Abstract
The historical book embarks on an intriguing journey of Mycenaean Greece, Dark Age Greece, and the Trojan War. Carol Thomas explores how mythology developed into contemporary history, highlighting that the Bronze Age and the Trojans were critical to understanding the evolving history of Greece (Thomas, 1993, p. 2). The author provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of myths into historical realities in pre-classical Greece (Thomas, 1993, p. 2). She highlights that changing historical discourse, such as the Trojan War, is driven by a lack of practical research tools, dating systems, writing strategies, and rapid changes brought about by civilization.
Summary
Introduction
Thomas applies the historical survey strategy to analyze how the Dark Age led to the establishment of the classical era. The study’s objective is to explore Greece’s earliest civilization through Homer’s account of the Trojan War and the historical changes it brought. The introduction highlights the significant issues that occurred during the Bronze and Dark Ages of Greece and illustrates how mythology shaped Greek history (Thomas, 1993, p. 2).
The development of Troy into an ancient city has been a subject of ongoing debate over the exact features of the town. The reason is that differences in scholarly discourse about Troy’s landscape and its portrayal in the Iliad cast doubt on the accuracy of the descriptions. The recent study’s focus has shifted from locating the city to reconstructing an accurate topography of the site. This approach will enrich history by simulating significant historical concepts, including the Greek attack on the fortress at Hissarlik (Thomas, 1993, p. 2).
Despite the differing opinions, the author notes that archaeologists and students of epic traditions highlight the Mycenaean presence in Asia, a critical step toward identifying the actual occurrences of the Trojan War. Therefore, the indefinite evidence supporting the Trojan War is crucial in early Greek history.
Troy: War and Metaphor
The book’s first section explores in depth the philosophical debates among archaeologists over their new interdisciplinary approaches to Troy. Some interpretations of the causes of the Trojan War include multiple Greek attacks, shrewd management of natural resources in the Trojan territory, and Mycenaean hostility. The author highlights that the story of Troy began with hydrologists who tried to reconstruct it in 1980 (Thomas, 1993, p. 6). Historians recorded that the Greek fleet was more extensive and profound in the second millennium due to continuous silting (Thomas, 1993, p. 6). This rationale is similar to what Homeric citations depict: the Greek camp was along the bay from Troy, not on the coast north of the citadel, as earlier historians illustrated.
The authors also explain that disturbances across the eastern Mediterranean during the Bronze Age led to the fall of Troy. Thomas explains that the Mycenaean presence in Asia Minor can be identified by dated Hittite tablets, which provide the exact date of the war (Thomas, 1993, p. 10). However, problems with ancient research systems, dating methods, writing, and oral traditions hindered the uncovering of the exact events that transpired, leading to more conflicting opinions, ideologies, and philosophies about the Trojan War, the Dark Age, and the ancient Greeks.
The Tools
Method
The author posits that the discipline of archeology has evolved, enabling new, viable strategies for study. For instance, modern research focuses on contextual analysis rather than site, object, or individual examination (Thomas, 1993, p. 15). Another modern consideration when studying people’s history is analyzing the environment’s impact on human interactions. In addition, the “new archeology” is a deductive and evidence-based research that has promoted discoveries, including the remote millennia before the Bronze Age (Thomas,1993, p. 15).
An example of a new archaeological tool is survey archaeology, an organized investigation of a landscape. This strategy has been crucial in tracing more complex historical issues, including language affinities (Thomas, 1993, p. 18). Through such studies, more discoveries have been made, including the finding that the Neolithic agrarian revolution significantly shaped ancient Greek history. The investigative approaches help scientists reconstruct the ancient communities, their livelihood, religion, leadership, and family units. This contributes to a better understanding of ancient Greek history.
Excavation and construction are also integral modern archeological approaches that have enhanced learning. Thomas illustrates that excavating fossil remains is significant for unraveling history and promoting rescue archaeology. Similarly, construction helps reveal the deadline for recovered relics to be analyzed before information is lost (Thomas,1993, p. 19).
This initiative helps recover the history of unknown individuals with particular relevance. In addition, the approach reveals historical remains that need to be studied or removed immediately due to their impact on the ecosystem (Thomas, 1993, p. 29). Such tools are essential for promoting active archaeological initiatives that answer precise questions about people, the dates of events, and the sites where history unfolded.
Dating
Dating notes the chronology of history, improving the accurate depiction of medieval times. Thomas illustrates that archaeologists have mastered the art of dating, which helps retain the “eye of the history.” Giving accurate dates to specific occurrences establishes a temporal sequence of events, which helps eliminate assumptions and subjective interpretations of historical events (Thomas, 1993, p. 32).
The ancient dating methods included archeological evidence, carbon-14 dating, and cross-referencing data materials. All these approaches helped estimate the absolute dates of historical occurrences (Thomas, 1993, p. 32). However, achieving precise dates proved challenging, prompting the development of other initiatives, including the Thera technique, cross-dating, and reassessment.
The eruption helped refine dating strategies, thereby creating a more accurate depiction of the event timelines. This strategy helped refine historical dating methods, leading to changes such as revised timelines for different historical foci, including the Aegean culture.
Cross-dating is another vital approach that compares data from modern cultures to determine exact dates (Thomas, 1993, p. 36). This method helps establish accurate timing for ancient civilizations. In addition, reassessment helps identify a common factor between two contrasting events, thereby fostering a more nuanced understanding of ancient occurrences (Thomas, 1993, p. 36). Such changes have led to the adoption of reliable techniques to preserve the important details of a historical event.
The Evidence
Writing
In this chapter, the author explores how illiteracy contributed to the lack of proper dating of events during ancient times. The lack of written records in early Greek history is one of the primary reasons for the lack of precise dating. Mycenaean civilization relied on administrative writing, used primarily for functional purposes due to the bureaucracy of superior officials. Thomas explains that although the language was widespread following the downfall of the administrative systems in the early 1200 BCE, the communication system declined (Thomas,1993, p. 40).
Another one of the most significant characteristics of the Greek civilization was the period that followed the Dark Age, during which there were no written records. The era began at the end of the 8th century and lasted for the rest of the century, and people were considered pure Illiterates. In recent decades, fragmentary remains of Linear B, one of the variants of the Bronze Age script, were found at Knossos in 1984, along with other linearly arranged symbol types from different parts of Crete (Thomas, 1993, p. 41). The history of writing demonstrates how administrative practices made dating historical events problematic.
Oral Tradition
Oral tradition was another avenue for discovery in pre-classical Greece, given the absence of written archaeological evidence. This approach involves the study of oral data, including the Homeric epics, which helps develop an oral-formulaic theory, enabling in-depth analysis of prehistoric information. The approach entails analyzing word of mouth to inform the analysis of traditional tales and phrases (Thomas, 1993, p. 45).
Thomas explains that oral tradition positively impacts history, noting that information transmitted orally provides a community with unique core values, norms, beliefs, and social structures. Therefore, researchers can discern a community’s attitudes toward its authority, economy, and social interactions through oral tradition (Thomas, 1993, p. 47). Despite the significance of oral information, its interpretation remained subjective, resulting in non-generalizable findings.
Reconstruction: Mycenaean Age
The author highlights the geographical spread of Mycenaean influence by exploring the significant trade networks that helped strengthen their history. The Mycenaean contact between the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean cultures helps reconstruct their presence and understand their contribution to the development of specific cultures (Thomas, 1993, p. 54).
The author also examined the presence of mainlanders on Crete and their impact on the Mycenaean civilization. The main finding in this section is that the interactions among these communities led to linguistic and cultural assimilation (Thomas, 1993, p. 57). For instance, the emergence of the Greek-speaking community in Crete was influenced by the island’s predominance of Greeks. All these interactions led to the development of the classical era.
Reconstruction: Dark Age
The Dark Age was a significant era that paved the way for the classical period. Scholars such as Roland Hampe and Erika Simon began tracing Greek art more clearly as Greek civilization flourished. According to the author, the Mycenaean people engaged in cremation, which contributed to the diversification of traditional practices (Thomas, 1993, p. 69).
Pottery was also a crucial tradition that led to the understanding of intrusive practices as typical. This integration of culture also hindered archeologists’ understanding of the origins of specific cultures, leading to issues such as the Dorian invasion theory. Vincent Desborough proposed this philosophy and sought to explore the pre-classical traditions that prevailed in classical Greece, including language (Thomas, 1993, p. 71). Therefore, the Dark Ages are associated with social, demographic, and economic changes.
Evaluation
Personally, I find that Carol Thomas adeptly demonstrates a profound grasp of historical nuances through her synthesis of archaeological, linguistic, and literary insights. Her strength lies in precisely elucidating complicated historical concepts, as exemplified in her exploration of the controversies surrounding the Trojan War—a topic I previously found arcane that was rendered comprehensible (Thomas, 1993, p. 3).
Employing a research style grounded in secondary data, Thomas generates fresh insights by delving into prior analyses and providing in-depth background information to contextualize her arguments. This approach resulted in clear prose that gave me sufficient information to comprehend her rationale (Peels, 2020). Moreover, her study contributes to understanding Mycenaean Greece, Dark Age Greece, and the Trojan War by challenging conventional interpretations and introducing new perspectives.
Despite these strengths, I would like to note areas for improvement in the research. Argumentation for ideas sometimes relies on a broad database, which can hinder clarity. Certain sections, particularly the transitions from the Mycenaean age to the Dark Age, necessitated multiple readings for a comprehensive understanding, as the text can be distracting, affecting overall readability (Thomas, 1993, p. 3). Additionally, I was overwhelmed by the comprehensive overview of prehistoric facts, given the emphasis on historical jargon (Peels, 2020). However, despite these limitations, the book was a systematic guide to understanding various historical developments.
My conclusion is that Thomas’s study offers valuable insights into Mycenaean Greece, Dark Age Greece, and the Trojan War. Notably, the author highlights that the names of lands and people during the Dark Ages were preserved in Egyptian documents, opening up new avenues for research (Peels, 2020). Thomas suggests that the causes of the Trojan War were multifactorial and that strife in Greece was driven by mechanists inspired by civilization (Thomas, 1993, p. 3). These findings underscore the author’s confidence in her analysis and provide opportunities for future studies.
Conclusion
Myth Becomes History presents readers with an intriguing expedition through the complicated, multifaceted nature of pre-Classical Greece. Historians like Thomas offer meaningful insights into ancient Greece’s values, society, and politics by thoroughly studying the Mycenaean world, the Dark Age, and the Trojan War.
Therefore, readers should expect an elaborate conversion of myth into reality as they read this book. Notwithstanding occasional obscurity in the argument, the book is aimed at experts and laypeople in history, making it interesting and instructive. With her multidisciplinary approach, Thomas challenges the primitive views of ancient Greek history and prompts readers to interrogate what they are familiar with.
References
Peels, R. (2020). How literature delivers knowledge and understanding, illustrated by Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles and Wharton’s Summer. The British Journal of Aesthetics, 60(2), 199-222.
Thomas, C. G. (1993). Myth becomes history: pre-classical Greece (Vol. 4). Regina Books.