Assignment Questions :
Why were travelers able to identify the area in which Troy was located according to Fitton? Was there agreement before the 1800s about the specific location of Troy?
According to Fitton, how complete and accurate were Schliemann's accounts of his own life before he began excavating?
How did Schliemann first hear the poems of Homer recited in Greek, according to his own account?
How was Schliemann convinced that Hisarlik must be the site of Troy?
How would you describe Schliemann's approach to excavation at Troy?
Which of the layers of Troy did Schliemann originally identify as the Troy of king Priam and what notable finds did he associate with this city? What is the actual date of this level?
Why was the site of Mycenae easier to identify than Troy?
How would you describe Schliemann's relations with authorities in Greece and Turkey?
What did Newton and Schliemann get wrong about the relative chronology of tombs at Mycenae (i.e., the order in which they were built)?
What was the state of the bodies Schliemann uncovered in the shaft graves at Mycenae and what about their state doesn't fit with burials of heroes recorded in the Iliad?
Who did Schliemann think were buried in the shaft graves at Mycenae and what problems about Schliemann's interpretation does Fitton highlight?
What did Schliemann find troubling about the relationship of finds from Troy II and Mycenae?
What conclusion did Schliemann reach about Homer's knowledge of Troy?
Which level of Troy did Dörpfeld and Schliemann ultimately decide was the Troy of Priam and what had happened to most of the remains of that level by the time they figured it out?
Reading guide for: Blegen, C. 1963. Troy and the Trojans, pp. 13-20.
Does Blegen think the descriptions of Troy in the Iliad are sufficient to make a detailed plan of the city?
What work by what scholars did Blegen think proved that there was a historical Trojan War fought between Achaeans/Mycenaeans and Trojans?
Reading guide for: Fitton, J.L. 1996. The Discovery of the Greek Bronze Age, pp. 48-103