“The Trojan War never happened and was entirely mythological”

The enduring belief that the Trojan War was purely a myth often stems from its vivid portrayal in Homer's epic poem, the *Iliad*. This ancient Greek narrative, rich with divine intervention, superhuman heroes, and fantastical events like the abduction of Helen and the Trojan Horse (Review), led many throughout history to dismiss the entire account as a work of poetic imagination rather than historical fact. For centuries, especially by the mid-nineteenth century, both the legendary conflict and the city of Troy were widely considered non-historical, given the fantastical elements that seemed to overshadow any potential reality.

However, archaeological discoveries have profoundly shifted this perspective, revealing a strong historical basis for the legendary war. Beginning in 1870, Heinrich Schliemann's excavations at Hisarlik in modern-day Turkey uncovered the ruins of a fortified city, now widely accepted by scholars as ancient Troy. Subsequent investigations have identified multiple layers of settlement, with Troy VI and VIIa showing evidence of catastrophic destruction by fire and warfare around 1180 BCE, a date consistent with traditional timelines for the Trojan War. Finds such as burnt deposits, haphazardly buried skeletons, arrowheads embedded in walls, and large quantities of sling stones point to a violent siege and a real military conflict, albeit without the gods and mythical heroes depicted in the epic poems. This archaeological evidence strongly suggests that while Homer's narrative embellished the events, a significant historical conflict indeed took place at this site.