The Trojan War: Fact, Fiction, Reality & Myth – clip

Christopher M. Bellitto / Kean University

Homer in his Iliad and Odyssey describes a ten-year war more than 3,000 years ago between the Greeks and Trojans after Paris stole Helen of Troy from Sparta. But lots of questions remain about this story. Who was Homer, and if he really lived, how trustworthy is his account? Was there really a Helen — and was she so beautiful that her face could “launch a thousand ships?” Could Achilles have nearly single-handedly beaten the Trojans? Did the Greeks really trick the Trojans using a big horse in which they hid? In the end we wonder: is there history behind the legends?  Join Professor Bellitto as we dig–literally and metaphorically–meeting ancient bards, gods, and goddesses, and exploring a tale that was retold throughout the medieval and modern periods. We’ll even encounter an amateur archaeologist named Heinrich Schliemann who was part huckster, part canny promoter, and part P.T. Barnum!