The Trojan Wars and Homer

Today in Western Civilization, we took notes on the Trojan War and Homer. Additionally, we listened to a story composed by Homer about Cyclops' on a remote island. We wrote in our notes that the Greeks fought in many wars over time. The Trojan War was fought in the 12th or 13th century BCE, however, many historians believed it was fictional because it included gods and goddesses. Goddesses Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera were given the "apple of discord". Next, we learned about the "sea people" or the Dorians. Around 1200 BCE, these people began to invade Mycenae. The Dorians moved into the war-torn region dominated from 1150-750 BCE (the Greek Dark Ages). Then, for 400 years, writing disappeared, and culture was in decline. At the end of the "Dark Ages", enters Homer the bard (storyteller). Homer composed epics of the Trojan War and was described to be a blind old man. It was believed he memorized two stories in his head and "composed" the "Iliad and Odyssey". The question of Homer actually existing still remains as the "Homeric Question". Therefore, this class we took notes on Homer and many other key events in Greek history.

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