy digs, stated in a 1995 interview, "We are no longer interested in clarifying whether the Trojan War and the ensuing destruction of Troy VI around 1250 BC - really took place, I even think that because of Troy's strategic significance, there must have been many Trojan Wars which could have served as a basis for Homer's epics". The wind in the area is rarely favorable for travel through the Dardanelles, and those wishing to do so would have to stop at Troy’s harbor while awaiting their opportunity. Naturally, the Trojans exploited the tactical advantage afforded them by their location for financial gain, demanding tribute from those attempting passage. Needless to say, they often had to defend themselves against those who wished to displace them and usurp control of their strategic resources. The hypothesis that Troy was destroyed in such a conflict is by no means far fletched, and is, in fact, supported by evidence uncovered during the archeological excavation of the historic site. Troy’s defenses have been repeatedly rebuilt, repaired, and enlarged, as would be expected for a city which was frequently at war. In addition, piles of sling bullets where found scattered around the city, which, according to Korffmann, indicates that the city was likely destroyed in such a war. If the city won a war, they would have collected the bullets for reuse, so their presence indicates that the invaders where victorious.
With the existence of at least one “Trojan War” accepted by most scholars, many have now begun to question the accuracy of Homer’s account of the war. Several, including Schliemann and, more recently, Latacz, believe that Homer’s poems had a strong basis in historical fact, while others believe that his poems are primarily legend. Recent research has provided evidence that at least one of the wars was with the Achaeans, as Homer described. In the 1920’s and 30’s, Emil Forrer found references to attacks on a place called “Wilusiya” by the “Ahhiyawa”. He proposed that “Wilusiya” was in fact a Hittite reference to Ilium, and the “Ahhiyawa” was a reference to the Greeks. This theory was given little credence, until a recent discovery of a section of text, which placed Wilusiya within the Troad region, consistent with the location of the ruins of Troy. Accepting that the Trojans where at war with the Achaeans on at least on occasion, it becomes necessary to determine whether there was, in fact, one specific war, as Homer described, or a longer series of conflicts which where condensed to make his epic. Theories regarding this question are largely speculative, and often center on an attempt to determine the specific cause of the conflict that resulted in Troy’s fall. While Schliemann firmly believed that there was a historical Helen, over whom the war was fought, few contemporary scholars believe that Homer’s work can be taken so literally. When Wolf-Dietrich Niemeier, during his excavations of Miletos, another city in Asia Minor, found evidence that the Achaeans lost control of the city to Hittites in the second half of the thirteenth century, a theory was developed that the Greeks attacked Troy in an attempt to regain their influence in the region. Other theories include conflicts over copper resources or fishing rights.
While several of these hypotheses could explain an isolated attack on Troy, there are other problems with Homer’s account of the war. While it is known that Troy VIh, the level most likely to be the city described by Homer, was destroyed during a time period consistant with the Trojan war, it appears that Troy VIIa was built immediately afterward, and was inhabited by the same people. This obviously conflicts with Homer’s account of the war, in which the inhabitants of the city where killed after the Greeks’ victory, and lends support to other proposals reguarding Troy’s distruction, such as an earthquake.
While there are still many questions about Troy’s place in the ancient world, it’s destruction, and the Acheaens’ role in bringing it about, modern research, from a variety of fields, is continually providing insight which helps us compare Homer’s work to historical fact.