13I recently went up to the wet and windy
Lancashire coast, with trains disrupted
by floods beyond Preston, to talk to the
wonderful Lytham St Annes Classical
Association. It’s the biggest branch of the Classical Asso c-
iation in the UK, with almost 600 members, 400 of whom
were crammed into a school hall on a cold night. There
they shared their enthusiasm for the archaeology of Troy;
the prehistory of Homer’s Iliad; and the complex but
mesmerising detail of the Hittite diplomatic archive, where
we actually have correspondence between the Hittites and
the Greeks at the time of the Trojan War – including one
letter from the king of Achaeans, the real-life Agamemnon!
The classics are a lifetime’s source of pleasure and
illumination. They matter, too, because – especially as
Brexit unfolds – we need to understand clearly that so
many of the roots of our own culture lie in Italy and in
Greece. And the study of Greek and Roman civilisation is
not the possession of southern upper middle-class types
with a public school and Oxbridge education – although
when our Etonian prime minister recites the opening lines
of The Iliad, you might easily get that impression! No, the
classics are a fabulous source of inspiration for all: “The
gateway to paradise,” as Heinrich Schliemann, the
excavator of Troy, put it.
My own love of the classics began with stories at home
and books from the travelling library that came each
Tuesday night to our part of Manchester. Remember
Roger Lancelyn Green’s Tales of the Greek Heroes and The
Tale of Troy? Then came the magical books of Leonard
Cottrell, whose The Bull of Minos turned the search for theGreek Bronze Age into a thriller – and I am sure influ-
enced my filmmaking style years later, when my own
searches for the classical past mixed history, travel and
adventure. Later, in my late teens, I went hitching with
a rucksack, sleeping out on thyme-scented Greek moun-
tainsides. It was the start of a lifelong love affair.
The classics as a subject are incredibly dynamic and
always changing. Take the tale of Troy, my theme at
Lytham. The British Museum has just held a Troy exhibi-
tion, full of great works of art, from the Greeks to the
Pre-Raphaelites. There’s even a hilarious feminist Judge-
ment of Paris, with Athene as Lara Croft and Hera holding
a Hoover. But although it is subtitled Myth and Reality,
the show disappointingly concluded that the Homeric
myth cannot be squared with history and archaeology.
Now, that was the general view back in the 1980s when
we made our series of films about Troy for the BBC, In
Search of the Trojan War. But these helped reopen the
debate on the historicity of the war, and helped spur the
latest excavation of the site. In turn, the latest finds have
really moved the story on.
There are three major areas of new discovery. First is
the site itself, where the find of a lower town makes Troy
look much more like a regional capital. The outer defenc-
es, with gates and anti-chariot ditches, enclosed an area
that could have sheltered maybe 6,000 people, which
tallies with the Troy of legend.
Second is The Iliad. The work of Homer is undergoing
a radical reappraisal as more is understood about the
influence of near-eastern poetry on his themes, tales and
characters. These were passed on by travelling bards who
performed at courts and religious festivals, reworking
tales such as Gilgamesh, which had come down through
Akkadian, Hurrian and Hittite traditions. Homer’s debt
to the great corpus of stories from the near east and from
Mesopotamia is now clear.
Thirdly, new finds in the Hittite archives have refined
ideas about Bronze Age Anatolian geography, and may
point to one influence on the tale – among several possible
Trojan wars – in conflicts fought at the time of Muwatallis
(reigned c1320–1294 BC), the Hittite king who clashed
with Pharaoh Ramses II at Kadesh in Syria. All this could
hardly have been guessed at 30 years ago.
The fascination of it all reminds us that classical
civilisation is an integral part of western culture and
helped make us who we are. Indeed, without its myths and
histories we can hardly understand our own literature –
think of Shakespeare, for starters. Sharing all this with the
members of the Lytham Classical Association not only
reinforced my sense of the value and joy in the classics,
but also sent me away thinking about putting the Hittite
version of the Trojan War to paper sooner rather than
later. Watch this space!MICHAEL WOOD ON...
THE LATEST RESEARCH INTO TROYMichael Wood
is professor of
public history
at the University
of Manchester.
He has presented
numerous BBC
series, and his
books include
In Search of the
Trojan War
(BBC, 2005)THIS MONTH IN HISTORYCOMMENT
Historical finds are spurring us on
to the truth about the Trojan War13 ILLUSTRATION^ BY^ FEMKE DE JONG
Irecentlywentuptothewetandwindy
Lancashirecoast,withtrainsdisrupted
byfloodsbeyondPreston,totalktothe
wonderfulLythamStAnnesClassical
Association.It’sthebiggestbranchoftheClassicalAssoc-
iationintheUK,withalmost 600 members, 400 ofwhom
werecrammedintoa schoolhallona coldnight.There
theysharedtheirenthusiasmforthearchaeologyofTroy;
theprehistoryofHomer’sIliad; andthecomplexbut
mesmerisingdetailoftheHittitediplomaticarchive,where
weactuallyhavecorrespondencebetweentheHittitesand
theGreeksatthetimeoftheTrojanWar– includingone
letterfromthekingofAchaeans,thereal-lifeAgamemnon!
Theclassicsarea lifetime’ssourceofpleasureand
illumination.Theymatter,too,because– especiallyas
Brexitunfolds– weneedtounderstandclearlythatso
manyoftherootsofourownculturelieinItalyandin
Greece.AndthestudyofGreekandRomancivilisationis
notthepossessionofsouthernuppermiddle-classtypes
witha publicschoolandOxbridgeeducation– although
whenourEtonianprimeministerrecitestheopeninglines
ofTheIliad,youmighteasilygetthatimpression!No,the
classicsarea fabuloussourceofinspirationforall:“The
gatewaytoparadise,”asHeinrich Schliemann, the
excavatorofTroy,putit.
Myownloveoftheclassicsbeganwithstoriesathome
andbooksfromthetravellinglibrarythatcameeach
TuesdaynighttoourpartofManchester.Remember
RogerLancelynGreen’sTalesoftheGreekHeroesandThe
TaleofTroy? ThencamethemagicalbooksofLeonard
Cottrell, whoseThe Bull of Minos turned the search for theGreekBronzeAgeintoa thriller– andI amsureinflu-
encedmyfilmmakingstyleyearslater,whenmyown
searchesfortheclassicalpastmixedhistory,traveland
adventure.Later,inmylateteens,I wenthitchingwith
a rucksack,sleepingoutonthyme-scentedGreekmoun-
tainsides.It wasthestartofa lifelongloveaffair.
Theclassicsasa subjectareincrediblydynamicand
alwayschanging.TakethetaleofTroy,mythemeat
Lytham.TheBritishMuseumhasjusthelda Troyexhibi-
tion,fullofgreatworksofart,fromtheGreekstothe
Pre-Raphaelites.There’sevena hilariousfeministJudge-
mentofParis, withAtheneasLaraCroftandHeraholding
a Hoover.Butalthoughit is subtitledMythandReality,
theshowdisappointinglyconcludedthattheHomeric
mythcannotbesquaredwithhistoryandarchaeology.
Now,thatwasthegeneralviewbackinthe1980swhen
wemadeourseriesoffilmsaboutTroyfortheBBC,In
SearchoftheTrojanWar. Butthesehelpedreopenthe
debateonthehistoricityofthewar,andhelpedspurthe
latestexcavationofthesite.In turn, the latest finds have
reallymovedthestoryon.
Therearethreemajorareasofnewdiscovery.Firstis
thesiteitself,wherethefindofa lowertownmakesTroy
lookmuchmorelikea regionalcapital.Theouterdefenc-
es,withgatesandanti-chariotditches,enclosedanarea
thatcouldhaveshelteredmaybe6,000 people, which
tallieswiththeTroyoflegend.
SecondisTheIliad. TheworkofHomeris undergoing
a radicalreappraisalasmoreis understoodaboutthe
influenceofnear-easternpoetryonhisthemes,talesand
characters.Thesewerepassedonbytravellingbardswho
performedatcourtsandreligiousfestivals,reworking
talessuchasGilgamesh, whichhadcomedownthrough
Akkadian,HurrianandHittitetraditions.Homer’sdebt
tothegreatcorpusofstoriesfrom the near east and from
Mesopotamiais nowclear.
Thirdly,newfindsintheHittitearchiveshaverefined
ideasaboutBronzeAgeAnatoliangeography,andmay
pointtooneinfluenceonthetale– amongseveralpossible
Trojanwars– inconflictsfoughtatthetimeofMuwatallis
(reignedc1320–1294BC),theHittitekingwhoclashed
withPharaohRamsesII atKadeshinSyria.All this could
hardlyhavebeenguessedat 30 yearsago.
Thefascinationofit allremindsusthatclassical
civilisationis anintegralpartofwesterncultureand
helpedmakeuswhoweare.Indeed,withoutitsmythsand
historieswecanhardlyunderstandourownliterature–
thinkofShakespeare,forstarters.Sharingallthiswiththe
membersoftheLythamClassicalAssociationnotonly
reinforcedmysenseofthevalueandjoyintheclassics,
butalsosentmeawaythinkingaboutputtingtheHittite
versionoftheTrojanWarto paper sooner rather than
later. Watch this space!MICHAELWOODON...
THE LATEST RESEARCH INTO TROYMichaelWood
isprofessorof
publichistory
attheUniversity
ofManchester.
Hehaspresented
numerousBBC
series,andhis
booksinclude
InSearchofthe
TrojanWar
(BBC, 2005)
THIS MONTH IN HISTORYCOMMENTHistorical finds are spurringus onto the truth about the Trojan WarILLUSTRATIONBYFEMKE DE JONG