The Trojan War

Surrounded by water.Easily accessible for travel and trade.

Could be exposed to other cultures.

Made up of countless islands.Defined by a series of Mountains.Many deep bays and natural harbours along the coastline .

GEOGRAPHICAL FACTORS OF THE AEGEAN AND EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN?

Started out as with a village community organization:

POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE MYCENAEAN CIVILIZATION

King (Wanax)

Lawagetous(Army leader)

Religious Leaders

Landowners/the wealthy

Rest of the community.

City-states were instigated, bigger towns with a monarchial form of government.

This helped trade and culture.Two of Greece’s more famous city-states are

Athens and Sparta.Sparta was run like a dictatorship and fought

many battles whilst Athens were able to develop a prosperous trade and urban culture.

Many Athenians struggled and fell into the debt.

The Reforms of Solon helped solve some of the issues.

Greece reached democracy in 461 B.C

Complex network of roads.Multi-state empire.Strong Armies.Developed navy.First postal system.

MAIN FEATURES OF PERSIAN CIVILIZATION

Greeks valued loyalty, glory, intelligence, humility and hospitality.

Many morals originated from Greek mythology.

The Olympic Games had their own set of morals they expected athletes to follow.

The Oracle at Delphi was highly respected and played a big role in political and social affairs of the Greeks.

GREEK VALUES REVEALED IN MYTHS

Discovered by Arthur Evans, and English archeologist.

The Palace of Knossos discovered on Crete revealed their rich culture and empire based on trade.

They were great traders, sailors, craftsmen and had advanced technologies.

Suffered a sudden collapse around 1450 B.C.

Theories include a tidal wave triggered by a volcanic eruption on a northern island and invasion from mainland Greece.

THE MINOAN CIVILIZATION

Lived on the mainland of Greece and later the island Crete.

Lived from 1600-1100 B.CBuilt many fortresses and palaces in hilltops

surrounded by a stone walls.Rest of the population lived outside the walls.Learned many things from the Minoans and were

great farmers and craftspeople.Strong warriors who liked to battle.Powerful civilization.Civilization collapsed in 1100 B.C because of civil

wars, earthquakes and invaders.

THE MYCENAEAN CIVILIZATION

German businessman and archeologist.Excavated Mycenaean sites and

discovered the site of Troy.He strongly believed the ideas

perceived in stories like the Iliad and Aeneid reflected real life historical events.

HEINRICH SCHLIEMANN

Epic Poems both written by Homer.An epic poem are ling poems that illustrate the deeds

of a great hero.The Iliad takes place during the last year of the siege

on Troy. Achilles is the main hero in the poem.Odyssey is presumed to be the Iliad's sequel. It

focuses on the hero Odysseus after the fall of Troy.They were used to educate and teach important

values.These stories are questionable because they’re not

fi rst hand accounts.

WHAT WERE THE ILIAD AND THE ODYSSEY

Agamemnon-Son of King Aterus and Queen Aerope of Mycenae, the brother of Menelaus. Commanded the Greek forces in the Trojan War.

Menelaus-Brother of Agamemnon and was the only king of Sparta. Also married the most beautiful woman in Greece, Helen of Troy.

Paris-Son of King Priam and Hecuba of Troy. Most famous for his elopement with Helen of Troy which supposedly caused the Trojan war

GREEK MYTHOLOGY CHARACTERS RELATING TO THE TROJAN WAR

Odysseus-Famous Greek war hero who fought in the Trojan War for 10 years.

Achilles-Great warrior and Greek hero. Came to Troy leading ships of Myrmidons. Withdrew his troops after Agamemnon stole his captive princess but returned to the battle after his friend was murdered.

Hector-Trojan prince and their greatest fighter, he was the heir to his fathers throne. He acts as leader for the Trojans and also kills Patroclus, Achilles best friend for which he is consequently killed for.

Greek mythology are myths, legends and stories believed by the Greeks. They don’t have archaeological or written evidence of really existing.

Examples of Greek mythology:Zeus-God of the sky and ruler of Mount Olympus. He

was the rain god and wielded the thunderbolt he is known as the protector of the weak and punisher of the wicked.

Other Greek mythical characters include the Cyclopes, Aphrodite, Hades, Atlas, the minotaur and many more.

In reality, these Gods could have just been people who did good deeds. Many of the Myth’s are thought to have some truth to them, but the truth may have been stretched as the stories were being told for many years.

GREEK MYTHOLOGY

Here is an example of a common myth:The most famous story surrounding the Trojans is the

myth of the Trojan horse. The Greeks and Trojans had been fighting, and the Greek warriors burnt their tents and sailed away. But still remaining was a wooden horse, and it was fi lled with Greek warriors. The Trojans were curious about the horse and pulled it into their territory. The Greek warriors burst out of the horse and attacked during the night.

THE TROJAN HORSE

The Dark Age was when the Mycenaean civilization collapsed sending Greece into a diffi cult period.

Its referred to as the “Dark Ages” because there is not much written record about this time period.

Occurred from 1100-750 B.C Greeks dispersed to other islands and Asia

minor.Iron replaced bronze in weaponry and in

farming tools.Two groups of Greeks emerged and settled in

different parts at this time, the Aeolian Greeks and the Dorians.

THE DARK AGE

Archeologists have uncovered many artifacts from the city of Troy, and they have learned a lot about it.

Schliemann uncovered many things from the site and he used the Odyssey and Iliad as his guides

Many pots, vases, and gold ornaments were found. It was discovered that Troy had 9 layers to the cityTroy was supposed to be a large great city, and they

are uncovering more and more.A Citadel has been uncovered, and at fi rst was

thought to be the entire city. It is now estimated that Troy covers about 75 acres of land

THE CITY OF TROY

Layers of the City of Troy:It is believed that the city was built again and again on top of itself. It could have been destroyed by a huge war, which could have been the Trojan war.

This was the only passageway from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea.

Important for trade and strategy, whatever country in control of this strait could determine many things.

Dardanelles is considered one of the most dangerous waterways in the world.

Troy was located near the western entrance so was an important asset in war.

DARDANELLES STRAIT AND BOSPORUS

Why it could be true: Why it could be untrue: There were excavations at the city of Troy, and there

is definite damage there that could have been a result of war.

27 centuries ago, Greek people believed that their ancestors took part in the Trojan War, and many generations after that believed it as well.

There were some objects found in Troy that are known to have been traded with the Mycenaean’s.

Archaeologists have found that there are many destruction levels at Troy.

Troy appears to have been destroyed around 1180BCE, and this was most likely due to the fact there was a war that the city lost.

Troy was most likely important to control because it had some authority over the access from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea and from Asia Minor to Southeast Europe.

When Homer wrote the stories about the Trojan War, it is possible the Citadel and the lower city could have existed, leading to the setting of Homer’s tales.

Much of the information comes from The Iliad, a story written by Homer many years after the war would have happened.

There are many different myths about the motivating incident that led to the Trojan War. Myth’s like the one we presented earlier. None of these are proven to be true.

In stories Troy was known as an insignificant town by many and would not have been worth fighting for.

DID THE TROJAN WAR ACTUALLY OCCUR?

Started when Paris married Helen of Troy.During the first 9 years of the war Troy

battled with neighbouring regions so Greece sent defences against Troy but they could not break down the walls.

They built the Trojan Horse, a large, hollow, wooden horse fi lled with Greek soldiers and used it to trick and then kill all of Troy.

What most likely happened was that there was tension between Troy and other city-states for control of the striates through the Black Sea that could’ve sparked a war.

WHAT DO GREEK MYTHS SAY ABOUT THE TROJAN WAR AND WHAT REALLY MAY HAVE HAPPENED

1. True or False? The Minoans and Mycenaean's were the earl iest known Greeks.

2. What country was archeologist Heinrich Schliemann from?3. Who were the main characters in the I l iad and the Odyssey?4. Which Greek mythical character was the prince of Troy?5. Who was Zeus?6. What replaced bronze during the Dark Age?7. What was the main signifi cance of the Dardanelles Strait and

Bosporus strait?8. Give one piece of information that leads people to believe the

Trojan War actually happened.9. According to the myth, what started the Trojan War?10. How many layers are there in the city of Troy?11. Who is Homer?12. What myth is commonly thought of when you think of the Trojan

war?13. Name one of the characters associated with the Trojan war.

QUIZ (COMPLETE ON LOOSE-LEAF)