DOES ARCHAEOLOGY REVEAL HOMER?

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1 Examination of how archaeological findings reveal certain aspects of historical value in Homer s The Iliad. DOES ARCHAEOLOGY REVEAL HOMER? Sathsara Perera Department of Western Classical Culture and Christian Culture.

2 Homer and The Iliad. A bard who belongs to the 8 th century BCE of Archaic Greece. His compositions are the earliest fully surviving literary documents. Composed two epics: first The Iliad and then The Odyssey. Both were believed to be based on an incident of 12 th century BCE. 2

3 What does Homer talk about in The Iliad? A composition on the Mycenaean heroes and a celebration of their heroic deeds. Based on historical Trojan War which occurred when the Mycenaeans attacked Troy around 12 th century BCE. Presents An exciting heroic picture of an action packed few days of the Mycenaeans invading Troy. For the Greeks Homer s accounts paved them a path to examine the lives of their ancestors and history came in mode of literature for them. 3

4 Heinrich Schliemann and Sir Arthur Evans. Schliemann One of the leading archaeologists who had a dream to find Homer s Troy and Sir Evans who highly contributed in finding many artifacts at Mycenae. 4

5 Homeric Greece 5

6 Finding of Troy; Homer s Troy? A legend and a real life archaeological site. The site of modern Hisarlik in Northwest Turkey. Found several layers: one believed to be Homer s Troy. There is no one single Troy; there are at least 10 lying in layers on top of each other -The archaeologist Gert Jan Wan- 6

7 The sites at Mycenae and Troy have revealed many ruins and grave circles which contained many artifacts. 1. Palace grounds 2. Nestor s cup 3. Bronze Helmets 4. Boar tusk helmets 5. Horse hair plume helmets 6. Bronze swords 7. Death masks 8. Gold jewelry 9. Linear Tablets A palace at Knossos 10. Great walls at Troy etc Grave circle A at Mycenae 7

8 1. Palace Grounds. Found ruins believed to be parts of a magnificent palace site including several other building parts. 8

9 Then he made his way to Priam s magnificent palace. It was fronted with rows of polished columns and in the main building behind there were fifty apartments of polished stone adjoining each other where Priam s sons slept with their wives. His daughters had separate quarters, on the other side of the courtyard where twelve adjoining bedrooms had been built for them, of polished stone and roofed in. here Priam s sons-in-law slept with their honoured wives. (The Iliad Book 6, ) 9

10 2. Nestor s cup. Found at a Mycenaean shaft grave. An inscription had been carved in the bottom of it as; I am the cup of Nestor good for drinking. Whoever drinks from this cup desire for crowned Aphrodite will seize him instantly beside these, a magnificent cup adorned with gold rivets which the old man (Nestor) had brought from home..anyone else would have found it difficult to shift the cup from the table when it was full, but Nestor, old as he was, could lift it with ease. (The Iliad, ) 10

11 3. Bronze Helmets. He (Menelaus) threw a spotted leopard s skin round his broad shoulders, took up his bronze helmet and put it on, (The Iliad, book 10,30) A Trojan helmet found at Hisarlik On his head he put an oxhide helmet without cheek-plates or crest, of the sort called skull-crap which young men wear to protect their heads. (The Iliad, book 10,250) 11

12 4. Boar s tusk helmet. Found at Mycenaean site. Meriones gave Odysseus a bow, a quiver and a sword, and put a cleverly made leather helmet on his head. On the inside there was a strong lining of interwoven straps, onto which a felt cap had been sewn in. The outside was cleverly adorned all round with rows of white tusks from a shiny-toothed boar the tusk running alternate directions in each row. (The Iliad. Book 10, 260) 12

13 5. Horse-hair plume helmets. Found at Troy. Entire helmet was not found but only the fragments. With these words glorious Hector reached out for his boy. But the child shrank back with a cry to the bosom of his bronze helmet with its horsehair plume that he saw nodding frighteningly from the top. (The Iliad, book 6, 470) 13

14 6. Bronze swords. Figure 1 Figure 2 Artifacts of Bronze swords found at shaft graves. 14

15 He killed Astynous and Hypeiron shepherd of the people. He hit the one above the nipple with his bronze spear and struck the other with his great sword on the collar bone by the shoulder, severing the shoulder from the neck and back. (The Iliad, book 5, 146) So now they run at one another with their swords. Lycon struck the cone of the other s plumed helmet and his sword broke off at the hilt. But Penelos slashed Lycon in the neck behind the ear and his sword-blade sliced right through. (The Iliad, book 16, 335) 15

16 7. Death masks. Agamemenon s mask Another Funerary mask 16

17 8. Gold jewelry. Found at the shaft graves of Troy and Mycenae. Homer used epithets as Mycenae rich in gold, Golden Mycenae 17

18 9. Linear tablets. One of the Linear B script clay tablets found by Sir Arthur Evans Linear tablet at Pylos. A part of the Linear B tablet at Pylos. 18

19 Found at Crete (Knossos) and mainland including Pylos and Mycenae. Language- Mycenaean Greek. Revealed many important information about the Mycenaean period. ex: transactions between palaces slaves and goods Gods, priests, and priestesses certain Mycenaean names such as Achilles in the tablet found at Knossos Evidence of a gift giving culture as seen in the Homer and the tablets. In book 2, Homer gives the catalogue of Greek ships and one of the Clay Tablets has given a list of the same cities described by Homer. 19

20 10. Great walls at Troy. Walls of Ilium Friends Greek warriors, servants of the war god Ares, Zeus son of Cronus has seriously deluded me, a crushing blow. That perverse god once solemnly assured me that we would sack Ilium with its fine walls and return home. (The Iliad, book 2, 110) she has gone to the great tower of Ilium so she rushed out like a woman possessed and must have arrived at the walls. ( The Iliad, book 6, 380) 20

21 21 Conclusion. Some scholars believe most of these facts do not reveal Homer but some vote for the accuracy of Homer based on the presented facts. Some concrete evidence like Linear B tablets reveal most of the facts discussed by Homer. It should be noted the time which he composed in and on. Still Homer cannot be completely put aside as an imagination or a fiction. Archaeological findings reveal certain aspects of historical value in Homer s The Iliad.

22 References: Iliad, Homer. Kirk, G.S. (1962). Songs of Homer. Cambridge: The cambridge university press. Latacz, J. (2004). Troy and Homer. United States: Oxford university Press. Allen, S. (1995). "Finding the Walls of Troy": Frank Calvert, Excavator. American Journal of Archaeology, 99(3), doi:1. Retrieved from doi:1 Troy; city, Homer, and Turkey, Gert Jan Van retrieved from: The article- A personal sacrifice in the interest of Science: Calvert, Schliemann, and the Troy Treasures. 22

23 Bringer of Dark death:the bronze sword in the Iliad Retrieved: 23

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