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Product Description
Book Description
Non-fiction thriller about the infamous Ancient War
Product Description
Did the Trojan War really happen?
Spectacular new archaeological evidence suggests that it did. Recent excavations and newly translated Hittite texts reveal that Troy was a large, wealthy city allied with the Hittite Empire. Located at the strategic entrance to the Dardanelles, the link between the Aegean and Black Sea, it was a tempting target for marauding Greeks, the Vikings of the Bronze Age. The Trojan War may have been the inevitable consequence of expanding Greek maritime commerce.
Written by a leading expert on ancient military history, the true story of the most famous battle in history is every bit as compelling as Homer's epic account - and confirms many of its details. In The Trojan War, master storyteller Barry Strauss puts legend into its historical context, without losing its poetry and grandeur.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I don't usually write book appraisals for the simple reason that what I wanted to say after reading a book has already been said by somebody else. This book has already got fairly good amount of appraisals. But for once, in my opinion, has not been said the right things.
Prof Strauss' purpose is to place Homer's Epic in the context of the times it meant to represent. Homer is often put in doubt by people that see his story from the perspective of a modern man or from the perspective of Classical Greece. Prof Strauss uses his vast knowledge of the Bronze Age, from archaeology and other contemporaneous cultures to show that Homer's story is not only credible but also very much in accordance with the customs, practices and creeds of the times.
Much criticism of Homer, both today and in the classical times, was because we didn't know much about the Bronze Age and we tend to assess the credibility of the story by comparing with what we know of Classical Greece at best, with our own times at worst. Prof Strauss shows the Epic in the light of what we know of Bronze Age instead.
The great credit of this book and his author is that it manages to give us not only a wealth of evidence and examples of similar events in other contemporaneous cultures, like Hittites and Egyptians, but also that it gives us a glimpse of the way people of the Bronze Age saw it happening. Prof Strauss, in contrast with many other scholars, shows respect for the beliefs and frame of mind of the people of yore, and tries to put the frequent allusions to Gods and omens in context. The principle he follows is that whether the gods did intervene or not is irrelevant; what is important is that by believing that the gods did intervene, the people of the times acted in accordance to it. The result, therefore, is as if the gods did interfere.
We tend all too often to take for granted that just because we now believe in other gods (like science) we are cleverer or wiser that our forefathers. This arrogance leads us often to misunderstand History and misinterpret facts. Prof Strauss seems to strike a perfect balance between keeping the insight modern science gives us and the way these events were seen by the people at the times.
In addition to these rare qualities for a modern scholar, Prof Strauss also shows to be an excellent writer. He manages to tell the story, feed us with loads of Historical research and insights in the psychology of Bronze Age people in a smooth, easy reading and exciting way. The book is a pleasure to read.
Derisive comments lamenting that the book is made for the masses are unfair and snobbish. We seldom notice erudite, scholarly-made books because theses are all but forgotten in dusty shelves of libraries, nobody reading them because, frankly, they are a bore to read. To criticise a book for easy accessibility to the hoi polloi is to confound form and context. The difference between an intellectual and a pseudo-intellectual is that the intellectual tries to explain complex things in a simple way in order to come across other people. A pseudo-intellectual complicates what he says in order to hide that he has very little to say. Prof Strauss definitely has a lot to say to us and he says it well. I hope to see more books from him in the future.
Prof Strauss' purpose is to place Homer's Epic in the context of the times it meant to represent. Homer is often put in doubt by people that see his story from the perspective of a modern man or from the perspective of Classical Greece. Prof Strauss uses his vast knowledge of the Bronze Age, from archaeology and other contemporaneous cultures to show that Homer's story is not only credible but also very much in accordance with the customs, practices and creeds of the times.
Much criticism of Homer, both today and in the classical times, was because we didn't know much about the Bronze Age and we tend to assess the credibility of the story by comparing with what we know of Classical Greece at best, with our own times at worst. Prof Strauss shows the Epic in the light of what we know of Bronze Age instead.
The great credit of this book and his author is that it manages to give us not only a wealth of evidence and examples of similar events in other contemporaneous cultures, like Hittites and Egyptians, but also that it gives us a glimpse of the way people of the Bronze Age saw it happening. Prof Strauss, in contrast with many other scholars, shows respect for the beliefs and frame of mind of the people of yore, and tries to put the frequent allusions to Gods and omens in context. The principle he follows is that whether the gods did intervene or not is irrelevant; what is important is that by believing that the gods did intervene, the people of the times acted in accordance to it. The result, therefore, is as if the gods did interfere.
We tend all too often to take for granted that just because we now believe in other gods (like science) we are cleverer or wiser that our forefathers. This arrogance leads us often to misunderstand History and misinterpret facts. Prof Strauss seems to strike a perfect balance between keeping the insight modern science gives us and the way these events were seen by the people at the times.
In addition to these rare qualities for a modern scholar, Prof Strauss also shows to be an excellent writer. He manages to tell the story, feed us with loads of Historical research and insights in the psychology of Bronze Age people in a smooth, easy reading and exciting way. The book is a pleasure to read.
Derisive comments lamenting that the book is made for the masses are unfair and snobbish. We seldom notice erudite, scholarly-made books because theses are all but forgotten in dusty shelves of libraries, nobody reading them because, frankly, they are a bore to read. To criticise a book for easy accessibility to the hoi polloi is to confound form and context. The difference between an intellectual and a pseudo-intellectual is that the intellectual tries to explain complex things in a simple way in order to come across other people. A pseudo-intellectual complicates what he says in order to hide that he has very little to say. Prof Strauss definitely has a lot to say to us and he says it well. I hope to see more books from him in the future.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Back in the 1980's I became glued to my TV set by Michael Wood's series about Troy. I bought the book based on the series and virtually wore it out reading and re-reading it. I even went as far as buying a new adition because it had an additional chapter covering new evidence unearthed by archaeologists. Now Barry Strauss has gone one better by considering the "Iliad" and asking whether it could reflect actual people and events. Well he's got me convinced. This is a real tour-de-force, analysing parts of the "Iliad" that other books have never reached. Informative, clever and inspiring, this is a must read for anyone with even a passing interest in the subject. It reminded me very strongly at times of a novel written recently with the same title by Chris Ray. Try reading them side by side - it's quite illuminating.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In his reaching for both Homeric and contemporary literature from other cultures and civilisations, Strauss draws a convincing and immersive picture of one of history's great epic stories.
Weaving the gods into his history in an unpretentious manner, he offers explanations and interpretation but doesn't make a hubristic attempt to tell the tale better than Homer. Where there is a paucity of direct evidence for the events and characters portrayed, he brings to bear a convincing number of alternative positions from which to view these mostly familiar stories. Hector and Achilles are shown to be tragic heroes, both driven by a reckless pride and lust for glory. But we also see their human side through an examination of the characters around them - the grieving wives, the lost friends, the flawed leaders and crafty generals.
This is an academic but thoroughly accessable work and I don't think that the author's approach to weaving a convincing narrative around his subject should be considered a shortcoming. Quite the reverse, this is history at it most engaging, enlightening and enjoyable.
Weaving the gods into his history in an unpretentious manner, he offers explanations and interpretation but doesn't make a hubristic attempt to tell the tale better than Homer. Where there is a paucity of direct evidence for the events and characters portrayed, he brings to bear a convincing number of alternative positions from which to view these mostly familiar stories. Hector and Achilles are shown to be tragic heroes, both driven by a reckless pride and lust for glory. But we also see their human side through an examination of the characters around them - the grieving wives, the lost friends, the flawed leaders and crafty generals.
This is an academic but thoroughly accessable work and I don't think that the author's approach to weaving a convincing narrative around his subject should be considered a shortcoming. Quite the reverse, this is history at it most engaging, enlightening and enjoyable.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
contempory, very clear and so well written
Anyone interested in Bronze Age Mediterranean culture will enjoy this excellent book which sets the old story of Troy in a very wide context. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Andrew Connal
One Trick Pony, Troy explained
This is a superb history book, which happens to be about the siege of Troy. My knowledge of ancient Greece was limited, as was my interest. Read more
Published on 11 Sep 2009 by Stewart Murray
Not bad...
This book works chronologically through the course of the Trojan War and compares everything Homer writes to what is known about Bronze Age Mediterranean society - warfare,... Read more
Published on 21 Sep 2008 by C. Ball
Very disappointing
In this short book Barry Strauss attempts and miserably fails to tell the tale of the famed Trojan War. Read more
Published on 6 Feb 2008 by F. Lawton
Enjoyable
Drawing largely from various Ancient examples from the Egyptian, Hittite and Anatolian Kingdoms, Professor Strauss has reconstructed the various tales that combine to create a... Read more
Published on 14 Jan 2008 by Moon Cheese
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