- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (May 13 1998)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0520215990
- ISBN-13: 978-0520215993
- Product Dimensions: 24.7 x 19 x 1.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 767 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#792,572 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #19 in Books > Science > Archaeology > Greek & Roman
- #32 in Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Archaeology > Greek & Roman
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In this liberally illustrated volume written to accompany a forthcoming PBS series, BBC producer and series narrator Wood, author of In Search of the Dark Ages, etc., explores the origins of Homer's epics and efforts of archeologists to document the historic truth of the Bronze Age Trojan War as celebrated in the Iliad. Oral tradition and accounts by poets, he notes, have yet to be disproved by archeology. He cites the fascination which the Trojan story has exercised throughout history and on travelers of all periodsByron among them. Despite archeologist Heinrich Schliemann's exaggerations, the author credits him with the development of modern archeology into a science. Schliemann's finds and those of other archeologists of Mycenaean, Minoan and Hittite civilizations are discussed in some detail. Troy, Wood speculates, may have been one of many cties sacked by the Greeks for economic reasons, and Helen one of the many women captured. 50,000 first printing; History Book Club main selection; BOMC and Macmillan's Natural Science alternates.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Written to complement a BBC-TV series scheduled to begin on PBS this month, Wood's book is essentially an investigation of the historical reality, if any, behind the legend of Troy and the Trojan War. Though not a professional archaeologist, Wood shows a fine grasp of the various problems presented by the Homeric epics, and writes well about sometimes complicated archaeological, linguistic, and historical matters. At times his presentation is a bit repetitious, but those interested in the attempts of individuals such as Schliemann, Dorpfeld, Blegen, and Evans to explore sites thought to be those connected by Homer with the Trojan War will find a lively and sometimes speculative account based on current scholarship. A useful introduction for nonspecialists to areas of continuing scholarly debate. Jackson P. Hershbell, Classical Studies Dept., Univ. of Minnestoa, Minneapolis
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting cover,
By Mary Nears (anahuac, texas United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: In Search of the Trojan War, Updated edition (Paperback)
If you have an interest in learning more about the Trojan War and the archeology involved in proving it wasn't a myth, then this isn't the book for you. I'm not sure who this book was written for. I've a feeling there was a good mind behind a pen that couldn't write in this case.
1.0 out of 5 stars
All about Michael...,
By A Customer
This review is from: In Search of the Trojan War, Updated edition (Paperback)
Michael Wood's account of the "search for the Trojan war" is distinguished by one central feature. He has an astounding gift for saying in 250 words what could be better said in 10. To say that this book is verbose is like saying that Mt. Everest is pretty darn high. This book is the model of hyperventilated verbosity...droning on and on about granular details that are at least unimportant if not downright irrelevant. In the end, it seems that Michael is more interested in hearing himself make noise than in telling the story of Troy. That is very sad, since the story is one worth telling. Moreover, the many interesting photos in the book tantalize the reader with the promise of information which Mr. Wood cannot deliver...or at least carefully hides in one truly huge mound of trivia. This story deserves an author who can tell it. But Michael Wood is not the one. If you are a reader who enjoys flipping through the pictures without really understanding what they mean, then this book may suit you well. But if you seek actual knowledge of the subject, look elsewhere. Look, in particular, for an author who can distinguish the essential from the inconsequential while telling a story that moves straightforwardly from its beginning to its end. Michael Wood is not that author.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent View Into the Dawn of Western Culture,
By
This review is from: In Search of the Trojan War, Updated edition (Paperback)
In this excellent book, Michael Wood covers the history of the modern search for the Troy of Homer's Iliad, and makes a strong case for the Trojan War being a historical occurrence, with most of the details in the Iliad being likewise historical.About half the book is devoted to the major archeological digs at Hisarlik, a site in northwest Turkey, that is the likely site of Troy. Wood puts the discoveries at these digs in a broad context, both geographically and economically, for example in terms of archeological discoveries about contemporaneous sites in Greece and Crete and their implications about trade and warfare, and historically, in terms of the development of the archeologists' own theories over the last century and a half. He also pinpoints which archeological layer is most likely the city that was sacked by the Greeks - specifically, a layer called Troy VI, with n grand, imposing city wall surrounding a stately central city of broad avenues. What I found most interesting, though, was the discussion of historical accounts from the various major powers of the day - the linear B tablets from the Greek city states, the diplomatic archives of the Hittite empire in what is now Turkey, and accounts from the Egypt of Rameses II and III. To me, these really brought to life the late bronze age civilization of the Eastern Mediterranean - arguably a higher civilization than the early iron age civilization that followed. Overall, this book does a terrific job of not only showing when and how the Trojan War actually occurred, but also why, in terms of the dynamics between the 'great powers' of the day.
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