Trojan War
Introduction
The book is mainly about the Trojan War and the reality of the Bronze Age. Each chapter addresses different aspects related to the war. Strauss uses archeological evidence to justify that Bronze Age and the war existed, and it is not a myth. The story introduces new ideas into the debate concerning whether the war existed or not.
Summary
In the introduction part of the book, Trojan War: A New History, Barry Strauss points out Schliemann’s archeological evidence. The author also makes some critical clarifications at the beginning of the book to make it easily understood by readers. One of the clarifications is that Troy was not a Greek city as it is widely believed; rather, an Anatolian one. The Trojan War involved a confrontation between a coalition of Greeks and Troy supported by its allies. The book seems to be illuminating the things that people know about the war. According to Strauss, as outlined in each chapter, much of what people have known about the war is wrong.
In the first chapter titled War for Helen, Strauss majorly focus on the causes of the Trojan War; wife stealing and plunder. One of the key points raised as the cause of the war was the abduction of Hellen, the wife of King Menelaus. The author also suggests that the wife’s king might have gone willingly due to factors such as the oppressive nature of her husband, the king, the good looking of Paris and because Anatolian women were more powerful compared to their Greek counterparts. The bloodless coup conducted by Paris might have also been inspired by his desire to become more potent after a successful operation of taking away the king’s wife. A key message that the author points out is that Paris did not steal Hellen because he loved her or because of lust; instead, it was suitable for his fame and power.
Nevertheless, by linking the war to wife-stealing, Homer builds the kind of reason that matched the Bronze Age when personal terms were preferred over abstracts. The author finalizes the first chapter by clarifying that Hellen was not the main factor for the war; instead, only the occasion of the war. In the second chapter, Strauss talks about the Greek ships that transported different people, such as soldiers, priests, diviners, heralds, physicians, and many more. The third chapter focuses more on the leadership hierarchies in Greek. Leaders were given titles depending on their significance and what their regions produced. Operation Beachhead is a crucial subject in the third chapter in which the author describes the arrival of the Greek troops and the composition of the armies from both sides. Hector plays an essential role in the war by making the first strike and leading their allies divided into units of about five thousand soldiers. The chapter also analyzes the strengths and weaknesses on each side of the army; for instance, the Trojans had many chariots than the Greeks.
In the fourth chapter, Strauss talks about the need for a peace deal between the Greeks and Trojans. The Trojans were fighting along with their allies, and to keep them and make them happy, the Trojans needed to ensure that the number of casualties is kept low. The Trojans only defended their territory and rarely made attacks like the Greeks. The fifth chapter is about the dirty war where the Achilles attack and kills the king of Thebes’s sons. The Achilles focused mainly on conquering cities and taking valuables such as food, cattle, and abducted women into their territories. In chapter six, Strauss talks about Agamemnon taking Achilles’ war prize by surrenders his own to stop the plague afflicting the Greeks. The Achilles withdraws from the war.
Chapter seven focuses on Menelaus, Hellen, and Paris, with the two sides engaging in a war. The author takes advantage of the injuries acquired in the battle to describe the treatment methods used during the Bronze Age. Some of the treatments mentioned include the use of olive oil and honey as antibiotics and antifungals. The eighth chapter of the book talks about a night fight where the Trojans, under the leadership of Hector, face the Greeks for a fight on the plain. The chapter explains the role of the gods in war during that time. In this fight, the Trojans Triumph because they are favored by the gods. Chapter nine focuses mainly on the excitement of the Iliad and the war between Trojans and Patroclus, which prompted Achilles to leave retirement. The critical events in chapter ten include the killing of Hector by Achilles and avenging the death of an Amazon that was also killed at the same time. The last section of the book outlines evidence of the destruction of Troy by the Greeks by giving explanations to justify the existence of the war and ruins.
Evaluation
A dominant point that Strauss stresses in the book is that most of the non-supernatural actors and events in the tale about the Trojan War credibly existed. The book seems to justify the Trojan War and the Bronze Age activities as history, not myths. The author was inspired by the interests that people have had about the reality of the Trojan War and whether such events existed. The story has, for long, been considered as a myth because it seems to be unrealistic; however, Strauss depicts it as something real and happened in the past. The most significant strength of the book is that the author attempts to defend his points by using archeological evidence. Strauss justifies the existence of Troy by refereeing to the archeological discoveries made by Schliemann. The arguments outlined in the book are mainly based on archeological evidence. The use of evidence makes the book more reliable and can be sued as a point of reference.
The prose is clear, and points are well-articulated. The author addresses specific issues about the war in each chapter, and one chapter leads to the next. The book is also interesting because it introduces new ideas about the Bronze Age by claiming that it was not just a myth; rather, something that existed. The thesis is debatable because it contradicts with what most people have always believed about the Bronze Age. I agree with Strauss’s approach because he uses material evidence to defend his assertions. However, the author fails to offer explanations on particular points, such as whether the abduction of Hellen was the cause of the war.
Conclusion
The book is worth reading because it introduces new ideas into the debate that has existed about the Bronze Age era. The author suggests that it is something that existed and not a myth, as many people believe. The book is essential because it introduces a new history and ideas that were not known before. Understanding the book requires background knowledge about the Bronze Age and Trojan War.