Digging for Troy: From Homer to Hisarlik

by Jill Rubalcaba, Eric H. Cline, Sarah S. Brannen (Illustrator)

The fall of Troy is a legend that has been passed down for thousands of generations. It is the tale of an epic war, brave heroes, meddling gods and goddesses, and the face that launched a thousand ships. Although some have questioned whether Troy was ever anything more than a legend, the Iliad has inspired many to go searching for proof of Troy’s existence.

Jill Rubalcaba and Eric H. Cline first offer an abridged version of the Iliad before delving into the many archaeological expeditions at Hisarlik, the modern-day site believed to have been ancient Troy. They recount everything from Heinrich Schliemann’s quest for glory and renown to Manfred Korfmann’s controversial picture of Troy as a political entity with Anatolian—not Aegean—ties. Whether the legend of Troy is fact or fiction remains up to the reader to decide.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Mythology, Archaeology

80 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2011

About the author

Jill Rubalcaba is an American writer.
She was born in Boston in 1953, and attended the University of Vermont. She obtained a degree in mathematics and intended to become a teacher. However, teaching jobs were scarce, so she worked as a model for a year to pay rent. She landed a teaching job a year later.
She says that she writes because of her endless curiosity about the world.

Reviews

[Phoebe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book showed great promise and textually was really interesting and well done. But there were not enough graphics. I found myself confused more than anything as the author delved into descriptions of the levels of the Troy site (known as Troy I-VI). The photos of the main archaeologists that worked on Troy over the years were nice to see, but full-page? And the lack of explanatory diagrams and whole-site photos is problematic in a children's nonfiction book. Disappointing, but not bad as an introduction, and I don't know how many other resources are actually available at a juvenile level.

[Mark Flowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rubalcaba's condensation of all of the myths surrounding the Trojan War into less than 20 sleakly readable pages is nothing less than a miracle. Unfortunately, that only leaves her about 45 pages left for telling the main story of the architectural digs at Hisarlik. I constantly felt that there was so much more she could be telling me about. Nevertheless, in the space she does allow herself, she makes room for quite a bit of fascinating detail. I'll probably have to pick up an adult book on the topic now.

[Naomi Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this little book did a great job of introducing the Iliad to younglings. I really enjoyed it myself, and it definitely gave me more information and things to think about. Also, the illustrations were great. I love being able to better visualize the landscape of a place. Quite pleased with this book, would be happy to own it, recommend it.

[Ashley Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exceptional book for young adults, Digging for Troy begins with a retelling of a famous legend. The second half of the book describes modern adventurers, explorers and archaeologists who have excavated Hisarlik in the name of finding the mythological land of Troy. Stories can indeed inspire action.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably the best part of this book is the overview of the Trojan War in the beginning of the book. It is basically a retelling of the Illiad at a level that children can understand. Sure there are gruesome parts, but that is part of the tale. It isn't really a children's story, but this retelling does make it a little more accessible to kids. However, the retelling takes up half of the book and while it is interesting the book is supposed to be about finding Troy.

Most of the rest of the book is about Heinrich Schliemann's quest to become famous as the person to discover the ruins of Troy and the Trojan War. There is a great deal of space spent on his quest and his questionable archeological methods. The book then goes through other archeologist who have dug at Hisarlik and uncovered more information on the history of Troy. While this information is interesting it is a bit dry in its delivery. There are not nearly enough graphics to keep kids interested in the text. There should be photos and graphics detailing the different levels they discovered on the site. There is one map which is very difficult to read. The book does have a pronunciation guide, timeline, bibliography and source notes, but it is very awkwardly set up. The pronunciation guide is after the introduction for instance and the timeline is very basic. This is a really interesting subject and the book could be used for reports, but I don't think kids will pick it up for pleasure reading.

[Correen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well organized book, directed at young persons. The author presented the Legend of the Trojan War, the story as presented by Homer, the archeological digs, and an overview of the resultant scholarship about Troy. I knew the legend but did not know the archeology of Troy.

This is not an area in which I would want to invest much time. This book provided a basic understanding that I can rely on when I read articles or listen to history-buff friends.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great overview of the Trojan War/Iliad that also takes a look at the archaeological history of a site that people have come to believe is Troy. It also uses this history to explain some basic archaeological theory. Good book but not for everyone.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging, interesting look at how archeaologists try to sort history from mythology. Includes a great retelling of the story of the Trojan War.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but lacks depth and continuity. Best part is the first chapter with the overview of the story of Troy as outlined by Homer.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but also a bit confusing as to scholars' conclusions. Not as good as Rubalcaba's Every Bone Tells a Story.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

an excellent overview that provides both a history of the archeological digs at Hisarlik, as well as a discussion on the different interpretations and the field data that supports each one.