The Trojans and Their Neighbours

by Trevor Bryce

A central figure in both classical and ancient near Eastern fields, Trevor Bryce presents the first publication to focus on Troy's neighbours and contemporaries as much as Troy itself. With the help of maps, charts and photographs, he unearths the secrets of this iconic ancient city.

Beginning with an account of Troy's involvement in The Iliad and the question of the historicity of the Trojan War, Trevor Bryce reveals how the recently discovered Hittite texts illuminate this question which has fascinated scholars and travellers since the Renaissance.

Encompassing the very latest research, the city and its inhabitants are placed in historical context - and with its neighbours and contemporaries - to form a complete and vivid view of life within the Trojan walls and beyond from its beginning in c.3000 BC to its decline and obscurity in the Byzantine period.

Documented here are the archaeological watershed discoveries from the Victorian era to the present that reveal, through Troy's nine levels, the story of a metropolis punctuated by signs of economic prosperity, natural disaster, public revolt and war.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Archaeology

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 3, 2005

Reviews

[Judith Starkston · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone interested in the historical Troy, this is the best single book to read. It's up to date and written by one one of the foremost historians writing about ancient Troy, the Hittites and surrounding peoples. He examines Troy in the context of the Homeric poems and in relation to the rest of the Near Eastern and Aegean world. For more articles and reviews about the Hittites go to www.judithstarkston.com

[Iset · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m used to Trevor Bryce’s tomes, so this comparatively short book was something of a surprise, though not an unpleasant one. It reminds me of the book I just read, Eric Cline’s The Trojan War: A Very Short Introduction (though since this book was written first, it is clear that Cline took inspiration from Bryce rather than the other way around). It is twice the length, and in the first chapters follows a similar model, examining in more detail Homer’s works, the archaeological excavations of Hisarlik, and the Hittite letters. It also adds an interesting examination of Troy’s supposed place in the Hittite world, and its relationships with both the Great Kings of Hatti, and other regional vassal kingdoms affiliated with the Hittites. Whilst the evidence for some is spurious, there are indications of local regional alliances and defensive pacts, as well as occasional friendly relations with the Mycenaeans aiding the Trojans in their attempt to throw off the Hittites, in a surprising reversal of the expected relations. As ever with Bryce, the writing style is lucid and makes it open to any reader, and it is short enough to be a quick and yet informative read. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to newcomers looking to get in to the subject.

8 out of 10

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent presentation, current as of its publication in 2006, of the history of Troy and the identity of the various peoples and kingdoms present in Greece and Anatolia in the period up to roughly 1000 BCE. (In a short, fascinating chapter Bryce also traces the later history of post-Iliad Troy as a tourist destination and political prize into late antiquity). Bryce is clear about the lines of inference, and especially clear that much of the current consensus stems from analysis of Hittite diplomatic texts, rather than any specific archeological evidence.

Although I'm no expert on the period, I've read enough history about classical Greece to have a rough mental map of which Greek cities were where, at least in that later period. But, Anatolia - what is now Turkey - has always been a blank spot for me. Bryce, a leading scholar of the Hittites, colors in the likely geography, linking it where appropriate with civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt as well as the Aegean. The framework he provides is simple enough that I'll likely be able to read about new archeological discoveries for the next couple of decades and have a sense of how they fit in - how they confirm or break the consensus he describes. The book's maps are also very good, and well positioned in the text. It was not easy to locate a copy - I'm thankful for interlibrary loan - but it's hard to imagine a better (or less sensationalistic) overview of the geographic context for the Iliad.

[AskHistorians]

Though focused on Troy, this is currently the best book that deals with the relationship between Bronze Age Greeks and the peoples of Anatolia.

[Alexander Theofanidis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Μια εξαιρετική προσπάθεια σύνδεσης της Ιλιάδας με την ιστορική και αρχαιολογική «πραγματικότητα». Και τοποθετώ την πραγματικότητα σε εισαγωγικά, καθώς ειδικά στο αρχαιολογικό πεδίο, δεν υπάρχουν σαφή τεκμήρια, αλλά μόνο «τεκμαρτά» εξ ευρημάτων.

Ωστόσο, ο Bryce χωρίς υπερβολές, χωρίς υπερβολική αισιοδοξία και, κυρίως, χωρίς αυταπάτες, φιλότιμα, συνθέτει μια ενδιαφέρουσα μελέτη και προβαίνει σε ρεαλιστικές υποθέσεις, από το ιστορικό και αρχαιολογικό υλικό της περιοχής του Χισαρλίκ που ανέσκαψε (και μερικώς κατέστρεψε) ο Σλήμαν και που απέδωσε μια δεκάδα πόλεων.

Οι συνδέσεις με τους Χετταίους (Χιτίτες;) της πόλης Βιλούσα (;), οι επιδρομές των Αχιγιάβα (Αχιγιάβα), οι σωζόμενες «επιστολές» μεταξύ Χετταίων αρχόντων και ομολόγων τους του Μυκηναϊκού Αιγαίου, η γεωγραφία και γνωστή ιστορία της ευρύτερης περιοχής και των λαών της είναι τα εργαλεία του Bryce σε αυτό το δύσκολο έργο.

Το αποτέλεσμα, μολονότι «απογοητευτικό» (η αρχαιολογία δε δίνει σαφείς απαντήσεις καθώς στηρίζεται περισσότερο σε αποχρώσες ενδείξεις, σε αντίθεση με τις γραπτές μαρτυρίες της ιστορίας, ευχαριστούμε Θουκυδίδη) δεν παύει να είναι έργο μελέτης και αφοσίωσης στο αντικείμενο, ενώ ο αναγνώστης θα αποκομίσει αρκετές γνώσεις για την ανατολία της εποχής του χαλκού.

Υπήρξε ο Έκτορας; Υπήρξε ο Αχιλλέας; Ποιος ήταν ο πολέμαρχος που παρενοχλούσε τις χετιτικές επαρχίες σε βαθμό ώστε ο Χετταίος βασιλιάς να στείλει επιστολή ζητώντας από τον Αχιγιάβα (μυκηναίο;) βασιλιά να τον περιορίσει; Υπάρχει έστω πραγματική σύνδεση μεταξύ Ομηρικής Τροίας και «Τροίας» του ΧΙσαρλίκ; Έγινε όντως ο τρωικός πόλεμος ή ο Όμηρος μάγεψε τα πλήθη με μια επινοημένη ιστορία, τόσο καλά φτιαγμένη ώστε να περάσει στο συλλογικό συνειδητό ως «ιστορική» πραγματικότητα;

Σαφείς απαντήσεις δεν υπάρχουν. Η αρχαιολογία δεν έχει δογματικές τοποθετήσεις, μόνο κάθε εύρημα συνδυάζεται με τα προηγούμενα για να φωτίσει λίγο καλύτερα έναν κόσμο που έχει παρέλθει ανεπιστρεπτί και ζει μόνο μέσα από σπαράγματα ανθρώπινων κατασκευών και διηγήσεις.

Υ.Γ. Ένα ευχαριστώ στις εκδόσεις "Οδυσσέας" που παρείχαν τη μετάφραση αυτού του εξαιρετικού βιβλίου, καθώς το πρωτότυπο στα αγγλικά είναι πραγματικά απλησίαστο, με κόστος που ξεπερνάει τα 120$ για τις σκληρόδετες εκδόσεις και τα 35$ για τις φτηνές χαρτόδετες...

[Alexander Theofanidis · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent attempt to link the Iliad with historical and archaeological “reality.” I place “reality” in quotation marks advisedly, for in the field of archaeology especially, there exist no definitive proofs, only inferences drawn from material remains.

Nevertheless, Bryce, without exaggeration, without undue optimism, and most importantly, without illusion, undertakes a commendable effort, offering a compelling study based on realistic hypotheses, grounded in the historical and archaeological evidence from the site of Hisarlik—excavated (and in part destroyed) by Schliemann—which yielded a sequence of no fewer than ten successive settlements.

The connections with the Hittites—or should we say “Hettites”?—of the city of Wilusa (?), the raids of the Ahhiyawa (Achaeans?), the extant “letters” between Hittite rulers and their counterparts in the Mycenaean Aegean, the geography and known history of the broader region and its peoples: these are the instruments employed by Bryce in this demanding undertaking.

The result, though perhaps “disappointing”—archaeology rarely offers clear answers, relying more on circumstantial evidence than the written attestations of history (thank you, Thucydides)—remains a work of scholarship and genuine dedication. The reader will undoubtedly gain substantial insight into Anatolia during the Bronze Age.

Did Hector truly exist? Did Achilles? Who was the warlord so troublesome to the Hittite provinces that the Hittite king felt compelled to send a letter asking the Ahhiyawan (Mycenaean?) king to restrain him? Is there any real connection between Homeric Troy and the “Troy” of Hisarlik? Did the Trojan War ever actually take place, or did Homer simply enchant the world with a fictional tale, so masterfully crafted that it entered the collective consciousness as “historical” truth?

There are no definitive answers. Archaeology does not permit dogmatic assertions; each discovery merely builds upon those preceding it, helping to illuminate—however faintly—a world long vanished, surviving only through the fragments of human construction and memory.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

You will see this cited in my thesis

[So Hakim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visiting the mythical, historical, and archaeological Troy. In this book author Trevor Bryce offers a tour to the ancient city: from its heyday before 1000 BC up to its activity during Roman Empire.

While Troy of legends is enduringly famous, there is less known side of it, namely the historical Troy. Historical Troy was a bustling city, connecting cultures such as Mycenaeans, Hittites, and Egypt. Soon after, it declined, and fell into Classical Greek influence, where it was revered as site of great battle. After that came the Romans, who traced their ancestry to Aeneas and his band, refugees of Trojan War. Suffice it to say: this city had retained its popularity through the ages.

Unfortunately, while the city pretty much exists, experts aren't sure about the big question: did the Trojan War really happen? Here the author patiently explains what his colleagues think, and why they think so. A glimpse of historians' day in the office, if you will. Which is a plus because, often, people read history book and get impression of final word -- when in fact there is none.

Recommended for those interested in Mediterranean World, or just like Homeric Epic but want to find out the real side of things.