The story of the Trojan War has entertained audiences for thousands of years. Its heroes demonstrate the do’s and don’ts of battle and reveal to the modern reader what life could have been like for the Greeks before any written record was kept.

The Trojan War centered on the great Mycenaen king, Agamemnon, who gathered the Greek forces to invade the city of Troy across the Aegean Sea. Homer, the author of the epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey, gave accounts of the war. The poet stated that the war lasted approximately 10 years, and in the end, the Greeks defeated the Trojans and burned the city. The city of Troy famously fell due to the Greeks hiding inside a large wooden horse given to the Trojans as a gift. When they brought the horse into the city, the Greeks snuck out and attacked.

While the epics of Homer are full of battles and warfare, they are also filled with a cast of memorable characters. Achilles, whose anger is the central theme of the Iliad, is the greatest hero in Greek mythology and was said to have chosen his fame and an early death rather than living a long life and being unknown. Hector, the most accomplished Trojan warrior, demonstrated characteristics that are still considered heroic to this day. He loved his family and felt it was his duty to protect Troy at all costs.

With heroes like Achilles and Hector (along with many others)
inspiring students of Greek literature, it is no wonder that people began to wonder, was the story of the Trojan War real?

That question began to nag at German businessman and archeologist, Heinrich Schliemann. In 1871, rumors began to spread about a discovery of artifacts in Hisarlık, Turkey. Many archaeologists believed the ruins to be the site of the legendary Troy. Schliemann heard these rumors and was so excited about the idea of uncovering the ancient city, he began digging.

Schliemann and his team found ruins stacked on top of each other and assumed the first layer would be the city of Troy. Sadly, the team destroyed many of the upper levels of the ruins, even stealing much of the discovered treasure.

Schliemann eventually published his work in 1875, stating that he had indeed
found the ancient city of Troy. It was only later that archeologists were able to determine the truth: Schliemann’s ruins were built much earlier than the supposed date of the Trojan War, and the decimated layer was more than likely the actual city he so desperately sought.

Today, Schliemann is both praised for his discovery and looked down on for his poor practices. While he uncovered ruins that date far back into antiquity, his destruction of
other ruins and the mishandling and stealing of artifacts have left a dark stain on the archeologist’s reputation.