Experts believe that a real conflict or a series of conflicts of some scaleāeither a struggle for political or commercial supremacyāinspired embellished accounts of the Trojan War. Theories of the historicity of the war, dated by later Greek authors to the 12th or 13th century bce, were seriously fueled by Heinrich Schliemannās excavation of the remains of Troy at Hisarlik, Turkey. The discovery of arrowheads, signs of fire, and unburied bodies found in a layer corresponding to the 13th century bce indicates the possibility of battles having occurred. Supporting evidence includes Hittite records mentioning warfare with Wilusa, their name for Troy.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style