For the Greeks of the classical period, there is no doubt that the Trojan War marks the beginning of their shared history. For the first time, they perceive themselves as united, directing their forces towards a common enemy in Asia. The Homeric culture, celebrating the exploits of the Achaeans before the walls of Troy for the sake of one woman, Helen, can be interpreted as the memory of a past event. But what event is it? Excavations at the Troy site challenge the hypothesis of a major war against a prosperous city in the 1200s, as suggested by scholars of the Hellenistic period. Where is the mistake? In the chronology? In the interpretation of the Iliad?
The Greek Troy is often referred to as Ilion. Since the 8th century BCE, it was a modest-sized Greek city located on the north coast of Asia Minor, south of the Hellespont. According to Strabo, a geographer contemporary to Augustus in the 1st century BCE, Homer’s Troy was a few kilometers away. The tomb of Achilles and the sanctuary of Hector were tangible remnants of a past immortalized in epic poetry. Strange rituals also bore witness to the history of the Trojan War. The Locrians from central Greece annually sent two young girls to Troy, destined to serve as slaves in the temple of Athena Ilias, the city’s patron deity. This tradition was seen as retribution for the rape of Cassandra, the daughter of the Trojan king Priam…
