Trojan War on Quora with Prescott

Q

Did the Trojan War or the Persian War have a greater impact on civilization in the Eastern Mediterranean world?
https://www.quora.com/Did-the-Trojan-War-or-the-Persian-War-have-a-greater-impact-on-civilization-in-the-Eastern-Mediterranean-world/answer/Hans-Georg-Lundahl

ARq

Answer requested by Bonnie Carroll

Hans-Georg Lundahl

History buff since childhood. CSL & Eco added to Medieval lore. + Classics.

Answered Wed

Not sure.

For instance, was Trojan War part or not part of the breakup of the Hittite Empire?

Do Greece and Rome owe their culture to Hittite and Trojan expatriates?

In that case, Trojan War would have played a greater role, possible. On the other hand, what exact role it played is a bit hidden from us, since our sources (Homer first of all, and a few others) are more knowledgeable on individual exploits than on culture changes before and after it.

Justin Prescott

Wed

1 upvote from me

I personally believe that the Trojan war had the greatest impact on humanity.

Hans-Georg Lundahl

Wed

If we consider it resulted in small free, but still civilised states, I tend to agree.

I consider that Greek particularism, as opposed to Mycenean monolithic rule (under Hittites?) was begun when the locally mixed recruitment of Greek army was replaced by a more local regimentation, to boost the flagging morale. Iliados B.

Justin Prescott

Wed

It also resulted in the Indo-European immigration from Asia Minor into Europe. The collapse of the Bronze Age Civilization. All of human history changed with the fall of Troy. It also took Civilization centuries to recover from such a collapse. The the fall out even caused the Greeks to become illiterate.

Justin Prescott

added

Wed

I actually wonder how advanced civilization would have become if it had never happen.

Hans-Georg Lundahl

Wed

"It also resulted in the Indo-European immigration from Asia Minor into Europe."

I think that one had already occurred, whether immigration or spread of language.

"The collapse of the Bronze Age Civilization."

That yes, with Hittite Empire as closest representative of Bronze Age Civilisation, and Syro-Hittites and Egyptians as surviving the collapse. In Syro-Hittite case, like in Greek one, as city states.

"The the fall out even caused the Greeks to become illiterate."

I am not sure "even" is a good word.

Suppose that Linear B was used mainly for tax and similar purposes, you can identify why a popular feeling about it would be "semata lygra" = baleful signs.

That is what Homer considers those read by Bellerophon in one of the many look backs to before Trojan War.

This means that "writing" in this sense had nothing to do with literature and was shaken off with relief, like for instance if we imagined things like school uniforms and air port security, if school obligation and air planes were to go down.

Literature (as in epic and epyllic docu-fiction), was arguably already oral, and therefore writing was useless for more airy purposes.

Until much later another writing system - the Kadmean one, with updates, note Thebes was arguably still Phenician, not Greek in this time - showed signs of being useful in codifying laws or best attested versions of a song by Homer.

"I actually wonder how advanced civilization would have become if it had never happen."

Charn? Calormen? Mordor or Isengard?