Either/Or Proposition – Discovering Troy (Istanbul & Everything After #19)

Troy. That is all that needs to be said to conjure images of an ancient struggle between the Greeks and Trojans. The story of the Trojan War was enshrined in Homer’s The Iliad. Fictional and mythical, but with a basis in history, the Iliad has been captivating people for almost three millennia. The story’s popularity and longevity are due to themes reflected in the story. These include honor, glory, fate, and free will. The tale has been told and retold through literary translations, stage productions, and films. The popularity of The Iliad transcends time. Until the late 19th century, it also transcended place. That changed due to the efforts of Henrich Schliemann to locate and excavate Troy. This led to the Iliad enjoying renewed popularity. Mass appeal has led to millions making the pilgrimage to Troy. I was one of them.?

The Odyssey – Open To Debate

Either you are an Iliad or an Odyssey person. The Iliad is filled with martial heroics, the Odyssey full of fantasy. The Iliad is more believable, the Odyssey a fantasist’s fever dream. I identify more with the Odyssey. Restless souls haunted by a sense of loss will find a kindred spirit in Odysseus. I am also partial to the Odyssey due to a formative experience I had with the story in my ninth-grade literature class. Mrs. Draughn made the Laestrygonians, Land of the Lotus Eaters, and Song of the Sirens come alive. If that were not, when Odysseus finally arrives home, he finds suitors vying for his wife Penelope. Odysseus and his son Telemachus make these loutish men pay dearly for their disreputable conduct. Any schoolboy who had suffered at the hands of bullies could relate.

Mrs. Draughn must have realized that a bunch of hormonal teenagers sitting in a classroom for hours on end could only be stimulated by adventure and vengeance. Our class got plenty of that. In the process, I developed a lifelong affinity for the Odyssey. I figured the Iliad was for mature minds in the Advanced Placement class which I had no hope of ever attending. There was also the fact that I read the Odyssey first. This made the Iliad rough going when I finally tried to get into it. I never really did. All I could think about was how the Iliad should be more like the Odyssey. The Iliad does have the Odyssey beat on location. As I discovered in Troy, there is nothing better than being at a place where history happened. Even if the actual place where the siege of Troy occurred is open is debate. (If the siege took place at all). Schliemann only managed to partly demystify Troy. That has only provoked greater interest in it.

Digging Deep – The Truths Of Troy

Troy is forever associated with Schliemann’s claim - supported by ambiguous evidence - that the Greeks and Trojans waged the famous siege there. Many academics and archaeologists have cast doubt upon Schliemann’s findings. His dubious and destructive methods of excavation have not helped his cause. To be fair, professional archeology did not really exist at that time. Whether true or false, Schliemann’s discovery brought Troy into the modern historical consciousness. He also inadvertently created an entire tourist industry for what was otherwise a pastoral backwater. I doubt anyone in Teyfikiye, the gateway town to Troy, is complaining about Schliemann’s work. He made Troy so famous that any comprehensive tour of Turkey will go there. My tour group visited Troy on our second day out of Istanbul. Troy is a must see, but as I discovered, there was a great deal to see, just not what I expected.

The discovery of Troy was a minor miracle. A testament to the unwavering belief of one man in the face of great doubt. For the longest time there were questions whether the city had ever existed at all. Schliemann passionately believed in Troy’s existence and that would be what ended up mattering most. He backed up his belief with action. Schliemann was not a professional academic, archeologist, or classicist. This has been held against him, but amateurs of the world should take heart. His discovery was the stuff of every amateur enthusiast’s dreams. Schliemann had made a fortune during the California Gold Rush by selling supplies to miners. He then used the profits to finance his search for Troy. Schliemann relied on The Iliad. His scrutiny of the text bore fruit, helping him to locate what he believed were the city’s ruins. Schliemann had done what most thought was impossible. He had found Troy, maybe.?

Digging Deep – A Legendary Discovery

Troy is forever associated with Schliemann’s claim - supported by ambiguous evidence - that the Greeks and Trojans waged the famous siege there. Many academics and archaeologists have cast doubt upon Schliemann’s findings. His dubious and destructive methods of excavation have not helped his cause. To be fair, professional archeology did not really exist at that time. Whether true or false, Schliemann’s discovery brought Troy into the modern historical consciousness. He also inadvertently created an entire tourist industry for what was otherwise a pastoral backwater. I doubt anyone in Teyfikiye, the gateway town to Troy, is complaining about Schliemann’s work. He made Troy so famous that any comprehensive tour of Turkey will go there. My tour group visited Troy on our second day out of Istanbul. Troy is a must see, but as I discovered, there was a great deal to see, just not what I expected.

The discovery of Troy was a minor miracle. A testament to the unwavering belief of one man in the face of great doubt. For the longest time there were questions whether the city had ever existed at all. Schliemann passionately believed in Troy’s existence and that would be what ended up mattering most. He backed up his belief with action. Schliemann was not a professional academic, archeologist, or classicist. This has been held against him, but amateurs of the world should take heart. His discovery was the stuff of every amateur enthusiast’s dreams. Schliemann had made a fortune during the California Gold Rush by selling supplies to miners. He then used the profits to finance his search for Troy. Schliemann relied on The Iliad. His scrutiny of the text bore fruit, helping him to locate what he believed were the city’s ruins. Schliemann had done what most thought was impossible. He had found Troy, maybe.?

Choosing Sides - True Or False

One thing Schliemann did not find were any remnants of the famed Trojan Horse which played a key role in the battle as the Greeks used it to get their troops into Troy. This led to a surprise attack which allowed the Greeks to defeat the Trojans. The Trojan Horse became the most famous piece of lore surrounding the battle. Either an ingenious or ridiculous ruse, the sleight of hand from sly Greeks that tricked the Trojans or a cunning concoction of a master storyteller to capture the audience’s attention. Reality or imagination, history or legend, Troy is ultimately an either/or proposition that forces everyone to take sides. The Trojan War is still being fought over the truth about Troy.

I had no idea what to expect at Troy. The only thing I knew was that Troy gets a prime position on a traveler’s resume. Imagine the dinner party conversation when someone mentions they have been to Troy. This bit of fame will not last longer than the inevitable follow-up question, “What was it like?” I would soon find out just how difficult it would be to formulate an answer from the confusing ruins of Troy. One’s opinion will depend less on perspective and more on expectations. A visit to Troy is all about managing expectations. Great expectations will end in disappointment. Lower expectations will be easier to exceed. The only opinion I had before visiting Troy was that a place so famous must be impressive. Like everything else about Troy, that was either true or false. Sometimes it was both.