Introduction
The myths of the Greek people have widely developed the cycle of legends about the Trojan War. Their subsequent popularity was explained by a close connection with the centuries-old enmity of the Hellenes and their opponents from countries located on the territory of modern Asia. The arena of the Trojan War is an area on the northwestern coast of Asia Minor, and the population living there was called the Trojans. This work is aimed at describing the causes of the war, its most famous facts, including the image of the mythical Trojan horse, as well as the main results.
The Causes of the Trojan War
As in many scenarios of military conflicts, the role of a woman was one of the catalysts for the unleashing of the Trojan War. Priam, a descendant of the founder of Troy, had several dozen sons, and one of the most famous of them, Paris, kidnapped Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus (Mangieri 100). According to legend, Hera, the goddess responsible for marital fidelity, stood up for the woman and brought wrath to Troy, where Priam had taken Elena by force (Mangieri 105). As a result, the insult inflicted not only on Menelaus but on the whole of Greece led to an open conflict that escalated into a long-term war.
The First Years of the War and Achilles’ Wrath
The forces of the Greeks opposing the Trojans were great because many states were involved in the war. Nevertheless, due to the help of the allies and skillful military craft, the Trojans did not concede, and, as Yavuz notes, in the early years, the attempts of the Hellenes to take Troy remained unsuccessful (257). Achilles, one of the leaders of the Greek army and, according to legend, possessing invulnerability, quarreled with King Agamemnon. Due to internal intrigues, the position of the gods was on the side of the Trojans, who began to overcome the Hellenes, tired of endless offensives. As a result, Hector, one of the Trojans’ commanders, was considered undefeated.
Death of Hector and Achilles
One of the critical moments of the war was the battle between Achilles and Hector. Asimoglou et al. analyze the course of hostilities and compare the nature of the wounds received by the soldiers, noting that the predominant number of mortal wounds was on the head and neck (S71). This is how Achilles killed Hector, overtaking the latter and piercing his neck with a spear, subsequently tearing off his head with a chariot. After becoming a war hero, Achilles did not stop trying to defeat the Trojan army, but an arrow that hit him in the heel, which was considered his only weak spot, killed him (Horn 12). This moment was one of the turning points in the course of the war.
The Trojan Horse
The hour of the final victory of the Greeks in the Trojan War was at hand. According to the legend told by later epic poets, the Hellenes built a large wooden horse in which the bravest of the Greek heroes hid (Mangieri 110). By letting this gift into the city, the Trojans made a fatal mistake. Having received a false notification that the war ended in their victory, the Trojan wars began to feast. The Greeks, having waited for the night, got out of the horse and destroyed the main army of the opponents (Mangieri 110). As a result, the victory was for the Hellenes, who managed to achieve what they wanted with the help of cunning, and the image of the Trojan horse became a household word.
The Trojan War in Historical Facts
Although the Trojan War is described in detail in the ancient Greek epic, in the sources of other ancient states, there is no solid evidence for this. There is an opinion that the war was a retelling of various military conflicts and conquests that happened at different time intervals but were not connected by a single chain of events (Miszczak 68). The Trojan horse episode is also considered controversial, and the idea that it was used as an object to hide in is often challenged. This construction could be used as a battering ram to destroy the fortress walls of Troy (Miszczak 137). However, the documented facts and characters are common knowledge, which allows for the likelihood of those events described in epic sources.
Conclusion
The Trojan War is a prominent topic of the ancient epic, and through the analysis of its background and course of events, the corresponding chronology is presented. The participation of the gods and the invulnerability of individual characters speak of the mythical nature of this conflict. The reality of this war is disputed in various sources and is often regarded as a series of unrelated military conflicts. The role of the Trojan horse as one of the most famous objects of war is also regarded ambiguously. At the same time, the rich cultural heritage in the form of detailed descriptions is a strong argument in favor of the existence of the Trojan war as a prolonged conflict.
Works Cited
Asimoglou, Panagiotis, et al. “Analysis of the Trojan War Combat Fighting.” Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, vol. 20, 2017, p. S71.
Horn, Fabian. “The Death of Achilles in the Iliad: Motif Transference and Poetic Technique.” Mnemosyne, vol. 74, no. 1, 2020, pp. 1-28.
Mangieri, Anthony F. Virgin Sacrifice in Classical Art: Women, Agency, and the Trojan War. Routledge, 2018.
Miszczak, Izabela. The Secrets of Troy. ASLAN Publishing House, 2020.
Yavuz, N. Kıvılcım. “From Caesar to Charlemagne: The Tradition of Trojan Origins.” The Medieval History Journal, vol. 21, no. 2, 2018, pp. 251-290.