Troy and the Trojans

Ancient Peoples and Places

by C.w. Blegen

The author successfully reconciles the Troy of Homer's epic poems, an advanced and powerful civilization, with the archaeological ruins left to us today. Using material gleaned from the Cincinnati Expedition & from his own scholarship, Blegen takes us through seven Troy "settlements" covering the period 3000 to 1000 B.C., analyzing the archaeological evidence (architectural ruins, pottery, weapons, etc.) to provide us with a vivid account of everyday Trojan life. Along the way we learn that the fabled wall encircling the citadel was a feature from the beginning, & that the city was ruined & rebuilt three times before its final destruction by invaders who looted it & put it to the torch. Beginning with a discussion of the Homeric Troy and concluding with a penetrating study of the 7th Troy settlement that must be viewed as the historical city, this book re-creates the enchantment of a lost civilization.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Fred Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blegen remains the authority on this. He was still a palpable presence when I was an undergraduate at Cincinnati in the 70s. He died in 1971, but two of his students who had excavated at Troy with him were still teaching in the department (Jack Caskey and Cedric Boulter). An original Dörpfeld plan of Troy was on display around the corner from the classics reading room. Troy and the Trojans is much more accessible than the big four-volume publication of the excavations. There are times when the lists of finds and descriptions of walls get tedious, but readers are also rewarded with a chapter on Homer and Troy, reconstructions of what Trojan life may have been like, and an account of the Troy of the Trojan War (TroyVIIa/VIi). While later excavations and studies have refined some details, Blegen's narrative largely remains valid and is well worth reading in conjunction with the Iliad.

[Bruce Brocka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Discusses the finds of the University of Cincinnati excavations from the 1930s by the lead investigator. A bit dry, but provides some insights into the mysterious Trojans, or more likely, several groups of Tojans.