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Where Troy Once Stood: The Mystery of Homer's Iliad & Odyssey Revealed
Argues that the settings of Homer's epic poems do not fit the Mediterranean area but actually treat ancient Celtic wars in western Europe and the North Atlantic
- GenresNonfictionHistory
365 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 6, 2016
This review will basically be pictures of Ron Swanson, because only he can describe what I cannot do with words.
"Troy was located in Britain(Cambridgeshire)"
"Trojan War was fought among Celts"
"It was mostly fought over tin mines"
"Sea Peoples were Celts, therefore when they settled in Mediterranean and told the tales orally for over 400 years and forgot they were actually Celts, so the writing was in Greek"
" Scylla and Charybdis are actually St Michael's Mount."
" Habana resembles the description of Telepylos"
NO, NO, NO AND NO
"Troy was located in Britain(Cambridgeshire)"
"Trojan War was fought among Celts"
"It was mostly fought over tin mines"
"Sea Peoples were Celts, therefore when they settled in Mediterranean and told the tales orally for over 400 years and forgot they were actually Celts, so the writing was in Greek"
" Scylla and Charybdis are actually St Michael's Mount."
" Habana resembles the description of Telepylos"
NO, NO, NO AND NO
April 13, 2016
The historicity of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey is the basis of Iman Wilken’s “Where Troy Once Stood”. The author’s theory that the Trojan War took place in England between Celts is both an intriguing revisionist theory as well as good material for authors looking for a good story.
The basic premise of the book is Wilken first rejecting the concise opinion that Troy as located in Anatolia, evening using ancient sources to help support his conclusion. Though Wilken’s believes the Trojan War did take place and examined Homer’s text to find Troy’s location, both by descriptions and etymology to find Troy in the Gog Magog Hills in Cambridgeshire, England. Wilken’s then places gives locations for all the combatants listed in the Iliad amongst the Celtic peoples of Western Europe from Scandinavia down to southern Spain. Based off his locations of the Iliad, Wilken’s catalogues Odysseus’ journey around the shores of Western European and throughout the Atlantic before arriving home in Spain. However, Wilken’s proposes that the Odyssey was not only a story of a warrior king, but a map for Celtic seafarers to sail for recourses in Africa and the Caribbean as well as tool for initiates into the ‘Mysteries’ of the Celtic Druids.
While this overall theory based on Homer’s epic poems is though-provoking, the overall book is undermined by how Wilken presents his material. Whatever one thinks of the theory this is a hard book to read because there is no flow from point-to-point throughout the text. Wilken’s enthusiasm for his theory is identifiable in the text mainly because he likes to insert conclusions and further theories randomly whenever something that is connected with them is presented in the text. After long periods of logical progression, Wilkens would started jumping from point-to-point before taking up his logical process again then incorporating the random points he talked about earlier into the narrative. Wilken’s never fully explains some of his conclusions or provides supporting evidence for some of his assertions, his view of who the Phoenicians were was the biggest in my mind. Finally Wilkens presents numerous maps and lists of his etymology evidence as part of his main text instead of as a large appendix, which makes the last quarter of the book a slog.
In the end the reader must judge Wilken’s theory for themselves and as stated in my introductory paragraph, it provides good story material like Clive Cussler’s “Trojan Odyssey”. However anyone who wants to read this book for either the revisionist theory or for story inspiration should keep in mind the book’s winding journey. Wilken’s published a revised edition of “Where Troy Once Stood” and maybe that edition (2009) presents the material better, however based on the chapter listings I’m doubtful. So if you’re interested in reading this book, you’ve been warned.
The basic premise of the book is Wilken first rejecting the concise opinion that Troy as located in Anatolia, evening using ancient sources to help support his conclusion. Though Wilken’s believes the Trojan War did take place and examined Homer’s text to find Troy’s location, both by descriptions and etymology to find Troy in the Gog Magog Hills in Cambridgeshire, England. Wilken’s then places gives locations for all the combatants listed in the Iliad amongst the Celtic peoples of Western Europe from Scandinavia down to southern Spain. Based off his locations of the Iliad, Wilken’s catalogues Odysseus’ journey around the shores of Western European and throughout the Atlantic before arriving home in Spain. However, Wilken’s proposes that the Odyssey was not only a story of a warrior king, but a map for Celtic seafarers to sail for recourses in Africa and the Caribbean as well as tool for initiates into the ‘Mysteries’ of the Celtic Druids.
While this overall theory based on Homer’s epic poems is though-provoking, the overall book is undermined by how Wilken presents his material. Whatever one thinks of the theory this is a hard book to read because there is no flow from point-to-point throughout the text. Wilken’s enthusiasm for his theory is identifiable in the text mainly because he likes to insert conclusions and further theories randomly whenever something that is connected with them is presented in the text. After long periods of logical progression, Wilkens would started jumping from point-to-point before taking up his logical process again then incorporating the random points he talked about earlier into the narrative. Wilken’s never fully explains some of his conclusions or provides supporting evidence for some of his assertions, his view of who the Phoenicians were was the biggest in my mind. Finally Wilkens presents numerous maps and lists of his etymology evidence as part of his main text instead of as a large appendix, which makes the last quarter of the book a slog.
In the end the reader must judge Wilken’s theory for themselves and as stated in my introductory paragraph, it provides good story material like Clive Cussler’s “Trojan Odyssey”. However anyone who wants to read this book for either the revisionist theory or for story inspiration should keep in mind the book’s winding journey. Wilken’s published a revised edition of “Where Troy Once Stood” and maybe that edition (2009) presents the material better, however based on the chapter listings I’m doubtful. So if you’re interested in reading this book, you’ve been warned.
June 1, 2010
I really liked this book. It is not an easy read. It was written for scholars and is hard to get a copy of. That is the only reason I have read it only once. I am working on getting to read a copy of the 2009 update. Wilkens uses the interior of evidence of the Iliad to propose an alternate version of the Trojan War. No one knows just who Homer was or if he was even real. We assume he was Greek and the war occurred in the Med because that is who told us the story. Wilkens takes some of the anomalies, vegetation, stated distances,and topographical features to propose an alternative. What if Homer were actually a Celt? They had no written language, but a long oral tradition. What if the battle was fought in England not Turkey? There is a spot in Cornwall that matches the physical description. There is an ancient walled city that was destroyed. What if they fought not over an aduterous woman, but tin? I never bought the whole Helen of Troy bit.
He makes a very good case for his beliefs which are backed by other researchers as well. To consider his theory you would have to accept that maybe Greece was not the only ancient culture of the time.
He makes a very good case for his beliefs which are backed by other researchers as well. To consider his theory you would have to accept that maybe Greece was not the only ancient culture of the time.
June 7, 2015
I really WANTED to like this book. I heard about it from Clive Cussler, who used it as part of the inspiration for his book Trojan Odyssey. The theory that the Trojan war happened on the other side of Europe from where we think is a fascinating one, but Wilkens' writing just didn't make me believe it. When he talks about how river names are the same, taking into account the change in language, he manages to focus on the ones that fit and ignore the ones that don't. It often felt like Wilkens went in with his theory and tried to manipulate Homer's words to fit, rather than go in trying to solve the puzzle without a predetermined idea of where it should end up. Disappointing!
March 24, 2007
This is a fascinating look at how the basis for the Iliad and Odyssey may have actually been Celtic wars in England over tin mines. I am convinced.
May 30, 2011
So far he's made a compelling case...
September 23, 2012
One of my all time alternate history books. What if Odysseus was not from Greece???
January 11, 2015
Mr Wilkens presents a strong and compelling argument to support his premise of a European Troy. Intelligently presented and explained. Quite an enjoyable read.
April 29, 2020
Loved this book.
I have never thought Troy was in southern Turkey. Even when I read the Odyssey in the 7th grade, it didn't make sense to me for it to be in the Mediterranean. No tides in the Mediterranean and as for Odysseus trying to get back home, he sure took a long, roundabout route.
I've always thought Schliemann was a fake and a con man. He himself admits that he figured Troy was in Turkey and went there to prove it. Modern archeologists freely admit Schliemann was wrong, but for some reason, they still attempt to put Troy in Turkey.
Wilkens puts the whole story in perspective. I'm not an archeologist but he makes perfect sense to me.
That being said, I've talked to archeologists about the book. They all disparage it. Some even laughed at me. You need to know that, but I'm undaunted. Experts can be wrong. I've run across that many times.
For example (I have many): When I was in Physics class in 1971 one of my professors, a Physics Ph.D., a full professor mind you, told the class he was pretty sure Einstien's Special Theory of Relativity was correct, but he wasn't all the sure about the General Theory. Experts can sometimes be slow to come to a point of view, where someone interested but less educated can jump to a correct conclusion.
I have never thought Troy was in southern Turkey. Even when I read the Odyssey in the 7th grade, it didn't make sense to me for it to be in the Mediterranean. No tides in the Mediterranean and as for Odysseus trying to get back home, he sure took a long, roundabout route.
I've always thought Schliemann was a fake and a con man. He himself admits that he figured Troy was in Turkey and went there to prove it. Modern archeologists freely admit Schliemann was wrong, but for some reason, they still attempt to put Troy in Turkey.
Wilkens puts the whole story in perspective. I'm not an archeologist but he makes perfect sense to me.
That being said, I've talked to archeologists about the book. They all disparage it. Some even laughed at me. You need to know that, but I'm undaunted. Experts can be wrong. I've run across that many times.
For example (I have many): When I was in Physics class in 1971 one of my professors, a Physics Ph.D., a full professor mind you, told the class he was pretty sure Einstien's Special Theory of Relativity was correct, but he wasn't all the sure about the General Theory. Experts can sometimes be slow to come to a point of view, where someone interested but less educated can jump to a correct conclusion.
March 12, 2019
The pyramids of Egypt are actually made out of play-doh! The Mayans are actually from the planet Kryptonite! The ancient pacific islanders didn't use boats to navigate the vast distances between islands, they had wings and could fly! Elvis was abducted by Klingons! The universe is a lie, we're all in a massive petri dish in an alien laboratory! Let's add to this list that the city we know of as "Troy" is actually in western England, not in the eastern Mediterranean, and that the 'Trojan War" was fought in Denmark and England.
This stuff just writes itself! It's easy. I should write a book like this see if St. Martin's Press will publish it because it looks like they will publish anything. One minor thing that should tip you off when picking up a book like this is if there are no blurbs on the back cover. Not a single academic in the field of History or Classics was willing to write a blurb saying something like "Boffo stuff, I've been a fool for all these years!". Both hilarious and infuriating at the same time.
This stuff just writes itself! It's easy. I should write a book like this see if St. Martin's Press will publish it because it looks like they will publish anything. One minor thing that should tip you off when picking up a book like this is if there are no blurbs on the back cover. Not a single academic in the field of History or Classics was willing to write a blurb saying something like "Boffo stuff, I've been a fool for all these years!". Both hilarious and infuriating at the same time.
September 5, 2020
At least I enjoyed reading this one!
December 4, 2007
In Where Troy Once Stood, Iman Wilkens attempts to reconcile numerous discrepancies in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. It’s true enough that anybody reading these classics with thoughts of some historical basis runs into problems: there’s little archeological proof that either the ‘Greeks’ or the ‘Trojans’ were settlements capable of the Heroic Age the epics depict; Homer’s sense of geography is highly questionable; the descriptions of people (fair-haired or red-headed) and places (“vibrant forests” and “ceaseless rains”) don’t match up with the site in Turkey Heinrich Schliemann declared was Troy. Wilkens seeks to solve these ‘problems’ by arguing that these early Greek epics actually took place in England.
Wilkens’ book is convincing. As I started reading, I doubted that the transposition of place-names could really account for all these problems. Yet, he makes a thorough case, complete with maps, studies on word entomology, and text analysis from both Iliad and Odyssey. After he ‘found’ the fourteen rivers of Troy in the Cambridge area of England and discussed the Gog Magog Hills (where scores of skeletons from some great war in the Bronze Age), I was more than willing to believe him.
Even if you don’t believe or want to, Where Troy Once Stood tackles a lot of questions and raises some intriguing possibilities. Be warned, though – this is a dense text and offers some tough going through some chapters. Wilkens’ methodical pace in plodding through quotes and matching them to sites can dry out what he’s actually trying to tell you. Yet, if you love those epics of Homer or jump head first into anything history, this may be the read you’re looking for.
Wilkens’ book is convincing. As I started reading, I doubted that the transposition of place-names could really account for all these problems. Yet, he makes a thorough case, complete with maps, studies on word entomology, and text analysis from both Iliad and Odyssey. After he ‘found’ the fourteen rivers of Troy in the Cambridge area of England and discussed the Gog Magog Hills (where scores of skeletons from some great war in the Bronze Age), I was more than willing to believe him.
Even if you don’t believe or want to, Where Troy Once Stood tackles a lot of questions and raises some intriguing possibilities. Be warned, though – this is a dense text and offers some tough going through some chapters. Wilkens’ methodical pace in plodding through quotes and matching them to sites can dry out what he’s actually trying to tell you. Yet, if you love those epics of Homer or jump head first into anything history, this may be the read you’re looking for.
October 7, 2014
I'd been wanting to read this book for years. A heavily researched work that claims two of the most famous epics of all time actually have their roots in Celtic Europe rather than Ancient Greece? Sounds amazing! Unfortunately that isn't what this book is. Rather than arguing that the poems have their beginnings in Western Europe the author argues that the actual Trojan War took place in Cambridge based on nothing more than the works of Homer that have changed countless times over the centuries due to their oral nature. These epics aren't historical documents, they are amazing slices of storytelling. If he was to show how the poem began in Europe and was adapted along the way it would be a much stronger theory. But as an argument that the Troy was actually in England? Not a chance.
July 7, 2025
It reminded me of a sketch one of my fellow rowers did for national television, declaring that dragon boatracing, typical Chinese, had its origin in Amsterdam. This book however has a serious tone, but for me just as convincing. An interesting view nevertheless.
August 4, 2012
A truly wonderful read, if slightly controversial ... Cambridge is the site of ancient Troy ... Would love to believe it, but .....
July 16, 2013
Seems legit.
July 24, 2013
An interesting idea, but I still think Odysseus voyaged in the Mediterranean. So, not convincing for me but an unusual and notable theory.
September 2, 2012
An opposite view of prehistory. What if Homer was English?
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August 25, 2018OMG if you've studied any ancient history, mythology, humanity, you know this work is true, as you read every word with rapt interest and revelation. It changes ancient european history, as it should. It changes the origins of western civilization that we have laid upon the Greeks. It makes Homer an even greater author than he was ever regarded to be. Of all the books that I have read, there are but a mere four to six that stand out as bearers of truth, that I would insist everyone read, and this is now one of them. Some day, it may take it's rightful place and upend the staid carts of academia. The Trojan War was Celtic, they as the Sea Peoples were more than we see them now, they were a Great Civilization. This was forgotten when the Romans wiped them nearly off the world.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews