The Trojan War: Myth, memory and history

Was the Trojan War history or myth? Explore Homer, Bronze Age memory and the stories that shaped ancient Greece. Followed by Q&A.

Did the Trojan War really happen - or did centuries of storytelling transform myth into memory?

Following the release of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, return to one of the foundational stories of ancient Greek culture. Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are the earliest surviving Greek literary works, composed in the eighth century BCE but shaped by oral traditions reaching back towards the end of the Bronze Age, around 1200 BCE. How much history survived that long journey?

In this talk, Associate Professor Jan Haywood will examine how the epics evoke the Bronze Age through armour, tombs and social, political and religious life - while also reflecting the later Greek world of their audiences.